The new series of Celebrity Traitors descended into chaos after actor Richard E Grant accidentally revealed he was a traitor less than five minutes after being selected, leaving fellow contestants and producers dumbfounded.
During the explosive first episode, Grant made what has been called the biggest blunder in the show's history when he openly admitted his role in front of shocked celebrities in the Scottish castle. Grant, a self-confessed fan of the game, had been telling everyone how much he hoped to be made a traitor. Host Claudia Winkleman secretly anointed both Grant and Love Island star Maya Jama as the series traitors during the first round table meeting.
Grant's Blunder Stuns Contestants
Afterwards, comedian Joe Lycett asked the Withnail And I star what he was, to which Grant replied instantly: “Traitor!” A shocked Lycett responded: “You're what?” But Grant doubled down: “Traitor, what's the point of being the game if you're not?”
Silence filled the drawing room and Grant clearly realised he may have made an error. Lycett came back with: “I think you've just done something that's never happened in the game. It is a bold strategy.” Later, in the confessional room, an embarrassed Grant looked crestfallen: “Well that may be the biggest mistake I have ever made in my life. I was so thrilled to have been chosen as a traitor, that in my unguarded excitement, I said, Of course, I'm a traitor. I clearly need to diffuse all the heat that's coming in my direction. Oh, brother!”
Producers and Host React
Staff behind the scenes of the BBC show were equally shocked by Grant's admission, with series producer Sarah Fay revealing an extreme physical reaction. “A little bit of a little bit of sick came up in my mouth,” she said. “We never had anything like that happen before. I mean, within five minutes of being out of the round table, he'd already mucked up. I I still can't believe it now - Richard E Grant, how iconic!”
Claudia Winkleman was also in awe of what she witnessed: “I think he was genuinely so happy. He got picked for a traitor, and he just wanted to tell everyone. I don't think it was nerves. He was giddy, and about five minutes later, he went... 'Oh, dear'. The genius of the game is everybody plays as it completely differently, and he took that to the next level.”
Ed Gamble, host of spin-off show Uncloaked, agreed: “He was just vibrating with excitement and the terror as well. It felt like he'd just been given the lead role in the film and he just had to tell everyone.”
Doubts and Twists
Some celebrities refused to believe the 69-year-old actor could be so careless. Modelling legend Jerry Hall said: “I just don't believe Richard's a traitor. I've known him 30 years, and he's my neighbour. He says and does eccentric things. He's amazing guy. But I think he's acting out because he's not been chosen.”
The series kicked off in morbid fashion with all 21 celebrities meeting at a wake in a church. Eventually a coffin was carried in and creaked opened to reveal host Claudia Winkleman. Two celebrities were given shields - Coronation Street star Julie Hesmondhalgh and Joe Lycett - protecting them from murder. But the show was dominated by Grant's faux pas, with gossip continuing during a spectacular lakeside mission where celebs collected money hidden in submerged crates around a pirate ship that eventually exploded.
This year there is a twist for the first murder as the traitors were instructed to pick not one but two names for the possible chop, while the other would be recruited as a third traitor. They chose the two celebrities who were particularly relentless in their grilling of Richard E Grant - comedian James Acaster and University Challenge host Amol Rajan, who were taken back to the church and made to plea for their survival. “Richard were you double, triple bluffing or what,” reacted a shocked Rajan. “The sight of the two of them cloaks down united in evil I don't think I'll ever forget.”
Both promised to help “get the heat off” Grant in a nail-biting cliffhanger. Who will be chosen and can Grant pull off a miracle by surviving into week two? All will be revealed on BBC ONE.
