Celebrity Traitors contestant James Acaster has received a cautionary message from a legend of the show's inaugural series. When Claudia Winkleman's murder mystery gameshow debuted in 2022, Wilfred Webster emerged as the ultimate Traitor, manipulating his way to the finale before being ousted by the Faithful.
Comedian James is now aiming to go the distance, having teamed up with Maya Jama as a Traitor and brought in Professor Hannah Fry to take over from Richard E Grant. James has successfully fooled the other Faithful thus far, immersing himself in the role of sleuth by day, before transforming into a ruthless killer by night.
Wilf Webster's warning over name-dropping
Yet Wilf has now cautioned James about one particular tactic, after the comedian and podcast presenter started dropping names at the roundtable to stir up doubt. As part of his approach, James attempted to direct attention towards Welsh actor Michael Sheen, seeking to build momentum for his banishment during roundtable discussions.
However, Wilf has shared three pieces of advice for the Traitors, including avoiding initiating suspicions themselves. Speaking to Mecca Bingo, he acknowledged that James was executing a shrewd strategy, explaining: "If you're a Traitor, playing the game as a Faithful during the day and not a Traitor until you put that cloak on is the best way to play it. I did exactly the same, I just got on with my day and had a laugh. The best way for me to put it is that it's like method acting."
He explained: "I remember genuinely looking for Traitors as a Faithful, but obviously I was a Traitor, but you'd look for little signs that people were doing stuff, so when people would come and ask you a question about that person, you can be like, 'What do you think of them? They're being a bit suspicious', and you'll be like, 'Yeah, I've seen them do this which is a bit weird'. You still play the game as a Faithful, knowing that you're a Traitor. It's a really weird headspace to get into," reports Wales Online.
Three pieces of advice for the Traitors
Wilf proceeded to offer guidance to James, Maya and Professor Hannah, starting with his first piece of advice: "Don't start the suspicion yourself". He elaborated: "There's a saying between Traitors that's been said over the last two or three years, I don't know who came up with it, but it's, 'Don't be someone to plant the seeds, but be someone to water them', so it's in terms of if you're the person giving out names all the time, it can end up coming back to you."
He also cautioned the Traitors against replicating James's mistake of raising Michael's name, stating: "Let someone else introduce the name but if you're there and somebody mentions a name, then you can get involved in the conversation because if it ever comes back to someone, it will go back to that person and not you."
Wilf proceeded to caution the Traitors against unsettling members of their own group, saying: "If you make your fellow traitors worried about your behaviour, it can mean that they could backstab you if they get the chance. When it's so early in the game, it's better to stay in a much more relaxed lane, let other people have their say and sort of just blend in as much as you can."
James Acaster on his hopes for the series
Prior to the series launching, James had expressed his enthusiasm about participating, telling the BBC: "I just love it. I'm a huge fan and have been since series one. I instantly got addicted to it when I started watching."
"I think I started watching it halfway through the first series, so I was catching up on iPlayer. I did all of it in one night and then got really frustrated that I had to wait for all the other episodes. And then I really loved the first Celebrity series and instantly became jealous that I wasn't doing it. I had to get in here!"
He continued by revealing his preferred role, explaining: "I'd like to be a Faithful. This is the only time I'll be able to play it, and I like being in a position of figuring something out rather than having the information the Traitors have."
When questioned about his chances of victory, James added: "I have genuinely no idea at all. Because every time I watch any of the series there seems to be no rhyme or reason.
"People can be really quiet, and they make it to the end. People are huge characters, and they make it to the end. You can be quiet and go under the radar; you can be a big character and end up putting yourself in the firing line.
"Anyone could get to the end. You can avoid murder or banishment by simply not being respected enough to be seen as a threat. And I think I could very easily be seen as not a threat. Yeah, I could be there to the end. It's anyone's game really."
The Celebrity Traitors airs from 8pm on BBC One and iPlayer.
