James Acaster has insisted he never fell out with fellow comedians Romesh Ranganathan and Rob Beckett, dismissing reports of behind-the-scenes tensions on Celebrity Traitors as "completely fabricated".
The BBC game show, filmed earlier this year and aired throughout October, has been followed by reports of a fallout involving the three comedians since its explosive finale on Friday, October 30.
Acaster's response to the claims
Speaking to Celebrity Traitors series one winner Alan Carr on the latest episode of his 'Life's a Beach' podcast, Acaster addressed the attention the show had brought. He said: "Friends of mine, Romesh and people - who is my friend - is like, 'Every five seconds you get stopped on the street!' and I was like, 'No?' I did have a white van man pull up and tell me he felt sorry for me."
He had earlier said: "I've been friends with those guys for over 10 years. They were lovely for the entire show. It's so completely fabricated. Do people really care that much about a game? It's a game, a reality show, a talking point."
Background to the reports
The claims emerged after the majority of the celebrity cast gathered to celebrate winners Romesh and Sebastian 'Bash' Croft after their Faithful win. Acaster was notably absent, while spin-off Uncloaked presenter Ed Gamble reportedly made no mention of him during the celebrations.
Acaster was banished from the penultimate roundtable during Thursday's (October 29) semi-final after he admitted he was a Traitor. A show insider had claimed he felt uncomfortable with remarks made by Romesh and Rob throughout filming, with their strained relationship said to have centred on their different social backgrounds.
Further details
Alan Carr said his 'killing' of best friend Paloma Faith during the first series was mentioned for weeks and months after the scenes aired. It has also been reported that filming was temporarily halted after Acaster's confession, with production staff checking on the welfare of the cast.
Maya Jama was also absent from the post-show celebrations, reportedly because she was away filming Netflix series The Gentlemen. Her absence came after a dramatic final in which fellow Traitor King Kenny turned against her at the round table, leading to her banishment.
