James Blunt has said Celebrity Traitors viewers "didn't see the full extent" of the interrogation that led to James Acaster revealing he was a traitor on the BBC show.
The 41-year-old comedian stunned his fellow contestants during the BBC reality game show by outing himself as a traitor at the penultimate roundtable before votes were cast, resulting in his banishment from the castle.
Blunt Details the Interrogation
Speaking to the BBC, Blunt, 52, revealed Acaster had been caught out in a lie concerning a perfume bottle used in a murder in plain sight. "He didn't fall on his sword. That's what you saw, that's what you feel, but he didn't," the musician said.
"You didn't see the full extent of the interrogation. It was heavy in there and it was clear-cut. He was pinned to a post. We got him. We really, really got him."
He went on to add: "I think how that played out hasn't really been revealed to you, but he didn't just say, 'Oh guys, you got me'."
Reflections on Editing and Motivations
Reflecting on the editing of the series, Blunt remarked: "There are elements [of the show] where I was screaming at the screen for a different reason than you. No matter what really went on in that castle, you're a victim to the edit."
Blunt, who reached the finale before being banished, confessed he signed up for the programme to plug his new music rather than compete to reach the final. "We all get paid the same, whether you're there for day one or day 23. So for most of the time, I was trying to... get the hell out of dodge. But no-one was killing me and no-one was banishing me," he revealed.
Acaster's Confession and Aftermath
In the penultimate episode, Acaster disclosed his identity to his fellow contestants during the roundtable discussion about Ross Kemp's plain sight murder. He explained: "I just want to explain my situation: I was made a traitor without wanting to be. I've had a unique experience on this that no-one's had before, where I wanted to be a faithful and that's all I've wanted to be. I couldn't just go, 'Guys it's me, vote for me, but that's all I can do really'."
Following his departure from the programme, Acaster reflected: "The idea of doing that got me through the whole experience because you feel as a traitor sometimes, when you see people have real-life reactions that are bigger than the game, you feel bad. And I would have to remind myself they don't have a game without you, literally – if no one's doing this stuff, they can't play, and they all want to play. So you are doing an important job here, so they all have something to do, and when they catch you, they'll be really happy and they'll like it, and it will feel good to just tell them and see that reaction."
Following the penultimate episode of the show's 2026 series, it emerged that filming was brought to a standstill when Acaster became distressed during his final scenes on the programme, and was reportedly given a welfare check before the roundtable got underway. A spokesperson for Acaster refused to comment on the claims, while a BBC representative stated that its "highest priority is always the safety and welfare of everyone taking part".
The most recent series of The Celebrity Traitors was claimed by comedian Romesh Ranganathan and actor Sebastian Croft, who divided the £83,000 prize fund between their respective charities, Choose Love and the Refugee Council.
