Filming on the Celebrity Traitors semi-final was brought to a halt and the welfare team called in after comedian James Acaster was unmasked as a Traitor, according to reports. The episode, which aired on Thursday (October 29), required significant editing after production was paused when the pressure proved too much for Acaster.
Acaster unmasked at the roundtable
During the roundtable, actor Michael Sheen pointed the finger at both Acaster and fellow Traitor Maya Jama. Acaster then gave himself away as a Traitor and was swiftly banished by his fellow contestants, leaving Jama visibly displeased.
A source told The Sun: "What you don't see is the moment when James got upset as he crumbled when he could see he was about to be caught. Both the producers and the other celebrities could see how he was struggling with the pressure of keeping his true identity secret and he reached some kind of breaking point when he was confronted."
Production paused for welfare checks
The insider said the team felt compelled to intervene, and filming was brought to a halt as they assessed the situation. They spoke to both James and the rest of the stars and did not allow filming to resume until they were sure everyone was in a fit state.
The source revealed that "very little" was filmed and that "what little" footage existed did not make it into the final cut of the episode. Acaster had only wished to compete as a Faithful and found being a Traitor challenging throughout the series.
Acaster's reaction and the final
Speaking after departing the castle, Acaster said: "Now we've got a proper final on our hands. With three Traitors, it would have been a foregone conclusion that we were going to win." He added: "Don't get me wrong, I thought it was hilarious at one point that we were just going to walk our way to the final and win the whole thing, but this is much better, isn't it?"
He also said: "As a Traitor sometimes, when you see people have real life reactions that are bigger than the game, you feel bad. 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. When they catch you, they'll be really happy and they'll like it."
The final will air on Friday (October 30). The seven finalists are Maya Jama, King Kenny, Sebastian Croft, James Blunt, Leigh-Anne Pinnock, Michael Sheen, and Romesh Ranganathan.
