Joanne McNally's planned tell-all podcast episode about her time on The Celebrity Traitors was scrapped after the BBC said the recording violated signed contracts, her producers have revealed.
McNally had promised listeners a bonus episode of the My Therapist Ghosted Me podcast, which she co-hosts with Vogue Williams, dedicated to her experience on the hit BBC show. However, the trio were forced to let fans down after receiving strict instructions from the BBC.
Podcast episode axed over contract breach
On the latest episode of the podcast, producer Joe Attewell said he had been inundated with "eight to nine thousand messages" asking where the bonus episode had gone, as it was meant to be released on Sunday, just days after The Celebrity Traitors final aired.
Joe explained: "So, we recorded that on Friday afternoon. It was a tell-all behind-the-scenes and all about Joanne's experience on Celebrity Traitors."
Vogue added: "And I had spent ages on the research and the questions. I was finally getting to interview McNally. And I was very dusty hungover but I was still there sweating away."
BBC's strict instructions revealed
Joe claimed: "You did awfully well. It was a really good interview and then it was edited. I edited it as fast as I could and then Boon, our video editor, she edited it as well."
He added: "And we all had it done by about seven o'clock that evening. It was all looking good and was about to come out on Sunday. And then late on Friday evening I was bundled roughly into a BBC van," prompting the trio to burst into laughter at Joe's exaggerated version of events.
He quipped: "After they beat me about a bit and told me in no uncertain terms that just about everything that had been spoken about on the podcast was a violation of contracts that had been signed. And that if we put it out that they'd duff me up even worse."
Joanne, who was a Faithful on the show, agreed and joked: "We'd be taken to the gallows!"
Teasing that listeners would have been in for a treat if they had been allowed to release the episode, Vogue shared: "Turns out we can't say whatever we want. Sometimes you're not allowed to, but it was juicy!"
McNally's exit and aftermath
Joanne narrowly missed out on a spot in The Celebrity Traitors final, which was eventually won by Romesh Ranganathan and Sebastian "Bash" Croft, after being banished by her fellow players.
Fans have been keen to find out what really happened in the Scottish castle, especially after James Acaster confessed to being a Traitor during one of the last round tables in unprecedented scenes.
James Blunt revealed to BBC News that the moment was heavily edited, so viewers didn't see the full interrogation. The singer shared: "He didn't fall on his sword. That's what you saw, that's what you feel, but he didn't."
Blunt added: "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 added that the full story "hasn't really been revealed" to viewers, explaining: "He didn't just say, 'Oh guys, you got me.'"
