Ed Gamble has shared his thoughts on James Acaster's participation in Celebrity Traitors, nearly a year after expressing a desire to see his friend on the show. The Off Menu co-host is currently appearing as the first-ever 'Faithful Traitor', a tactic he says James has deployed to avoid treacherous tasks while playing with empathy.
'I didn't know whether he would actually do it, and he tried to keep it secret from me for a long, long time but, you know, I have my other sources,' Gamble, 40, told Metro. 'There was a fun couple of months where we were dancing around each other and he was trying to avoid telling me that it was happening, but in the back of my mind, I knew. It's the most James Acaster thing ever.'
A Long-Standing Friendship
James, 41, and Ed, 40, have been close friends and collaborators for years, first meeting on the UK comedy circuit in 2010, and later launching their popular food-comedy podcast in 2018. Gamble praised Acaster's emotional intelligence and caring nature.
'He's a hugely emotionally intelligent man and very caring. He just wants everyone to be okay,' Ed says of James, adding: 'I think we're seeing that side of him on the show. It would almost be impossible for anyone to keep up a persona in there because you're being filmed so much.'
Heartthrob Status
Gamble acknowledged that Acaster has become the unofficial heartthrob of this year's series, with various edits circulating on social media. He attributes this to Acaster's longstanding appeal rather than any recent changes.
'It may not be on my algorithm, but obviously because I do a podcast with him people are sending these videos directly to my inbox, which I don't mind,' he laughs. 'I've been party to this opinion from our listeners for a long time. It's now just happened on a major scale and people think they're being original by thinking James is handsome.'
'He is a very conventionally handsome man, he is a very clever man, a very nice man, so it does not surprise me in the slightest. The other day I texted him saying: "I'm so proud of my friend for being fit."'
Neutrality and Show Secrets
As host of Celebrity Traitors: Uncloaked, Gamble interviews murdered and banished celebrities, but insists he remains neutral despite his close connections to several contestants, including Romesh Ranganathan, Joe Lycett, Joanne McNally, and Rob Beckett.
'As long as I don't accidentally spill loads of secrets to people, I think I'm fine. When you're watching it as a viewer, you get emotionally invested in people anyway. It just so happens that there's a few people in there that I'm pre-emotionally invested in. I think it adds something, certainly when I'm revealing the Traitors to people, that you can see a little look of pride on my face,' he says.
Memorable Moments
Gamble revealed he was 'blown away' when actor Richard E Grant accidentally outed himself as a Traitor in the first episode. He described the moment as unprecedented and unlikely to be repeated.
'I was watching it like, "What does this mean for the game? Why hasn't he said it was a joke?" He had a split-second window after he said it to say "I'm taking the p**s" and he didn't. He just absolutely doubled down, and I still don't really know why,' he said.
With more than 15,000,000 people tuning in, Gamble is keeping the series outcome secret, describing it as 'an absolute blockbuster series'. Celebrity Traitors airs on Thursdays and Fridays at 8pm on BBC One and BBC iPlayer, with Uncloaked following each episode.
