James Acaster was conspicuously missing from The Celebrity Traitors reunion show following his dramatic departure from the BBC series. The stand-up comic failed to appear on Friday night's (October 30) special edition of spin-off show Uncloaked, which reunited some of this year's cast following the nail-biting finale.
His no-show came after he made a bombshell revelation on Thursday night's (October 29) penultimate episode, sparking a frenzy of debate amongst viewers.
Reluctant Traitor exit
The 41-year-old had been a "reluctant Traitor" after being recruited at the start of the competition, having originally wanted to play as a Faithful, reports the Manchester Evening News. He ultimately unmasked himself as a Traitor at the round table after Michael Sheen began casting doubt on his role in the murder of Ross Kemp.
The finale eventually saw the Faithful claim victory, with actor Sebastian Croft and comedian Romesh Ranganathan coming out on top after a gripping showdown. The duo walked away with £41,500 each for their chosen charities, with Croft selecting Choose Love and Ranganathan opting for the Refugee Council.
Absentees and fan reaction
According to The Mirror, Acaster was amongst several contestants who were absent from the reunion, which was filmed at Broadcasting House. Fellow Traitor Maya Jama was also nowhere to be seen, while actor Michael Sheen sent in a video message explaining he was unable to attend due to theatre rehearsals.
Jama received a brief mention during the programme, however Acaster was not acknowledged whatsoever. His no-show sparked questions amongst viewers, with many heading to X, formerly Twitter, to query why the comedian appeared to have been overlooked entirely.
Broadcaster Dan Walker was amongst those voicing concerns, posting: "I hope James Acaster is ok. No appearance and not even mentioned on the uncloaked show."
One viewer suggested the producers were trying to "edit him out of existence", writing: "No mention of James A at all in Uncloaked, obviously trying to edit him out of existence as the producers know he knocked the game off course".
Another fan commented: "Lacked the warmth and tension of series 1, show got derailed because of the James Acaster situation towards the end, but the final was good as you weren't sure which combination was going to end the game. Felt like they missed the dinner party final bit they normally do though."
Acaster on his exit
Acaster's dramatic exit remained one of the most talked-about moments of the second series. He claimed it laid the groundwork for a thrilling finale of Celebrity Traitors.
He said: "I feel pretty good getting to episode nine, and 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. 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 continued: "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."
James revealed that the notion of coming clean about being a traitor carried him through the entire ordeal. He explained: "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."
