James Acaster has revealed that the BBC's edit of Celebrity Traitors omitted more of his participation than viewers might have expected, saying he spoke far more at the round table than the final cut suggested.
The 41-year-old comedian appeared on the celebrity edition of the reality programme, which saw fellow comic Romesh Ranganathan crowned joint champion alongside Sebastian 'Bash' Croft. Speaking to Alan Carr on his Life's A Beach podcast, Acaster discussed his time on the show and why his conduct at the round table differed from what audiences saw on television.
Fear and the round table
During the conversation, Carr recalled how frightened Acaster had seemed throughout the competition, saying he had observed the comedian appearing terrified. Carr said: "Your eyes, they were like two sinkholes full of fear. I saw you and that's how I felt."
Acaster noted that Carr had volunteered to become a Traitor, unlike himself, remarking: "You asked to be one though. At least you asked to be one." Carr went on to describe how vocal he had been during his time at the castle, suggesting viewers should focus on the more reserved contestants around the round table, confessing he had been "f****** mouthy" during his own participation.
Why his comments were cut
Acaster disclosed that his apparent lack of input did not necessarily represent an accurate picture of events during filming. "I actually said a lot more around that round table than the edit would suggest," he explained.
The comedian revealed he had persuaded himself that the Traitors were probably the contestants who remained silent during discussions, prompting him to adopt an alternative strategy. "I had it in my head that all the Traitors are the quiet ones around the round table," he added.
He also outlined another factor that might explain why audiences had not witnessed the full scope of his participation, explaining that the production crew frequently aimed to maintain suspense around contestants' voting choices, resulting in conversations being edited to keep the ultimate outcomes concealed. "So a lot of the time, what I said at the round table is cut out. So that what I vote is then like a reveal," Acaster disclosed. He acknowledged that once he grasped why his remarks were being omitted, the editorial choices became far more comprehensible to him.
Relations with fellow contestants
The disclosure comes after Acaster also addressed rumours regarding his relationships with fellow contestants. Reports indicated friction with Rob Beckett and Romesh, with Acaster purportedly feeling increasingly isolated by them, but during the same podcast discussion he maintained he had no grievances about his fellow contestants.
"I was like, I've been friends with those guys for like over 10 years. They were lovely, the entire show. I didn't complain about any of my fellow players," he said.
Carr suggested that Acaster would now find himself frequently stopped by members of the public wanting to chat about the programme, but Acaster downplayed the level of attention he had experienced, saying: "I've not really had any of that. Yes, since it's been out, I've just had friends of mine, Romesh and people, who is my friend." Carr remained unconvinced, jokingly replying: "Yeah, I don't believe a word of that."
