James Acaster has spoken out after his banishment in the penultimate episode of Celebrity Traitors, amid reports the semi-final was marked by production disruption and edited scenes.
The episode aired on Thursday night (October 29) and saw the comedian reveal his identity to the celebrity group as a "reluctant Traitor" in an unexpected confession. Acaster had hoped to take part as a Faithful and said he struggled with his Traitor role throughout the programme.
Acaster's confession and exit
During the round table discussion, Acaster admitted to being a Traitor after actor Michael Sheen accused him while debating Ross Kemp's plain-sight murder, according to the Manchester Evening News. Following his confession, which led to his elimination by fellow participants, Acaster has now shared his thoughts on his departure.
He said: "I feel pretty good getting to episode nine, and now we've got a proper final on our hands."
He added: "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?"
Reaction to being caught
Acaster said his idea to reveal himself as a Traitor helped him get through the experience. 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."
He continued: "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."
Filming halted and scenes cut
Following the series airing, it has been reported that filming was paused during the episode, with welfare staff brought in to support the contestants. Production reportedly stopped when the intense pressure became overwhelming for Acaster, according to the Daily Star.
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."
The source added: "That saw the team feel 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 didn't allow filming to resume until they were sure everyone was in a fit state."
The Celebrity Traitors final airs on BBC One at 8pm on Friday, with seven finalists: Maya Jama, King Kenny, Sebastian Croft, James Blunt, Leigh-Anne Pinnock, Michael Sheen, and Romesh Ranganathan.
