James Acaster has revealed that the BBC's final edit of Celebrity Traitors cut out more of his round table contributions than viewers realised, explaining that production edits were designed to preserve the suspense of contestants' votes.
The comedian, 41, appeared on the celebrity version of the hit reality show, which saw fellow comedian Romesh Ranganathan crowned joint winner alongside Sebastian 'Bash' Croft. Following the series, speculation emerged about alleged friction between James and some of his co-stars.
Speaking on Alan Carr's podcast
Speaking to Alan Carr on his Life's A Beach podcast, James opened up about his experience, including why his behaviour around the round table was not quite what viewers saw on screen. During their conversation, Alan recalled how frightened James appeared throughout the competition, admitting he had spotted the comedian looking terrified.
Alan said: "Your eyes, they were like two sinkholes full of fear. I saw you and that's how I felt." James pointed out that Alan had actually volunteered to become a Traitor, unlike him, saying: "You asked to be one though. At least you asked to be one."
Why his round table comments were cut
Alan went on to explain how he had been particularly vocal during his time at the castle, even offering advice to anyone hoping to identify the Traitors in a future series. He suggested viewers should pay attention to the quieter contestants around the round table, admitting he had been "f****** mouthy" during his own stint.
However, James revealed that his apparent silence was not necessarily an accurate reflection of what happened during filming. "I actually said a lot more around that round table than the edit would suggest," he explained. The comedian said he had convinced himself that the Traitors were likely to be the contestants who kept quiet during discussions, leading him to take a different approach.
"I had it in my head that all the Traitors are the quiet ones around the round table," he added. James then explained that there was another reason why viewers might not have seen the full extent of his contributions. He said the production team often wanted to preserve the suspense surrounding contestants' votes, meaning conversations were edited to keep the eventual decisions under wraps.
"So a lot of the time, what I said at the roundtable is cut out. So that what I vote is then like a reveal," James revealed. He admitted that once he understood why his comments were being removed, the editing decisions made considerably more sense to him.
Addressing speculation about co-stars
The revelation comes after James also addressed speculation surrounding his relationships with his fellow contestants. According to the Daily Mail, James allegedly felt progressively singled out by Rob Beckett and Romesh, with tensions reportedly stemming from differences in their social backgrounds.
During the same podcast appearance, he insisted he had no complaints about those he shared the castle with, despite reports suggesting there had been tension with the comedians. "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.
Alan suggested that James would now find himself regularly approached by members of the public wanting to discuss the programme. But James played down how much attention he had received, 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." Alan was less convinced, jokingly responding: "Yeah, I don't believe a word of that."
