Romesh Ranganathan has revealed what James Acaster was truly like behind the scenes on Celebrity Traitors, explaining that the comedian was not quiet off-camera despite his on-screen portrayal.
Ranganathan, 48, won the BBC series alongside 24-year-old actor Sebastian Croft, with the pair splitting the £83,000 prize money between their chosen charities. Their victory came after Faithful-turned-Traitor Acaster was banished for confessing his true identity in unprecedented scenes.
Acaster's Role in the Series
One of the main sources of tension in the series was Acaster's wish to remain a Faithful after being recruited, at the expense of journalist Amol Rajan, who was subsequently knocked out of the programme.
Speaking on The Romesh Ranganathan Show, in an interview with Celebrity Traitors season one winner Alan Carr, Ranganathan gave insight into Acaster's behaviour during filming.
Insight into the Edit
When Carr asked whether Acaster was like "a rabbit in headlights" or if the edit made him appear quiet, Ranganathan said Acaster was more vocal in scenes that did not make it to the broadcast.
"I don't think he was quiet. He wasn't quiet. I think it's fair to say he was wrestling with being a Traitor, but he wasn't quiet," Ranganathan said.
He added that even if someone said a lot during filming, it might not make it into the final edit, and vice versa. Using himself as an example, he recalled: "You know what it's like, the Round Table, was so long. There are lots of time, a couple of Round Tables where I remember saying stuff quite a lot and then in the edit, you're just not in it at all. Just how it works out, but he [James] wasn't quiet I don't think."
A Moment Cut from the Show
Earlier in the interview, Ranganathan also shared a moment that did not make the edit. He admitted: "There's so many things I said and I thought, 'Please don't let that make the edit'. There's one bit that didn't make the edit and James Acaster was like, he was so excited for this to make the edit."
He described how at the round table somebody said, "Feels like the Traitors are being served up to us on a plate," and he responded: "Well if they're being served up, let's eat."
Ranganathan recalled: "As soon as I said that I thought, 'Dear God please don't let that...' and Acaster came up to me afterwards and he goes, 'I cannot wait for that to go out'. Thankfully they cut it out."
