Production on the penultimate episode of Celebrity Traitors was halted and the welfare team intervened after comedian James Acaster became distressed when he was exposed as a Traitor during the roundtable.
The episode, broadcast on Thursday night (October 29), saw Acaster revealed as a "reluctant Traitor" after actor Michael Sheen accused him and fellow Traitor Maya Jama. Acaster was promptly banished by his fellow contestants, and the episode reportedly required substantial editing because production was forced to pause when he became upset under pressure.
Intervention During Filming
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 source revealed that "very little" was filmed and that "what little" footage existed did not make it into the episode's final cut. Acaster had only wished to participate as a Faithful and found being a Traitor challenging throughout the series.
Acaster's Reaction After Departure
After departing the castle, Acaster commented: "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."
He continued: "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 added: "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."
The seven finalists are Maya Jama, King Kenny, Sebastian Croft, James Blunt, Leigh-Anne Pinnock, Michael Sheen, and Romesh Ranganathan.
