James Acaster reveals his other Celebrity Traitors confession was cut from the edit - The Independent
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James Acaster has revealed he admitted being a Traitor to fellow Celebrity Traitors contestant Jerry Hall – but the moment did not feature in the final broadcast.
The comedian, 41, sent shockwaves through the BBC reality series when he made an unprecedented move in the penultimate episode last week, admitting to his fellow contestants at the roundtable that he was in fact a Traitor.
Viewers had speculated that substantial amounts of footage had been edited out of the broadcast, amid a report in The Sun that filming had to be halted after Acaster became “distressed”.
Appearing on Alan Carr’s Life’s a Beach podcast, Acaster said that he had been accused by Hall of being a Traitor earlier in the series, and he had been unable to deny it.
“I looked her in the eye and said, ‘I think it might be me too, Jerry,’ and she said, ‘You're very sneaky.’ And I told her I was very sneaky and it might be me.”
“I was like, well, surely that’s going in the edit,” he added. However, the moment ultimately did not appear in the episode.
Acaster also told Carr – who memorably won last year’s inaugural series of Celebrity Traitors – that much of what he said at the roundtable was excised from the broadcast.
“I said a lot more around that roundtable than the edit would suggest,” he admitted. “Most of the time, they want to keep how the Traitors vote as a surprise.
“They don’t want to be like there’s hints that I might go one way or the other. So a lot of the time what I said at the roundtable is cut out.”
The BBC issued a statement after the penultimate episode aired last Thursday, following The Sun’s reporting around the halt in filming.
“Our highest priority is always the safety and welfare of everyone taking part,” a spokesperson said.
“Players are closely monitored and supported throughout by production which includes a dedicated and experienced welfare team.”
In the following night’s finale, Faithful contestants Romesh Ranganathan and Sebastian “Bash” Croft emerged victorious, having successfully banished the remaining Traitors, Maya Jama and King Kenny.
After the series ended, Jama discussed Acaster’s sudden roundtable confession in an interview with Variety.
“I know, bless him,” said the Love Island host. “Never in a game would you expect that you’re going to be put in a situation where you absolutely hate being a Traitor.
“And I obviously had no idea beforehand that he didn’t want to be a Traitor, I just thought everyone’s kind of up for it.”
