Celebrity Traitors Claims First Victim as Richard E Grant Fumbles His Cover

The second episode of Celebrity Traitors has claimed its first casualty, and it wasn’t pretty for anyone involved, least of all Richard E Grant, whose rookie performance as a traitor nearly blew the whole game wide open before a single body had hit the floor.

Friday’s instalment of the BBC hit saw broadcaster Amol Rajan become the inaugural victim of this year’s series, murdered in the night by traitors Grant and Maya Jama after a tense recruitment twist brought comedian James Acaster into their ranks. Rajan, the University Challenge host, was whisked away in a coffin before he even had the chance to take part in a banishment vote. “It’s gutting to be the first out,” he admitted afterwards, suggesting his downfall may have stemmed from being “a bit bullish with Richard” earlier in the day.

The episode pulled in a peak audience of 8.6 million viewers, just shy of the 8.9 million who tuned in for the series opener, confirming that the celebrity edition of the format has lost none of its addictive pull on the British public.

A shaky start for the Celebrity Traitors newcomers

If Jama has taken to deception like a natural, Grant has had a far bumpier induction. The Oscar-nominated actor spent much of the episode in full damage-control mode after accidentally confessing his traitor status to Joe Lycett, Rob Beckett and several other faithfuls during an earlier bar conversation. Rather than sinking his game immediately, the blunder seems to have worked in his favour, with many of his fellow players assuming a man capable of playing a Spice Girls manager in Spice World: The Movie would surely attempt something craftier than simply announcing the truth.

“I am quite shocked at my ability to just lie to everyone,” Jama confessed in the diary room, calling herself “an all-or-nothing kind of honey.” Her composure stands in stark contrast to Grant’s frantic backpedalling, and it’s clear which of the two traitors viewers should be watching most closely as the series progresses.

Acaster, newly recruited into the murderous trio, voiced the moral unease that has become a hallmark of the show’s best traitor storylines. “I’m gutted to not be a faithful anymore, I don’t like lying,” he said. “But if I don’t join them, they’ll kill me.” It’s a logic few could argue with, and one that has defined many a Celebrity Traitors recruitment twist in previous runs of the format.

Suspicions swirl among the faithful

Among the remaining faithful, theories began circulating almost immediately. Mathematician Hannah Fry claimed she’d spotted Leigh-Anne Pinnock applying make-up suspiciously late in the evening, hinting at a possible trip to the turret. Model Jerry Hall, meanwhile, briefly raised hopes that this year’s cast might prove sharper detectives than last year’s by declaring “I think it’s James” — before clarifying she meant singer James Blunt rather than the newly turned Acaster.

The day’s mission added its own layer of jeopardy. Players were buried alive in pairs, with Ross Kemp and Romesh Ranganathan pre-selected by the traitors to be spared the ordeal. The pair were given the choice of unearthing gold graves to boost the prize pot or freeing their buried castmates, and chose the latter, prompting a muddy, good-natured scramble as fellow contestants clawed their way out of the dirt.

Not everyone made it out so calmly. Fry and Hall were the last two left underground, with Hall eventually invoking the emergency word “Haggis” to be released early, visibly rattled by the experience. The decision guarantees that one of the pair will now face the traitors’ blade next, unless a new recruitment changes the equation. “Just you and me up for murder,” Fry told Hall afterwards. “You’d better not be a traitor or I’m really screwed!”

What’s next for Celebrity Traitors

Behind the scenes, a flashback revealed the traitors’ reasoning for sparing Kemp from burial. “I think if we give it to Ross, he’ll overthink it, and behave in a way that would draw suspicion,” Acaster explained to his new partners in crime, earning praise from Grant, who called him “a wonderful traitor” — a compliment that, given his own fumbling start, carries a certain irony.

With one murder claimed, a near-confession survived, and two faithful players now facing the prospect of banishment, the stakes for Celebrity Traitors are only intensifying. If the opening fortnight is any indication, this year’s cast may lack the sharp instincts of past winners, but they are making up for it with chaos, charm and the occasional accidental confession that somehow still works in their favour.