The upcoming series of Celebrity Traitors has hit a huge problem ahead of hitting screens in autumn.
Claudia Winkleman’s hit BBC game show recently announced the cast for its first showbiz edition, with players including Alan Carr, Clare Balding, Jonathan Ross, Tom Daley, and Sir Stephen Fry.
The celeb spin-off was confirmed last August before cameras started rolling this April, with nine inevitably gripping, dramatic episodes to come, airing over three weeks.
However, it’s believed its famous participants have been struggling to comply with the programme’s rules.
Spilling the beans, actor and comedian Nick Mohammed, who is also taking part, claimed that one of his co-stars threw a hissy fit because bosses would not tell them the time, as is protocol for taking part in The Traitors and living in its universe for a short period.
‘When we were in the castle, you’d be like, “What’s the time?” And they’d say, “It’s Traitors time.” That was their response.’
He continued on The Comedian’s Comedian Podcast: ‘Every single member of production had to answer with that until someone kicked off. And then someone said it is basically alright, and you can tell us the time.’
Teasing what viewers can expect when the series finally launches, he said: ‘I do think it’s going to be good telly. To see these celebrities together and interacting in this game will be really interesting.’
Mohammed, 44, is perhaps best known for playing Nathan Shelley in Ted Lasso, a role that earned him a Primetime Emmy Award nomination.
He has also starred in the CBBC sketch show Sorry, I’ve Got No Head, voiced Piglet in the Disney film Christopher Robin, and is the creator of Sky One comedy Intelligence.
Competing alongside him as either Faithfuls or Traitors in Celebrity Traitors will also be singer Cat Burns, Welsh pop star Charlotte Church, comedian Joe Wilkinson, Good Morning Britain host Kate Garraway, musician Paloma Faith, actress Ruth Codd, and EastEnders’ Tameka Empson.
Completing the lineup are social media personality Niko Omilana, Scottish actor Mark Bonnar, comedian Lucy Beaumont, former rugby player Joe Marler, historian David Olusoga, and Bridget Jones actress Celia Imrie.
Alas, not on the list is comic and Would I Lie To You? icon Bob Mortimer, whose name was heavily rumoured to feature. So, when it did not, it’s safe to say the internet was gutted.
And while fans can surely look forward to plenty of unlikely alliances forming, one contestant has already made it clear that there was no such thing as ‘friendships’ on set.
Speaking to The Sun earlier in the year, Balding revealed: ‘It is so intense, and you get completely obsessed with the game. Obviously, I knew quite a lot of them before I went in, but the friendships you had before go out the window!
‘That, for me, is very challenging because I like to be friends with everyone. It’s brutal, but I think I’m glad I did it. It will make good TV, and there are some really strong moments.’
Meanwhile, Sir Stephen admitted that taking part in Celebrity Traitors was ‘agony’—but he had a whale of a time.
‘It was a bit like a Chinese foot massage,’ he began to The Show People Podcast.
Celebrity Traitors full lineup
- Alan Carr
- Cat Burns
- Celia Imrie
- Charlotte Church
- Clare Balding
- David Olusoga
- Joe Marler
- Joe Wilkinson
- Jonathan Ross
- Kate Garraway
- Lucy Beaumont
- Mark Bonnar
- Nick Mohammed
- Niko Omilana
- Paloma Faith
- Ruth Codd
- Stephen Fry
- Tameka Empson
- Tom Daley
‘You know, it is absolutely agony, but you sort of want to do it again. It is emotionally violent, but you kind of love it.’
The broadcaster then remained tight-lipped when quizzed for details on his role: ‘Obviously, I can’t say a word about what is in this recently recorded celebrity version, I suppose. I am certainly not telling you if I am a Traitor or a Faithful. I am one or the other.’
Nevertheless, assuring fans of the hit format—which has drawn in millions of viewers from around the world—that the celeb version won’t be any less dramatic than the civilian one, host Winkleman previously said: ‘We’re incredibly lucky these brilliant people have said yes.
‘I’d love to say we’ll take it easy on them and they’ll just wander round the castle and eat toast for a couple of weeks, but that would be a lie.’
Episodes were filmed at Ardross Castle in Scotland, which has been used for filming both the UK and US Traitors since 2022.
Celebrity Traitors airs on BBC One and BBC iPlayer in autumn.
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