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Did you see that?
One player's absurd confession in Celebrity Traitors could well be the TV moment of the year
The BBC’s celebrity edition of the show returned to screens on Thursday night.
This article contains spoilers for episode one of the second series of the BBC’s Celebrity Traitors.
WHAT was Richard E Grant thinking?
The beloved actor straight-out confessed to being a traitor in full view of his fellow cast members in Thursday night’s first episode of the BBC’s new series of Celebrity Traitors.
The moment, which came just after the Withnail and I Star had been secretly recruited to the traitor ranks by host Claudia Winkleman, left jaws on the floor among his fellow celebrities and viewers at home clawing for the ‘pause’ button so they could recover from their fits of helpless laughter.
The confession – equal parts endearing and idiotic – wrong-footed the entire cast and will likely be in the running for TV moment of the year.
Grant doubled and then tripled down on his claim, all-but upending the premise of the show, which requires traitors to keep schtum about their role so that they can quietly ‘murder’ the rival faithfuls.
The actor pondered to his castle-mates: “What’s the point in being in the game if you’re not?”
“It’s an interesting angle,” an extremely bemused James Blunt responded.
Ross Kemp and Jerry Hall looked on with raised eyebrows, adding to the uncanny sense of accidentally tuning into some sort of cross between a feverish nightmare and a scene from a re-cast version of Grant’s gothic drama Saltburn.
Comedian Joe Lycett helpfully trying to get the show back on track, offering:
“I’m going to pretend I didn’t hear that.”
What just happened… 😳 #TheCelebrityTraitors pic.twitter.com/x6YYnCpFqw
— The Traitors HQ (@the_traitors_) October 1, 2026
Further underscoring the absurdness of his tactic, Grant had been telling all and sundry that he was dying to be a traitor as the contestants entered the castle.
He hadn’t been whispering it quietly either. He’d been enunciating it loudly and theatrically.
Grant’s fellow traitor, TV presenter Maya Jama, spent most of the rest of the show attempting to keep him in check, referring to him in cutaways as something akin to an unhinged uncle.
Executive producer of the show, Sarah Fay, told Digital Spy:
“As producers, you always want to make sure the series is fresh, and new, and we’ve been very lucky so far… never in our wildest dreams did we think that we’d have a Traitor admit they were a Traitor five minutes after the Round Table.”
As there were no ‘banishments’ in the opening episode of the new series, Grant remained in the castle as episode one came to a close – but surely can’t be long for this world?
Episode two airs on Friday night.
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