Celebrity Traitors contestants taking part in series two have the misfortune of following the first series, which has proved a bit of an issue for comedians in particular.
James Acaster is one of the comics who’ll appear on the next edition of the BBC series, alongside Joanne McNally, Rob Beckett, Romesh Ranganathan, Joe Lycett and Miranda Hart.
However, according to Acaster, Alan Carr winning the first celebrity version of the game show has made it all the harder for comedians to be trusted on the series.
“I think we’re going to be the first ones under the magnifying glass being looked at – particularly at the beginning when you have absolutely nothing to go on,” he told the BBC before filming the series earlier this year, calling it a real “concern”.
“There will be suspicions that it’s going to be at least one of these guys – that we might form an alliance if we’re not broken apart.”
He continued: “And then you consider that a comedian won last year with Alan Carr, disarming everyone with jokes the whole time. He has tainted us all!”
From the moment Carr became a Traitor, he was a giggling mess who seemed as if he was on the cusp of giving the game away at every stage. However, he defied the odds to reach the final and blindsided Nick Mohammed in the closing moments to win the show.
Acaster also said he was most fearful of Professor Hannah Fry, who is a mathematician, as she “will probably tell you that probability-wise, there’s most likely to be at least one comic chosen as a Traitor because there’s enough of us”.
There are several actors on the billing, including The Last of Us’s Bella Ramsey, The Damned United’s Michael Sheen, and Withnail and I’s Richard E Grant. Myha’la (Industry) and Sharon Rooney (Two Doors Down) and former Coronation Street and EastEnders stars Julie Hesmondhalgh and Ross Kemp will also feature.
There are also well-known musicians in the running, including former Little Mix star Leigh-Anne Pinnock and “You’re Beautiful” singer James Blunt.
Other stars set to enter the Scottish castle include broadcaster Amol Rajan, presenter Maya Jama, model and actor Jerry Hall, musician and actor Sebastian Croft and content creator King Kenny.
Claudia Winkleman will be back to host the smash-hit show’s second season on Thursday 1 October at 8pm.
The multi-award-winning game of deception will air two nights a week on Thursday and Friday evenings.
