James Acaster has claimed that the sheer number of comedians on the cast of this year’s Celebrity Traitors gave him pause before the new series got underway.
The Off Menu host is joined on the new series by the likes of Joe Lycett, Miranda Hart, Romesh Ranganathan, Rob Beckett and Joanne McNally, all of whom are big names on the comedy circuit.
Speaking to the BBC before the new series got underway, James admitted that seeing so many comedians on the line-up was “a concern” for him, especially in light of stand-up comic Alan Carr’s victory last year.
BBC/Studio Lambert/Cody Burridge/BBC Creative
“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 speculated.
“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.”
James added: “Then you consider that a comedian won last year, with Alan Carr disarming everyone with jokes the whole time. He has tainted us all!
“Hannah Fry [the mathematician, who is also on the cast of The Celebrity Traitors season 2] 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. Even though it could obviously easily be three people who aren’t comedians…
“I don’t know how it works out, but if maths turns against us we’re in big trouble.”
BBC/Studio Lambert/Cody Burridge/BBC Creative
The long-awaited new season of The Celebrity Traitors hits our screens on Thursday 1 October. The full cast is as follows:
- Amol Rajan
- Bella Ramsey
- Professor Hannah Fry
- James Acaster
- James Blunt
- Jerry Hall
- Joanne McNally
- Joe Lycett
- Julie Hesmondhalgh
- Kenny Oghenovo “King Kenny” Ojuederie
- Leigh-Anne Pinnock
- Maya Jama
- Michael Sheen
- Miranda Hart
- Myha’la
- Richard E Grant
- Rob Beckett
- Romesh Ranganathan
- Ross Kemp
- Sebastian Croft
- Sharon Rooney
