James Acaster has addressed reports that behind-the-scenes “teasing” from some of his Celebrity Traitors co-stars got him down to the point he brought it up with members of the production team.
Last month, the Daily Mail alleged that during filming on the reality show, James had begun to feel that jibes from fellow comics Rob Beckett and Romesh Ranganathan were becoming increasingly “at his expense”, causing him to become “upset” behind the scenes.
The article went as far as saying that the Off Menu host even contacted production about the issue as he was feeling “singled out”.
BBC/Studio Lambert/Euan Cherry
However, the BBC quickly insisted that the story is “categorically untrue”, with a rep stating that there were “no incidents of this nature” and “no evidence to support these allegations”.
James also brought them up during an interview with former Celebrity Traitors champion Alan Carr on his podcast Life’s A Beach, during which they compared their very different experiences in the castle.
“I think there was something in the papers that said I’d complained because Rob and Romesh had been like teasing me, so I’d complained to the [production team],” James began.
Pointing out Rob and Romesh had been his friends for “over 10 years”, he continued: “They were lovely the entire show, I didn’t complain about any of my fellow players, that is so completely fabricated.”
He then revealed: “[The Daily Mail] contacted my agents and Rob and Romesh’s agents, all of them said that is categorically untrue, and they went, ‘cool, we’ll print it tomorrow’.”
After struggling with his Traitor status throughout the series, James made it all the way to the penultimate day in the castle, but when the Faithfuls began to piece together that he’d been present at Ross Kemp’s “murder in plain sight” he eventually confessed to being a Traitor to the rest of the group.
In the lead-up to the series’ debut, it was reported that James had been involved in an incident during which his co-stars stepped in to suggest filming be paused to allow him to “have a breather” and collect himself when the pressure of the game began to get to him.
A Celebrity Traitors rep subsequently told HuffPost UK: “The Traitors is a unique and immersive game, and we recognise that taking part can be intense at times.
“Our highest priority is always the safety and welfare of everyone taking part. Players are closely monitored and supported throughout by production, which includes a dedicated and experienced welfare team.”
James Acaster’s team had no comment when contacted by HuffPost UK at that time.
Once his confession had aired, James told the spin-off show Uncloaked: “The idea of [coming clean] got me through the whole experience because you feel as a Traitor sometimes, when you see people have real-life reactions that are bigger than the game, you feel bad.”
He shared: “I would have to remind myself they don’t have a game without you, literally, if no one’s doing this stuff, they can’t play, and they all want to play.
“So you are doing an important job here, so they all have something to do, and when they catch you, they’ll be really happy and they’ll like it, and it will feel good to just tell them and see that reaction.”
