Richard E. Grant made a major blunder on the season two premiere of the BBC's Celebrity Traitors, accidentally telling his fellow contestants he had been secretly chosen as a Traitor by host Claudia Winkleman.
The 69-year-old actor was tapped on the shoulder at the first roundtable alongside co-Traitor Maya Jama, after both had told Winkleman how much they wanted the deceptive role. Minutes later, in the castle bar, comedian Joe Lycett asked Grant whether he was a Traitor or a Faithful. Grant blurted out that he was a Traitor, and when a stunned Lycett asked him to repeat himself, he doubled down, saying there was no point being in the game if you were not one.
The moment, which aired in the opening episode, has been described as one of the most extraordinary in the show's history. Lycett told Grant he had done something that had never happened in the game, calling it a bold strategy, while the other celebrities looked on in disbelief. Some were convinced Grant was bluffing and could not possibly be telling the truth.
In the confessional afterwards, a mortified Grant called it the biggest mistake of his life, saying he had been so thrilled to be chosen that in his unguarded excitement he could not keep the secret. He said he was absolutely convinced he would be going home, and that he needed to defuse all the heat coming in his direction.
Executive producer Sarah Fay described her reaction as a mixture of sickness and triumph, saying nothing like it had ever happened in the show's history. Winkleman said Grant had been so giddy at being chosen that he simply could not contain his excitement. Production staff were said to be stunned, and bosses moved to warn future contestants that being a Traitor is supposed to be a secret.
The 21 celebrities are playing at a castle in the Scottish Highlands for up to 100,000 pounds for their chosen charities. Grant's blunder has set the tone for the series, and whether the actor can survive the Faithfuls' suspicions is now the defining question of the run, with viewers already predicting he will be the first to be banished.
The Celebrity Traitors format has proved a ratings juggernaut for the BBC, and the second series was commissioned on the back of the first run's success. Grant's blunder, while embarrassing for the actor, has given the new series its defining moment before it has barely begun. Producers will be hoping the drama continues, even as Grant himself will be hoping the Faithfuls' attention moves elsewhere. The coming episodes will reveal whether his confession was a fatal error or, against all odds, a masterstroke of misdirection.