Richard E. Grant has made Celebrity Traitors history - for all the wrong reasons. The 69-year-old actor became the first contestant to be banished from this year's celebrity edition of the BBC show, after accidentally confessing to being a Traitor just minutes after Claudia Winkleman selected him alongside Maya Jama.
The moment unfolded when comedian Joe Lycett began asking fellow contestants whether they were playing as Faithful or Traitor. When Lycett turned the question on Grant, the actor simply answered: "A Traitor." The confession stunned the group, with some assuming he had to be joking. Jerry Hall, who has known Grant for decades, was among those who questioned whether he would really reveal such important information if it were true. In a confessional, Grant admitted: "Well that may be the biggest mistake I have ever made in my life. I was so thrilled to have been chosen as a Traitor, that in my unguarded excitement, I said, of course, I'm a Traitor."
Despite attempting to backtrack and salvage his position, Grant's fate was sealed. He was banished at the Round Table, with his own admission used as evidence against him. His fellow Traitors - Maya Jama and newly recruited James Acaster - voted for him too, to dodge suspicion. Grant later reflected: "It didn't surprise me because they have to save themselves." He described the blunder as "catastrophic", noting that Claudia Winkleman confirmed a Traitor had never been found so early on the show.
The premiere attracted an average overnight audience of 8.9 million viewers in the UK, nearly three million more than the first celebrity season's debut. Grant emerged as one of the most memorable stars the programme has ever had, with his catchphrase-laden farewell - "I am an unfaithful traitor! I have managed to checkmate myself, which as far as I'm aware has never been done" - delighting viewers.
Meanwhile, producers were reportedly forced to scrap cliffhanger plans after another "unbelievable" moment during filming. An insider told The Sun that something so unexpected happened that executives had to throw their plans out the window to accommodate the moment. The Celebrity Traitors airs Thursday and Friday nights on BBC One and BBC iPlayer, with a cast that also includes Bella Ramsey, Michael Sheen, James Blunt and Leigh-Anne Pinnock.
Grant's exit has already entered Traitors folklore, with fans hailing his confession as one of the funniest moments in the show's history. The actor, beloved for roles in Withnail and I, Gosford Park and Can You Ever Forgive Me?, has taken the banishment in good humour, joking about his self-inflicted checkmate in interviews. Producers will be hoping the rest of the series can live up to its explosive start, and that the unbelievable moment still to come delivers on the hype.