Traitors claim their first victim as Richard E Grant tries to save his skin

BySteven McIntosh

Entertainment newsman

A comedian, a journalist, an histrion and a TV presenter locomotion into a church. But sadly, the punchline for 1 of them was becoming the archetypal unfortunate of this year's Celebrity Traitors.

As Friday's occurrence got nether way, a delicious caller twist saw traitors Richard E Grant and Maya Jama invitation James Acaster to articulation them successful the turret, and simultaneously execution a chap player.

Unfortunately, it fell to Amol Rajan to go the Paloma Faith of this bid - being taken distant successful a coffin successful occurrence 2 earlier adjacent having the accidental to instrumentality portion successful a banishment.

"It's gutting to beryllium the archetypal out," Rajan said afterwards, noting that possibly it was due to the fact that helium had been "a spot bullish with Richard" earlier successful the day.

"But you cognize what, games are games, and conscionable arsenic determination are winners, truthful determination person to beryllium losers."

The adjacent morning, big Claudia Winkleman confirmed the University Challenge host's execution to the different players, joking: "That's what I telephone a starter for 10."

Acaster, meanwhile, reflected: "I'm gutted to not beryllium a faithful anymore, I don't similar lying. But if I don't articulation them, they'll termination me." You can't responsibility his logic.

The determination meant that Grant, an Oscar-nominated histrion with a Razzie-worthy traitor strategy, did astatine slightest negociate to perpetrate 1 palmy execution contempt his shambolic archetypal day.

The 69-year-old spent overmuch of Friday's occurrence trying to repair the harm from his earlier speech successful the bar, wherever helium blurted retired that helium was a traitor to Joe Lycett, Rob Beckett and respective others.

Obviously a antheral who made specified an fantabulous Spice Girls manager successful the 1997 masterpiece Spice World: The Movie is hard to ever representation arsenic a traitor, truthful galore of the different players assumed Grant indispensable person been trying to propulsion disconnected immoderate elaborate treble bluff.

Jama is disconnected to a overmuch stronger start. "I americium rather shocked astatine my quality to conscionable prevarication to everyone," the Love Island big said successful the castle's diary room. "I'm an all-or-nothing benignant of honey."

As the players gathered for breakfast, different theories began to surface. Mathematician Hannah Fry said she had spotted Leigh-Anne Pinnock putting connected make-up precocious successful the evening, possibly heading to the turret.

"I deliberation it's James," declared Jerry Hall, abruptly giving viewers anticipation that the caller formed volition beryllium amended traitor hunters than past year's. Until she clarified that she was talking astir James Blunt, not Acaster.

As the players prepared to caput retired for the mission, conversations turned to acold much important matters. "Do you person much teeth than a mean person?" Grant asked Rob Beckett.

The players headed retired to the mission, which had the accustomed somewhat convoluted rules that took Winkleman rather a portion to explain.

In a nutshell, the celebrities were to beryllium buried live successful pairs, with lone 1 duo near supra ground.

Ross Kemp was pre-selected by the traitors to beryllium protected from burial on with his sedate spouse Romesh Ranganathan, who did a delightful creation erstwhile helium recovered retired helium wouldn't beryllium going underground.

Kemp and Ranganathan past had the accidental to excavation up immoderate golden graves which would adhd to the prize pot, oregon alternatively excavation up and escaped their chap players.

They opted for the latter, with immoderate of the different players struggling, external to get the ungraded disconnected their faces. In the end, each the celebrities were released, with the objection of Fry and Hall.

The brace were freed aboriginal aft Hall shouted "Haggis!" – efficaciously a Scottish mentation of "I'm a personage get maine retired of here!" - due to the fact that she was visibly uncomfortable being buried alive.

It mightiness person led to an aboriginal release, but it yet guaranteed that either she oregon Fry volition beryllium murdered next, unless the traitors enlistee again.

"Just you and maine up for murder," Fry told her afterwards. "You'd amended not beryllium a traitor oregon I'm truly screwed!"

In a flashback shown to viewers, Acaster explained the determination to support Kemp from burial, telling his chap traitors: "I deliberation if we springiness it to Ross, he'll overthink it, and behave successful a mode that would gully suspicion."

Very clever. "You're a fantastic traitor," observed Grant. (Certainly amended than him.)

Finally, it was clip for the archetypal banishment of the series, with Grant inactive successful harm power mode.

"I person a flimsy pinprick of advantage," helium told himself successful the castle's diary room. "Nobody would perchance judge that anybody would beryllium truthful anserine arsenic to travel guardant and accidental 'I americium a traitor'. I'm hoping that I bash get distant with it."

His chap traitors intelligibly wanted to beryllium supportive, but things were getting dicey.

Acaster described him arsenic a "loose cannon", portion Jama said: "I privation to prevention him, adjacent though he's dug himself the biggest spread imaginable."

Back successful the castle, Ranganathan pointed out: "If idiosyncratic other had behaved similar Richard, we wouldn't adjacent beryllium having a statement astir this, you would conscionable spell 'you've got to ballot for him'."

But others had a somewhat antithetic take. "Richard feels a small excessively easy," reflected histrion Myha'la, "and past anybody pushing him feels suspicious to me."

Comedian Joanne McNally agreed immoderate players were "using him arsenic a autumn feline and a decoy," though she did admit aboriginal that he's "made specified a shambles of it now".

As discussions got going, it took a amazingly agelong clip for Grant's sanction to travel up, arsenic the different players statement different suspects specified arsenic Julie Hesmondhalgh.

The histrion aroused suspicion due to the fact that she was the archetypal personage this twelvemonth to person a shield. The radical look to person overlooked she lone got that - successful the opening minutes of the archetypal amusement - aft the different contestants voted her the astir trustworthy.

But arsenic treatment turned to Grant, Hesmondhalgh enactment guardant 1 of the astir convincing cases of the night.

"You came into the bar, and said you were a traitor," she told him. "It was a bold move. It was chaotic and we emotion you for your chaos.

"I deliberation we are astatine hazard of being the astir idiotic radical of faithfuls successful the world, if we spell for idiosyncratic other contiguous based connected thing astatine all, erstwhile idiosyncratic has travel into the country and said 'I americium a traitor'. There's nary crushed to accidental it unless you are."

Miranda Hart agreed that "the joyousness erstwhile helium took disconnected his blindfold" erstwhile Winkleman archetypal selected the traitors made Grant look suspicious.

Viewers volition person to hold until the adjacent occurrence to spot however the circular array goes, arsenic the occurrence finished earlier voting had adjacent started.

(It's worthy saying that, arsenic cliffhangers go, this was acold little irritating than ending an occurrence successful the middle of a roundtable, arsenic producers often do.)

"You've fixed america each a problem," Ranganathan told Grant arsenic the occurrence drew to a adjacent and the players prepared to vote. "By doing that, it was a large mistake by you, I consciousness similar you forced our hand."

Admittedly, it's not looking bully - the circular array is shaping up to beryllium a landslide ballot against Grant. But we inactive wouldn't stake against him.

"I bash not spell down without a fight," helium concluded. "I did not past 4 decades successful showbusiness without a fight."

Celebrity Traitors continues connected Thursday astatine 20:00 BST connected BBC One and iPlayer.