Comedian James Acaster has publicly rejected a newspaper report claiming he complained about his fellow competitors on the BBC reality series The Celebrity Traitors, calling the story “completely fabricated” and confirming that he never raised any issue with producers about his co-stars.
The 41-year-old comedian addressed the rumors during an appearance on Alan Carr’s Life’s A Beach podcast, speaking out weeks after the BBC had already issued its own strong denial of the claims.
What the Original Report Claimed
A Mail on Sunday article published in October 2026 alleged that Acaster had “complained to producers” about being teased by fellow comedians Rob Beckett and Romesh Ranganathan, claiming he was made “uncomfortable” by their “macho banter”. The tabloid quoted an unnamed source who said the teasing had become “at his expense” and that Acaster felt “singled out” behind the scenes.
The newspaper later doubled down, reporting that Beckett and Ranganathan had made jokes about Acaster’s middle-class background.
BBC Denied the Story First
Before Acaster himself spoke out, the BBC had already moved quickly to shut down the claims. A spokesperson for the broadcaster told multiple outlets that the story was “categorically untrue”.
“Claims of teasing amongst the cast on the show and claims of complaints about teasing are categorically untrue. There were no incidents of this nature and there is no evidence to support these allegations.”
Representatives for Beckett and Ranganathan also told The Independent that “these claims are completely untrue and couldn’t be further from the truth”.
Acaster’s Own Words on the Podcast
Speaking on Alan Carr’s podcast, Acaster explained that he had never experienced fabricated stories about himself before and was stunned that a simple appearance on a reality game show had generated such a report.
“I’ve been friends with those guys for over 10 years. They were lovely the entire show. I didn’t complain about any of my fellow players. It’s so completely fabricated.”
He also revealed a key detail about how the story was handled behind the scenes. According to Acaster, the newspaper contacted the agents for all three comedians before publication. Every agent reportedly told the outlet the story was “categorically untrue” — yet the article was printed anyway.
“They contacted my agents and Rob and Romesh’s agents, all of them said, ‘That is categorically untrue.’ They’re like, ‘Cool, printing it tomorrow.’ And that was it. And you’re like, ‘Wow, do people really care that much?’”
A Reluctant Traitor and a Dramatic Exit
Acaster’s time on The Celebrity Traitors was already one of the most talked-about storylines of the season before the complaint rumors emerged. He was recruited as a Traitor against his wishes and openly struggled with the role throughout the series, refusing to fully embrace the deception required by the game.
His exit became one of the most dramatic moments of the season. In the penultimate episode, Acaster confessed at a heated roundtable that he was a Traitor, leading to his banishment from the castle.
James Blunt, a fellow contestant on the show, later said that viewers “didn’t see the full extent” of the interrogation that led to Acaster’s confession. Blunt claimed that Acaster had been caught in a lie about a perfume bottle connected to a “murder in plain sight” mission, and that the questioning at the roundtable was far more intense than what aired.
An Unseen Confession to Jerry Hall
On the same podcast, Acaster shared another behind-the-scenes detail that never made it to television. He revealed that Jerry Hall had confronted him face-to-face during filming and accused him of being a Traitor — and he essentially confirmed her suspicion.
“They cut out my one — Jerry Hall went right up to me, face to face, this close, accused me of being a Traitor. She said, ‘I think it’s James.’ I looked her in the eye and said, ‘I think it might be me as well, Jerry.’ And she went, ‘You’re very sneaky.’ I was like, ‘I am sneaky, it could be me.’”
The moment was filmed but removed from the final edit of the episode.
How the Season Ended
The Celebrity Traitors concluded its second season with Romesh Ranganathan and Sebastian Croft winning as Faithfuls, securing £83,000 for charity.
The finale drew an average audience of 11.2 million live viewers, with a peak of 15.4 million — making it the biggest TV audience of the year. Other episodes in the season were watched by more than 15 million viewers when catch-up figures were included.
The Cast of The Celebrity Traitors Season 2
The second season featured a star-studded lineup of British celebrities, including James Acaster, Rob Beckett, Romesh Ranganathan, Bella Ramsey, Richard E. Grant, Jerry Hall, James Blunt, Michael Sheen, Ross Kemp, Sharon Rooney, Sebastian Croft, Joe Lycett, and Maya Jama.
The show is produced by Banijay-owned Studio Lambert and hosted by Claudia Winkleman.
A Ratings Juggernaut for the BBC
The complaint controversy did nothing to slow the show’s momentum. The Celebrity Traitors has become one of the BBC’s biggest hits, with the 2026 season ranking as the most-watched TV programme of the year. The series also attracted a significantly larger child audience for its 2026 finale compared to the previous season, according to ratings analysis.
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The show’s success has cemented the Traitors franchise — which first launched in the Netherlands in 2021 under the title De Verraders — as a global reality TV powerhouse.
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