Blunt says Traitors viewers ‘didn’t see full extent’ of Acaster interrogation

James Blunt has said Celebrity Traitors viewers “didn’t see the full extent” of the interrogation that lead to James Acaster revealing he was a traitor.

The 41-year-old comedian surprised his fellow contestants during the BBC reality game show by outing himself as a traitor at the penultimate roundtable before votes were cast, leading to his banishment from the castle.

Speaking to the BBC, Blunt, 52, said Acaster had been caught in a lie about a perfume bottle used in a murder in plain sight.

“He didn’t fall on his sword. That’s what you saw, that’s what you feel, but he didn’t,” the musician said.

“You didn’t see the full extent of the interrogation. It was heavy in there and it was clear-cut. He was pinned to a post. We got him. We really, really got him.”

He added: “I think how that played out hasn’t really been revealed to you, but he didn’t just say, ‘Oh guys, you got me’.”

Reflecting on the editing of the series, Blunt said: “There are elements [of the show] where I was screaming at the screen for a different reason than you.

“No matter what really went on in that castle, you’re a victim to the edit.”

Blunt, who made it to the finale before being banished, admitted he signed up for the show to promote his new music rather than play the game to make it to the end.

“We all get paid the same, whether you’re there for day one or day 23. So for most of the time, I was trying to… get the hell out of dodge. But no-one was killing me and no-one was banishing me,” he said.

During the penultimate episode Acaster told his fellow contestants his identity at the roundtable, during a discussion about Ross Kemp’s plain sight murder.

He said: “I just want to explain my situation: I was made a traitor without wanting to be. I’ve had a unique experience on this that no-one’s had before, where I wanted to be a faithful and that’s all I’ve wanted to be.

“I couldn’t just go, ‘Guys it’s me, vote for me, but that’s all I can do really’.”

After leaving the show, Acaster said: “The idea of doing that 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.

“And 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.”

After the penultimate episode of the show’s 2026 series, it was reported that filming had to be paused when Acaster became upset during his last scenes on the show, and was reportedly given a welfare check before the roundtable began.

A representative for Acaster declined to comment on the reports, while a BBC spokesperson said in response that its “highest priority is always the safety and welfare of everyone taking part”.

The latest series of The Celebrity Traitors was won by comedian Romesh Ranganathan and actor Sebastian Croft, who split the £83,000 prize money between their two charities, Choose Love and the Refugee Council.

The Press Association has contacted the BBC for additional comment.