TALKING POINTS | The Celebrity Traitors
- Elliot Gonzalez
- 14 minutes ago
- 6 min read
Here's what's got me talking this week...
It's that time of the week again when I take a look back at the last 7 days to see what has got me talking the most and there really was only one show I've been obsessed with and faithful to this week, and that's The Celebrity Traitors.
Here are my 4 talking points of the week from the first two episodes of The Celebrity Traitors...
⚠︎ CONTAINS EPS 1-2 SPOILERS ⚠︎
1
ALAN CARR
being a superbly entertaining Traitor
If earlier this year, you would have told me that one of the best moments of television this year would be watching Alan Carr as a Traitor in The Celebrity Traitors, I wouldn't have believed you. Yet here we are and that's exactly what has happened.
There was a lot of pressure on this series of The Celebrity Traitors to deliver, and before I go on, let's just say it absolutely has delivered all that was expected and more. I mean, just the cast alone is incredible and still, two episodes in, I can't believe that all these people agreed to take part. Which other reality TV show could convince the likes of genuine national treasures, Sir Stephen Fry, Celia Imrie and Clare Balding to take part? For a 5-minute charity sketch, maybe. But for a full nine-part series?!
Casting aside, the game got going before the celebrities had even reached the castle, with a trip to the graveyard, where they had to dig their own graves to find a shield, before heading back to the castle to speak to Claudia, who later that evening would pick her first three Traitors.
And pick them she did. I don't think there's ever been a more tense blindfolded roundtable before, as Claudia walking became tenser than it had any right to be, and after choosing Jonathan Ross and Cat Burns as her first two Traitors, what she did next was completely unexpected.
During her chats with all the celebs before making her decision, Alan's hysterical "I want to be a Traitor!" before burtsting into laughter meant it was highly unlikely that she'd choose him, even though I'm sure secretly, like me, you wanted her to. And that's exactly what she did.
After finding out he was a Traitor, Alan admitted he had "a sweating problem and can't keep a secret" before declaring he was worse than series three favourite, Linda and describing it as a stretch for his acting talent, unsure of how Meryl Streep did it.
Whether it's giving Jonathan Ross (who he didn't know was also a Traitor at the time) directions to the turret, only to be told "See you up there!", not knowing how to keep his voice down when around others and discussing gameplay or the endless sweating, it soon became clear that Alan is perhaps the most entertaining Traitor that castle has ever seen. And whilst to us what he's doing might be obvious, his charm, his humour and the love his fellow celerbities have for Alan, might see him make it all they way to the end.
Alan has also provided us all with the first meme of the series. Cloak hood up, lantern out in front, looking like ET. And if that ends up being the only meme to come out of the series, that's fine by me.
But then the game really got going when he was tasked with murdering in plain sight...
2
PALOMA FAITH
being murdered in plain sight
It's never nice being the first to leave a show, less so if the reason you're the first to leave is because your good friend decided to rub some poisoned pollen onto your face. It's a niche scenario to find yourself in, but you get the point.
But for poor Paloma Faith, that's exactly what happened. Her friendship with Alan Carr, meant that when he and the other Traitors were told by Claudia that they must murder in plain sight, by finding the poisoned black lily in the castle, rubbing their hands with the poisoned pollen and then touch the face of the Faithful they want to murder, she was the person he felt most comfortable doing that to.
What's interesting is that in episode one, after Claudia had chosen her three Traitors, Paloma took a sip of her drink and pretended to have been murdered, little did she know that she had foreshadowed what was to come.
In episode two, after everyone came down to breakfast, Claudia revealed that one Faithful had been murdered in plain sight with the poison taking effect as the day went on. Cue today's mission, a funeral during which a series of clues were given to the celebrities as they tried to identify the three celebrities at risk of being murdered. The Traitors chose that bottom three to be Niko Omilana, Nick Mohammed and of course Paloma Faith.
I love a Traitors funeral and this one did not disappoint as Claudia closed the lid on Paloma's coffin, leading to gasps from the other celebs, including a flabergasted Kate Garraway, which warranted an epic side eye from Tom Daley.
After Paloma's coffin was lowered into the ground, Claudia rather fittingly placed the poisoned black lily onto her coffin.
On The Celebrity Traitors: Uncloaked, which aired straight after the main show on Thursday, host Ed Gamble sat down with Paloma Faith to reveal the identities of the Traitors for the very first time.
When asked how she feels that it was Alan who had murdered her she said "that if the show was on the other foot, I wouldn't have done that" and was "surprised that he did" - but she has forgiven him... but the following day on The One Show said she would not forget! And that her kids have asked her not to let Alan back in to their house!
Whilst it was great television, I am sad to see Paloma Faith leave so early and completely understand her disappointment at not being able to stay longer and wear all the outfits she'd planned to wear. In fact, it's refreshing to hear from a celebrity who is disapointed to be leaving the show and everything isn't all fine and said through a false smile.
3
CLAUDIA WINKLEMAN
still being the perfect host
Yes the format is strong. Yes the casting is always 10/10. But it wouldn't be half the show it is without Claudia Winkleman. My favourite reality TV hosts have always been those who genuinely love the show as much as its biggest fan. Davina McCall when she hosted Big Brother, Caroline Flack when she hosted Love Island and now Claudia hosting The Traitors.
That's evident in every interaction she has with the contestants on the show. From the chats she has before deciding who to make a Traitor to the encouragement she screams through a megaphone during challenges and the way she gets fully invested when it comes to the final.
When up in the Scottish Highlands, Claudia lives and breathes The Traitors and the show is all the better for it. Striking the perfect balance between camp and serious and delivering some killer one liners. I know there are versions all over the world, that do very well, but in my opinion she's by far the superior host and I can't imagine The Traitors in the UK without her at the helm.
Not to mention her impeccable wardrobe. Already this series we've had THAT 'Celebrities' cloak and of course her funeral attire. And with seven episodes to go, I can't wait to see what she wears next!
4
6.1 MILLION
people watching the first episode
There are few television shows these days that can get millions of us watching at the same time, talking about it before, during and after, and ensuring we never an episode. The Traitors over three series has become that show and despite my early hesitation at a celebrity version, The Celebrity Traitors has the potential to be the most-watched series yet.
The hype for this series could not have been bigger. The line-up is truly incredible. The format is loved by millions. And on Wednesday night, a record-breaking 6.1 million viewers tuned in to the first episode, making it the highest rated launch episode ever, beating the 5.1m who tuned in on New Year's Day to the series three opener, and over double the 3m who tuned in to series two's launch show in 2024.
It was also the second most-watched episode ever, behind the series three final which was watched by 7.3m earlier this year, but with consolidation, 7-day and 28-day still to come in, that number is set to rise significantly now that we know just how worth watching The Celebrity Traitors is.
It really is THE show everyone is talking about at the moment and whilst E4 were wise to move Married at First Sight UK to 8pm on Wednesdays and Thursdays, ITV2 would be wise to do the same to Big Brother after ratings dropped to an all-time low of 387k on Thursday night.
The numbers dipped slightly to 5.6m for Thursday night's episode but still, for any TV show to get these sort of numbers in 2025 is incredible and by the time we get to the end of this series, I wouldn't be surprised if close to 10m people tune in for the finale.
The Celebrity Traitors continues Wednesdays and Thursdays at 9pm on BBC One
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