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BBC Denies James Acaster's Complaints on 'Celebrity Traitors'
Confirmed
In Short: The Celebrity Traitors has become an unlikely juggernaut in the U.K., with the latest episode seeing comedian Joe Lycett get banished from the castle.
According to sources, Acaster felt that Beckett and Ranganathan were teasing and mocking him, and that their jokes were going too far.
However, the BBC has categorically denied these allegations, stating that there were no incidents of this nature and no evidence to support these claims.
A BBC representative told the press, 'Claims of teasing amongst the cast on the show and claims of complaints about teasing are categorically untrue.'
Representatives for Beckett and Ranganathan also told The Independent that 'these claims are completely untrue and couldn’t be further from the truth.'
The series, which has become the most-watched debut of any UK season to date, is averaging nearly 9.3 million live viewers.
Acaster, 41, is one of several comedians competing in this year’s competition, alongside Rob Beckett, Joe Lycett, Joanne McNally, Miranda Hart, and Romesh Ranganathan.
The show has broken records since it began airing earlier this month, with an average audience of 8.9 million.
Meanwhile, five stars have been banished so far, including two Traitors and three Faithfuls.
The Celebrity Traitors has become an unlikely juggernaut in the U.K., with the latest episode seeing comedian Joe Lycett get banished from the castle.
The show, which is produced by Banijay-owned Studio Lambert, has gained significant traction and is considered one of the most talked-about programs in Britain right now.
Background
The Celebrity Traitors is a spin-off of the British version of the reality television series The Traitors. It was first broadcast on BBC One on 8 October 2025.
What's confirmed
- The BBC has firmly denied that James Acaster complained about the behavior of fellow comedians, Rob Beckett and Romesh Ranganathan, during The Celebrity Traitors.
What's still developing
- The Mail on Sunday reported over the weekend that Acaster, who starred in Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire, raised his concerns with producers at Studio Lambert after he became “uncomfortable” with the “macho banter” of Beckett and Ranganathan.
- Over the weekend, the U.K.’s Mail on Sunday published an article claiming that producers on the Studio Lambert series — undoubtedly the most talked-about program in Britain right now — said Acaster complained that he was being “teased and mocked” by comic duo Ranganathan and Beckett.
- Grant accidentally revealed he was a traitor minutes after Claudia Winkleman’s selection in the first episode and was banished that night in an unprecedented roundtable first for Britain’s Traitors franchise.
- Acaster, in particular, has been the subject of many an alleged “insider” report during the show’s run.
- A Sun article gained traction as early episodes aired, claiming he’d had a panic attack during one of the challenges and producers had to “step in.” Acaster is a traitor next to Love Island U.K.
- The traitors might have an easier time following the seduction of social media star King Kenny, who is considered a real traitor-hunter by the faithful.
- An insider told the publication that Acaster complained to producers that he was being “teased and mocked” by the pair, who were “going too far” with some of their jokes.
- Beckett became one of the latest stars to be “murdered” by the Traitors during last week’s episodes of the BBC show, joining fellow victims Amol Rajan and Bella Ramsey.
- The Celebrity Traitors has quashed reports of any tension between its stars, branding rumours that James Acaster was made to feel “uncomfortable” by two stars as “categorically untrue”.
- Popular on Variety A source added “the reality is the complete opposite” and that agents for the three contestants, who are all well-known British comedians, were “aware” and had told the Mail on Sunday the story was not true.
- “The Traitors” and its celebrity spin-off is produced by Banijay-owned Studio Lambert, known for shows including “Squid Game: The Challenge” and “Googlebox,” and fronted by Claudia Winkleman.
- Other contestants for the celebrity version this season have included Bella Ramsey, James Blunt, Jerry Hall, Michael Sheen and Richard E.