James Acaster Admits He Is a Traitor in Shock Celebrity Traitors Confession
James Acaster stunned his fellow contestants on The Celebrity Traitors by admitting at the round table that he was a Traitor, PA news agency reporting said. The comedian, 41, was then voted out in the penultimate episode of the BBC One series, broadcast on Thursday 29 October, leaving two Traitors to contest Friday’s final.
The round-table moment
The confrontation grew out of a discussion about the “murder in plain sight” of former EastEnders actor Ross Kemp, PA reported. Actor Michael Sheen pressed Acaster and presenter Maya Jama, arguing that the Traitors had been the only people in the library on the night Kemp was killed.
“I just want to explain my situation, I was made a traitor without wanting to be,” Acaster said, according to PA. He said he had wanted only to be a Faithful, and had pointed out the perfume bottles involved in Kemp’s murder on purpose, so that the other players would not forget them.
“I wanted to be a Faithful”
Acaster said he had told presenter Claudia Winkleman before the game began that all he wanted was to be a Faithful, helping the Faithfuls catch Traitors around the castle. He said he was proud to have done that, adding, according to PA: “I am, reluctantly, a traitor.”
Speaking on the spin-off show The Celebrity Traitors: Uncloaked, Acaster said he was at peace with the decision, PA reported. “They caught me fair and square. Now we’ve got a proper final on our hands,” he said. He became the second Traitor in the series to reveal his identity to the group, after actor Richard E Grant did so earlier in the run, PA reported.
Seven left for the final
The episode also saw Sharon Rooney and Joanne McNally leave the castle, resolving the cliffhanger that had closed the previous episode, according to reports of the broadcast. Seven celebrities remain for the final: Faithfuls James Blunt, Leigh-Anne Pinnock, Michael Sheen, Sebastian Croft and Romesh Ranganathan, and Traitors Maya Jama and King Kenny, The Sun reported.
Attention now turns to Jama, who was left tearful as the episode ended, according to reports, with both Blunt and Sheen said to suspect her. Comedian Ranganathan, a close friend of Acaster, praised his approach, telling The Sun that Acaster had played “a truly unique game”.
The 80-minute final airs on Friday 30 October at 8pm on BBC One and BBC iPlayer, The Sun reported, with up to £100,000 at stake for the winning players’ chosen charities.
Sources: PA news agency reporting via Leigh Journal, 29 October 2026; The Sun, 29 October 2026.