The BBC has denied accusations today it 'betrayed' comedian James Acaster, after his bombshell banishment from its flagship show Celebrity Traitors last night.
asserted
it → deny → show
The comedian and Off Menu co-host, 41, had been under increasing pressure after being recruited as a Traitor against his wishes after just one day in the Scottish Highlands castle.
And as attention finally turned on him at last night's round table, Acaster struggled to battle accusations and ultimately revealed to the other players his identity in a show first.
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Acaster → increase → show
But the smooth edit by show staff hid a large segment in which the comedian, who has openly discussed his mental health and autism, cracked, becoming extremely anxious and increasingly distressed.
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who → hide → health
Filming was paused and welfare teams rushed onto set, speaking at length with Acaster and his fellow castmates.
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teams → pause → Acaster
Cameras did not roll again until teams had established all the contestants were happy to continue.
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contestants → roll → ?
After the break, there was a noticeable change in the mood around the table, and Acaster delivered a speech that will go down in TV history to his fellow celebrities.
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that → be → celebrities
'I just want to explain my situation.
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I → want → situation
I was made a Traitor without wanting to be,' he said, to gasps from the rest of the cast.
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he → make → cast
I've had a unique experience on this that no one has had before, where I wanted to be a Faithful; that's all I wanted to be.
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I → have → that
I couldn't just go, "Guys, it's me, vote for me".
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it → go → me
But that's all I can do, really.'
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I → do → ?
In a show first, comedian James Acaster revealed he was a Traitor at the round table before the vote had even begun, after the pressure became too much
Acaster reveals he is a Traitor before leaving the game for good during last night's episode
The comic quickly received a unanimous vote from the rest of the players, and bowed out of the game.
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comic → reveal → game
But following the episode, questions have emerged about Acaster's time in the castle and the level of support he received, especially given his frank conversations about his struggles with his mental health in the past.
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he → follow → past
Today, the BBC hit back at accusations it had not provided enough support to the comedian.
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it → hit → comedian
A spokesperson said: 'Our highest priority is always the safety and welfare of everyone taking part.
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priority → say → part
'Players are closely monitored and supported throughout by production which includes a dedicated and experienced welfare team.'
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which → monitor → team
It comes after Acaster has previously discussed suffering from severe anxiety and depression, and how, following the end of a relationship in 2017, he had a breakdown.
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he → come → breakdown
Acaster began therapy soon afterwards and with the help of regular sessions, and finding comfort in the music of 2016, he has told how he learned how to look after his mental health.
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he → begin → health
And this year, the comic revealed he has autism, telling Clash during an interview about his new album, The Wow! Scenario: 'I've always loved figuring out playlists, sequences of setlists, in that case with comedy as well – that really helps with making an album like this.
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that → reveal → this
In 2007 when we recorded seventeen tracks, we had it in a certain sequence, but I was really happy to create a different journey.
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I → record → journey
That's a part of my brain that's always been engaged with anything creative.
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that → engage → anything
It's almost certainly a trait of my autism, but, as with a lot of autistic traits, it's very fortunate to have.'
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it → have → traits
Acaster's history of anxiety in particular could explain why he was one of just a handful of this year's celebrities to tell host Claudia Winkleman that he wanted to be a faithful in the castle.
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he → explain → castle
And while initially his wish was granted, few could have foreseen, least Acaster himself, that he would be faced with a dire choice after just a day in the castle – plead his case to become a traitor, or be killed by Maya Jama and Richard E Grant and become the first person to exit the castle.
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he → grant → castle
Although he successfully stayed in the game, Acaster was open about wanting to stay as faithful as possible, and as the episodes passed, viewers were quick to notice how the toll of lying to his fellow players was leaving its mark.
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toll → stay → mark
Matters almost came to a head during last week's episodes, when a risky mission involving the Traitors having to complete their own task while surrounded by blindfolded faithfuls in a crypt, saw Acaster crumble.
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Acaster → come → crypt
Outside the picturesque Ardross Castle, the remaining celebrities raised a glass to celebrate making it to the final alongside host Claudia Winkleman
He refused to even remove his blindfold or take part in the secret task over fear of being caught, meaning the celebrities did not add any money to the prize pot.
And the Daily Mail previously reported how Acaster struggled with fellow comedians Rob Beckett and Romesh Ranganathan's teasing.
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Acaster → remain → teasing
He is said to have told producers he was being 'mocked' by the pair, whose well-intentioned digs were getting to him during filming.
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digs → say → filming
Sources revealed Beckett and Ranganathan, who have been close friends for years, were accused of 'going too far' with some of their jokes.
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who → reveal → jokes
And on-set chatter suggested James 'is much more sensitive than they are'.
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they → suggest → set
One claims: 'Rob and Romesh clearly thought they were having a bit of a laugh, but James began to feel quite a lot of it was at his expense, and away from the cameras he started to get annoyed and upset by it.
'
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he → claim → it
In the end, he spoke to the production team about it, saying he was unhappy and felt like he was being singled out.
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he → speak → it
'When Rob and Romesh get going together they are unstoppable and hilarious, but not at all malicious – it was more a misunderstanding.
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it → go → ?
Acaster somehow managed to avoid really coming under any suspicion until last night's episode, when actor Michael Sheen turned the thumbscrews on both him and fellow traitor Maya Jama.
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Sheen → manage → him
After his banishment, he spoke briefly to his fellow podcast presenter Ed Gamble, but was noticeably absent from the Celebrity Traitors: Uncloaked, the show fronted by Gamble which airs after each episode and typically sees all players who left during the episode make an appearance.
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who → speak → appearance
And given his rapid cracking under the pressure, bosses are facing criticism over the high-intensity nature of the game and the amount of support available.
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bosses → give → support
Famously, castmates are completely isolated from one another outside of filming, mostly confined to their hotel rooms, and for the regular series, are banned from contacting any friends or relatives during the process.
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castmates → isolate → process
For the celebrity version, contestants are allowed a single ten-minute video call with a friend or relative each morning, with producer supervision.
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contestants → allow → supervision
Wellbeing staff are on hand, with two 'welfare executives' given end of episode credits, and psychologists are also available for players who need them.
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who → give → them
It was previously reported how only Irish comedian Joanne McNally did not call on the show's psychologists at least once, amid rumours of tensions off-screen and struggling stars.
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McNally → report → screen
…and 24 more, not listed.
The Aporia
