- Published
Celebrity Traitors returns next week for a second round of deception and amateur detective work.
asserted
Traitors → publish → deception
Hosted by Claudia Winkleman, the Traitors castle will welcome 21 new celebrities on Thursday, as a group of famous "faithfuls" attempts to work out which among them are - and perhaps, always have been - "traitors", secretly murdering contestants each night.
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group → host → contestants
Last year's show provided Bafta's most memorable TV moment - an award voted for by the British public - when traitor Alan Carr broke down in tears at the end of the final having bluffed his way to a win by hiding in plain sight.
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Carr → provide → sight
Let's have a stab in the dark, then, at who might follow in Jonathan Ross's footsteps as this year's "big dog", and who, like singer Cat Burns, could fly under the radar?
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who → let → radar
If Carr was the star of last year's show, then perhaps his fellow TV funnymen could be the ones to watch this time around.
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funnymen → watch → show
Naturally good readers of a room and skilled at misdirection, comedians can inject some comic relief into those tense roundtable moments.
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comedians → inject → moments
It worked for Carr, who was considered to be less of a threat and more out of his depth by the other sleuths.
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who → work → sleuths
This time around, stand-up star Joe Lycett, 38, is one of the leading candidates for the role of class clown.
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Lycett → stand → clown
Known for his quick wit and political stunts, Lycett told the BBC he asked Carr for advice on "how to spot a rotten little traitor like you".
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he → know → you
Last year's winner replied: "Just anyone that's sweating and giggling."
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that → reply → anyone
With his brightly coloured outfits, Lycett will bring some glamour to the castle, if and when he's not donning the famous dark cloak.
"There's a lot of variety and silly stuff that I might not get to wear at all if I end up doing a Paloma," he noted, with reference to Paloma Faith, who was brutally killed off early doors last year by her supposed friend, Carr.
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who → bring → friend
If laughing all the way to the winning line is to work again, then it's hard to look beyond James Acaster.
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it → laugh → Acaster
Anyone who has seen his Netflix special Repertoire or heard his podcast Off Menu will know his deadpan, absurdist humour and whimsical flights of fancy could make it difficult to tell whether he is telling the truth or not.
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he → see → truth
A "huge fan" of the show since the first non-celebrity edition in 2022, Acaster, 41, said he would prefer to be a faithful as he wasn't good at lying - though Carr did previously say something similar...
Romesh Ranganathan's dry humour and wry presenting style saw him succeed Anne Robinson as the host of The Weakest Link revival in 2021.
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him → say → 2021
Could it help him to become a more believable traitor or faithful?
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it → help → him
The former maths teacher and now comedy podcaster, 48, blamed his youngest son, who was "desperate for me to come on", for his reluctant participation this year.
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me → blame → participation
A decade's worth of friendship with the 8 Out of 10 Cats and Mock the Week panellist could count for nothing in the castle, Ranganathan said.
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Ranganathan → count → castle
He believes Beckett, 40, is "just as easily going to be on my side as he is going to twist the knife in my back given the opportunity".
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he → believe → opportunity
In her self-titled sitcom, she starred as an awkward, accident-prone shopkeeper.
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she → title → shopkeeper
Her apparent clumsiness and warm, self-deprecating persona might make her seem more trustworthy (rightly or wrongly).
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her → deprecate → ?
After a spell of ill-health, Hart, 53, hopes "the joy of mucking about on television again will hopefully outweigh some of the challenges".
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joy → hop → challenges
Her popular podcast My Therapist Ghosted Me is full of gossip, oversharing and comic bickering - music to the ears of the Traitors producers, no doubt.
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Therapist → ghost → producers
But honesty gets you nowhere in this game - or does it?
The 'big dogs'
The "Big Dog Theory" was a piece of gameplay logic proposed by ex-rugby union star Joe Marler during roundtable discussions last year.
His reasoning was that one of the most famous contestants, AKA the big dogs, would have been chosen as a traitor to cause mass confusion (and, presumably, strong viewing figures).
Marler wondered out loud whether the big dog traitor in question was Sir Stephen Fry (no) or Jonathan Ross (yes).
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traitor → get → question
For the new series, a glut of huge names and personalities from across the worlds of film, TV, music, modelling and broadcasting have also been selected.
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glut → select → film
Michael Sheen, the award-winning Welsh actor and campaigner, is perhaps the biggest dog in the fight, so will come under real scrutiny.
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Sheen → win → scrutiny
Sheen, 57, is acclaimed for his ability to convincingly portray a range of different personalities on screen, from Tony Blair to Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor via Brian Clough.
But in real life, he's seen more as a loveable golden retriever than a Rottweiler, despite his success.
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he → acclaim → success
Which version of him we shall see on the show remains to be seen.
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see → see → show
Fellow big screen charmer Richard E. Grant, 69, who starred in films such as Withnail and I, may also leave some of the less well-known celebrities star-struck at first, as might American-British supermodel/actress Jerry Hall.
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Hall → star → celebrities
Hall, 70, shares four children with ex-partner Mick Jagger and has also been married to media mogul Rupert Murdoch.
Love Island presenter Maya Jama, 32, and University Challenge host, journalist and YouTuber Amol Rajan are also powerhouses in the world of broadcasting.
Speaking ahead of the show, 43-year-old Rajan, who is in it to win it, said : "I don't want to go in there and at round table number one be Mr Forensic Investigator!
"
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I → share → number
However, I do interview politicians for a living, and I really have to pursue answers to questions."
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I → interview → questions
He's conscious of putting "a target" on his back too soon, so plans to form alliances.
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He → put → alliances
"To begin with, I want to try and make friends and keep my head down," he added.
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he → begin → head
EastEnders hardman turned hard-hitting documentarian Ross Kemp, 62, might prove popular once the tasks get physical.
And we don't know yet whether to expect the soppy You're Beautiful balladeer James Blunt, 52, or the prolific (and hilarious) online troll of the same name.
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You → turn → name
Either way, if the Big Dog Theory holds true, then one of the above will surely find themselves in the traitors' turret before long.
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one → hold → turret
The dark horses
Little Mix and solo singing star Leigh-Anne Pinnock, 34, may be a big dog in the world of pop music, but she comes across as a down-to-earth family woman these days.
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she → come → woman
Don't be fooled, though, as she has a wealth of experience of managing relationships under intense public pressure from her girl group days.
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she → fool → days
Meanwhile, another potential dark horse, Bella Ramsey, revealed they had been playing a version of The Traitors since they were 10 years old, even hosting events at home - so should be well-prepared.
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they → reveal → home
Now 22, the Last of Us star, who also featured in Game of Thrones, is the youngest of this year's contestants but should not be underestimated.
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who → feature → contestants
The Traitors castle should be a cakewalk compared with the apocalypse or the Battle of Winterfell, right?
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castle → compare → Winterfell
The plan is to be "instinctive, measured, and perceptive", Ramsey said.
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Ramsey → say → ?
…and 21 more, not listed.
The Aporia
