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Emotions run high at the round table as Celebrity Traitors banish two players

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Cite

McIntosh, S. (2026, October 8). Emotions run high at the round table as Celebrity Traitors banish two players. BBC News. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cm9dzl7wx2qyo?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss

Dated when The Aporia collected the article, usually within hours of publication. Check the original for its exact date and byline.

BBC News · collected 2026-10-08 · by Steven McIntosh

Quick Summary

In Thursday’s episode of "The Celebrity Traitors" series two, actor Richard E. Grant was overwhelmingly voted off after revealing himself as a traitor early in the game. The revelation shocked some players like Joanne McNally but led to celebrations from others such as Ross Kemp. Despite identifying one traitor successfully, Julie Hesmondhalgh incorrectly accused Myha’la of being a co-conspirator due to her wink towards Grant. Meanwhile, the remaining two traitors, Maya Jama and James Acaster, chose to recruit scientist Hannah Fry instead of eliminating Jerry Hall or Hannah Fry, causing confusion among other players the next day when everyone remained safe at breakfast.
Written by AI on 2026-10-08, from this article's own text only (the story summary below draws on all the coverage).

AI analysis

Story summary

Richard E Grant was the first celebrity contestant to be banished from Celebrity Traitors, a new BBC One series hosted by Claudia Winkleman. The game involves 21 celebrity contestants divided into "faithfuls" and "traitors," with the traitors trying to eliminate faithfuls in the middle of the night. Grant's fate was sealed after he accidentally revealed his status as a traitor early in the game, leading many fellow contestants to suspect him intensely. During an episode aired on Thursday, journalist Amol Rajan was among those who gave Grant a hard time and ended up being eliminated by other traitors.

Grant later reflected on the game, saying that if he could redo it, he would have given less of a hard time to "the lord of chaos," referring to himself. The actor admitted his strategy was not premeditated but rather an impulsive decision during his 69th birthday celebration. Despite efforts from allies Maya Jama and James Acaster, Grant ultimately suffered betrayal at the hands of his teammates when they voted for his banishment in a landslide vote during the round table meeting.

The show's latest episodes continue to air on BBC One, with viewers speculating about the motives behind each player's actions and the unfolding drama within the castle walls. Grant revealed in an interview that he was more shocked by Acaster’s betrayal than Jama's decision to get him out, reflecting on the emotional rollercoaster of the game. The banishment of Grant marked a significant moment for both the show and its audience, highlighting the unpredictable nature of strategic gameplay within the series.

Written for “Celebrity Traitors Show Dynamics” on 2026-10-30, grounded in this article and the 10 other(s) covering the same event.

Story

📰 Celebrity Traitors Show Dynamics
Entertainment · 11 article(s) covering the same event. Compare every outlet's account →

Compared with similar articles

This article reads unscored and hedges 6% of its claims. Each row says how that neighbour differs.
Evening Standard
Hedges 0 of 9 claims Outlet record 65/100
Evening Standard
Hedges 2 of 19 claims Outlet record 65/100
BBC News
Hedges 4 of 67 claims Outlet record 69/100
“The articles refer to different episodes of the show, with Article A discussing the first two episodes and Article B focusing on the third episode where a player is banished.”
Evening Standard
Hedges 1 of 17 claims Outlet record 65/100
“While both articles discuss Richard E Grant's involvement and departure from Celebrity Traitors, Article A focuses on Amol Rajan's reaction after being kicked off while Article B details the round table vote where Richard E Grant was banished. These are two distinct events occurring at different times.”
Evening Standard
Hedges 1 of 16 claims Outlet record 65/100
Evening Standard
Hedges 1 of 19 claims Outlet record 65/100
Evening Standard
Hedges 2 of 18 claims Outlet record 65/100
“The articles describe different specific events within the show; Article A mentions Richard E. Grant being banished in a landslide vote, while Article B talks about a 56-year-old actress (likely Suranne Jones) being banished.”
Evening Standard
Hedges 1 of 16 claims Outlet record 65/100
“While both articles discuss Richard E Grant's fate on Celebrity Traitors, Article A describes the buildup and conclusion without revealing who is banished, while Article B reports that he was already banished in a landslide vote.”
New York Post
Hedges 2 of 18 claims Outlet record 66/100
“The articles describe different events within different seasons and episodes of The Celebrity Traitors series, with Article A focusing on Richard E. Grant's banishment in a previous season and Article B discussing the ongoing elimination process in a current spin-off season.”
Evening Standard
Hedges 1 of 21 claims Outlet record 65/100
“While both articles discuss the banishment of Richard E Grant from Celebrity Traitors, Article A focuses on the emotional and dramatic vote itself, whereas Article B covers a spin-off interview where Grant discusses his thoughts after being voted out.”
How this article was measured signals, leaning charts, publisher record, byline, topics and claims

Signals How these are calculated →

Claims extracted
63
sentences that state something as happening or true
Uncertain
6%
4 of 63 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")
Leaning
not political
takes no side on a contested political question
Publisher signals
69/100
BBC News's corrections and hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.
Outlets on this story
11
Entertainment
Same framing elsewhere
1
articles that frame the event the way this one does
Analyzed 2026-10-08 · how these are computed

How this is being covered How these are calculated →

Article leaning vs. publisher reliability
Source leaning vs. consistency

Publisher

BBC News · 4688 article(s) · 5 correction(s) detected
Running correction rate · 5 correction(s)

Who wrote this

Steven McIntosh
13 article(s) here · 1 carrying a prediction
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🔮 The remaining traitors, Maya Jama and James Acaster, met in the turret later with the choice of murdering previously shortlisted players Jerry Hall and Hannah Fry, or seducing a third traitor to replace Grant.
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2026-10-05 · assertive framing · BBC appoints Rachel Jupp as new director of news
🔮 As Friday's episode got under way, a delicious new twist saw traitors Richard E Grant and Maya Jama invite James Acaster to join them in the turret, and simultaneously murder a fellow player.
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2026-09-23 · assertive framing · Netherlands to return to Eurovision after 2026 boycott
🔮 A joint statement, external from Anderson's family and Rose Tattoo remembered him as a "devoted father, and much-loved bandmate". "His loss will be deeply felt by all those who knew and loved him both here in Australia and overseas," it said.
Also by Steven McIntosh
Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.
All 13 articles by Steven McIntosh →

Topics

No topics tagged.

Subjects

Grant PERSON · 4× Hannah PERSON · 3× Acaster PERSON · 2× Fry PERSON · 2× Myha'la PERSON · 2× Joanne McNally PERSON · 1× Julie Hesmondhalgh PERSON · 1× Maya Jama PERSON · 1× Richard E Grant PERSON · 1× Ross Kemp PERSON · 1×

Narrative

But although the faithful had successfully detected a traitor, and even managed to spell his name correctly on their slates, the first round table saw some other players behave in ways that immediately aroused suspicion.
framing: assertive · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-10-08
🔮 The remaining traitors, Maya Jama and James Acaster, met in the turret later with the choice of murdering previously shortlisted players Jerry Hall and Hannah Fry, or seducing a third traitor to replace Grant.

Claims (63 extracted, 4 hedged)

- Published Spoiler warning: This article reveals details from the third episode of The Celebrity Traitors, series two. asserted
article → publish → Traitors
We're used to raised voices, conflicting theories and lost tempers on Celebrity Traitors, where the round table normally results in a dramatic showdown. asserted
table → use → showdown
But as this year's first vote got under way, the writing was on the castle wall. asserted
writing → get → wall
Viewers who often get frustrated with the faithful and root for them to uncover a traitor had their wish firmly Richard E Grant-ed on Thursday, as the actor was banished in a landslide vote. asserted
actor → frustrate → vote
His unusual strategy of revealing he was a traitor to the other celebrities in the bar led to the first time in the UK version of the show that a traitor has been identified at the opening round table. asserted
traitor → reveal → table
"Thank you for giving me an almost bingo full-house of votes," Grant told his fellow players. asserted
Grant → thank → players
"I have always wanted to be a traitor, as you know, and sometimes in life your dreams do come true." asserted
dreams → want → life
There was jubilation from the other players as Grant confirmed his identity, waving his hands in the air. asserted
Grant → be → air
Ross Kemp was so happy it came out as borderline anger, with a vein-popping "get in there!" asserted
it → come → get
Other players seemed genuinely shocked. asserted
players → seem → ?
"This is me with men all the time," joked comedian Joanne McNally, who hadn't voted for Grant. asserted
who → joke → Grant
"I completely believed him!" asserted
I → believe → him
But although the faithful had successfully detected a traitor, and even managed to spell his name correctly on their slates, the first round table saw some other players behave in ways that immediately aroused suspicion. asserted
that → detect → suspicion
Julie Hesmondhalgh noticed Myha'la ostentatiously winking at Grant before she voted for him, which led the former Coronation Street actress to make one of the most impassioned - but mistaken - speeches of the night. asserted
which → notice → night
"It was traitor-on-traitor," she insisted (it wasn't). asserted
it → insist → traitor
"I don't know if anybody else saw it," (we did). asserted
we → know → it
"It was a wink of... 'I've had to do this to save my skin', and I am so excited because I truly believe we can get two in a row." asserted
we → do → row
The remaining traitors, Maya Jama and James Acaster, met in the turret later with the choice of murdering previously shortlisted players Jerry Hall and Hannah Fry, or seducing a third traitor to replace Grant. asserted
traitors → remain → Grant
The pair ultimately decided to recruit mathematician Fry, who had the most wonderful and meme-able reaction when she found out that, not only was she not being murdered, she was being seduced. asserted
she → decide → reaction
Accepting the offer, Fry joined Jama and Acaster in the turret, exclaiming as she learned their identities: "I had both of you down as faithful!" asserted
I → accept → you
The new trio discussed how they would approach breakfast the next morning, before Acaster delivered the line of the episode. asserted
Acaster → discuss → episode
"It's changing a lot, this Traitors," he observed of the fluid line-up. asserted
he → change → up
The next morning, there were shocked faces when the players realised everybody had made it to breakfast unscathed, with the celebrities concluding that one player must have been recruited. " asserted
player → be → breakfast
It was fascinating seeing Jerry and Hannah come back," said Miranda Hart. asserted
Hart → see → ?
"Hannah seemed different, as if something new has happened to her. asserted
something → seem → her
I definitely clocked a nervousness in her, which is very interesting. asserted
which → clock → her
Blimey, we could have a new first-rate traitor hunter on our hands here. uncertain
we → have → hands
But would any of the other players feel the same? asserted
any → feel → players
"Poor Hannah," said McNally, "she's been recruited." asserted
she → say → ?
As the theories continued to float around across various sub-meetings, with Hesmondhalgh and Bella Ramsey setting their sights on Myha'la, the celebrities headed out to their next mission. asserted
celebrities → continue → mission
Presenter Claudia Winkleman told them that the latest task would see them use a battering ram to break down the doors of four crypts, where they could find money to add to the prize pot - and also potentially some shields. uncertain
they → tell → pot
James Blunt immediately took control, assigning players various different roles. asserted
Blunt → take → roles
"He was full army officer," Hart observed. asserted
Hart → observe → ?
"I found it mildly erotic." asserted
it → find → ?
"I don't think I've ever used a battering ram," Lycett reflected. asserted
Lycett → think → ram
"I would use a battering ram to get into [Wicked star] Jonathan Bailey's house, but that's it." asserted
that → use → house
Myha'la and Fry entered one crypt, found a shield and debated who should keep it. asserted
who → enter → it
It ultimately went to Myha'la, partly because she had grabbed it first, although she sweetly suggested that the pair could keep it secret from the other players to protect both of them. uncertain
pair → go → them
Jama and Sharon Rooney scored two further shields, but the players then found that two of the three shields would have to be given up anyway in order to unlock the final chest of prize money. asserted
two → score → money
Rooney and Myha'la surrendered theirs, but traitor Jama managed to hold on to hers. asserted
Jama → surrender → hers
…and 23 more, not listed.
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