A closed coffin carried Claudia Winkleman into the venue, borne by druids. It should have been the story of the evening. Instead, Richard E Grant stole the spotlight, revealing himself as a traitor on a programme built entirely around concealing secrets.
The second series of Celebrity Traitors opened with Winkleman’s gothic arrival, but the main talking point was Grant’s shocking admission. He was selected as one of Winkleman’s three traitors alongside presenter Maya Jama, but then he promptly forgot the whole point of the game. He blurted it out to those around him, gleefully declaring he was a traitor.
Winkleman’s Grand Entrance
Winkleman’s arrival was meant to be commanding. The druids carried her aloft in a closed coffin, and she emerged from the church to face 21 nervous-looking celebrities. Once she stepped out, she spoke, saying, “That was quite the nap.”
Model and actress Jerry Hall spotted the similarities between Claudia and Cleopatra, the Egyptian queen, and gasped, “Claudiapatra!” She noted the grandeur and the hairstyles were alike.
Winkleman said at the show’s press launch she loved her “iconic entrance”. But she admitted she’d initially wanted to hide in the castle’s suit of armour. “It’s like a sort of GCSE history fantasy – it was either that or the grandfather clock,” she said.
Grant’s Big Mistake
Winkleman picked Grant and Jama as two of his three traitors, yet right after that, Grant seemed to lose sight of what the game was all about. He said it with delight, letting slip to everyone nearby that he was truly a traitor.
The room fell silent as soon as he finished speaking. No one spoke up to break the stillness.
“It’s an interesting angle,” laughed singer James Blunt just afterwards, while comic Rob Beckett told him: “I think you’ve just done something that’s never happened in the game – it is a bold strategy.”
Grant later admitted, in footage for viewers of the show, that it was the biggest mistake he had ever made in his life. “That may be the biggest mistake I have ever made in my life. I was so thrilled to have been chosen as a traitor that in my unguarded excitement, I said, ‘Of course I’m a traitor’,” he said.
“I clearly need to defuse all the heat that’s coming in my direction,” he added.
The next morning saw ex-BBC reporter Amol Rajan land on Grant with questions, including “What happened last night?”. Grant did not try to cast doubt on the matter. He said he had been so “blatant” about wanting to be a traitor that he answered plainly when asked, saying he was one.
Hall remained faithful even though the answer was strange, possibly due to his own agitation. Rajan called him the “Lord of Chaos”, yet Hall kept his allegiance.
“I just don’t believe Richard’s a traitor, I’ve known him 30 years and he’s my neighbour,” she said. “He says and does eccentric things, he’s an amazing guy, but I think he’s acting out because he’s not been chosen.”
Kemp and Jama’s Treasure Hunt
Grant might discover that nobody chooses to confide a secret to him ever again. Eventually, he made the call to let Jama, who was far more cool and calm, take charge of their next moves.
The other stars on the programme also showed what they could do. Ross Kemp, a former EastEnders actor turned documentary-maker who has made shows about gangs and the armed forces, stood out. He confessed how anxious he felt sitting in the pews of the church, yet found his footing when it mattered most.
James Blunt, who once served as an army captain, joined him in organizing the celebrities into teams. Together they guided those teams to the pirate ship and found the treasure there, taking home a prize of £15,000.
The Paranoia Sets In
Kemp’s triumph did not last long. Fear took hold of him again, and he fell apart within the castle walls.
Bella Ramsey, the Last of Us and Game of Thrones star, had grabbed a captain’s hat from the boat. They playfully planted it on Kemp’s head, marking the victory. Little Mix’s Leigh-Anne Pinnock then touched Kemp on the arm as she walked through the bar.
Kemp became understandably fearful that he had been killed by a traitor after clearly remembering how Carr killed off Paloma Faith early on. That reaction tickled Ed Gamble, the host of BBC One and BBC Sounds spin-off show Uncloaked.
“It is one of the funniest things I’ve ever seen – the moment he gets touched on the arm, having already thought Bella Ramsey putting a captain’s hat on him is a murder in plain sight,” Gamble said. “What a variety of men live within the Ross Kemp sphere. He’s a big hard man running that mission. And then immediately terrified of a member of Little Mix touching him on the arm. That’s incredible.”
Fashion and Strategy
The shield she’d won will probably be another talking point at the castle. Beckett remarked that actress Julie Hesmondhalgh looked like a “cardinal” in her long, red dress when she wore it, and added: “I thought we were in the Vatican!”
As usual, Joe Lycett dressed in a polka-dot shorts suit topped with a purple feather collar. Hall was equally eager to make an impression, stating that she wanted to remain long enough to “wear all my fabulous outfits”.
Blunt said it plainly, without any show of feeling: “Well, look, if you go early, I’ll wear your outfits.”
The show turned very serious at the end, even though the one-liners kept flying. The game’s new twist demanded that Grant and Jama choose their third traitor.
Two stars were picked to appear before them personally and make a case for staying alive. One would be chosen to remain with them, while the other would face the fate of elimination.
The Twist at the End
Grant and Jama needed to pick two people from fame to come and plead their case for staying. The one whose argument carried the day would remain with them; the other would be marked for elimination instead.
Grant has placed himself in a hard spot by announcing openly that he is a traitor, and he must now demonstrate to the rest of the players that they ought to trust him.
The approach carries real risk, as Beckett observed. Yet it remains bold. Grant has already demonstrated an inability to hold onto a secret, and now he must ask others to do what he could not manage himself.
Key Facts Box
- Claudia Winkleman’s iconic entrance: carried aloft by druids in a closed coffin
- Richard E Grant and Maya Jama selected as traitors
- Ross Kemp and James Blunt led the team that found the treasure, bagging £15,000
- Bella Ramsey and Leigh-Anne Pinnock triggered Kemp’s paranoia
- Amol Rajan labelled Grant the “Lord of Chaos”
- Ex-BBC journalist Amol Rajan questioned Grant the following day
The episode is a reminder that reality TV is often stranger than fiction. Winkleman’s entrance was theatrical, but Grant’s reveal was a genuine moment of chaos. He was thrilled to be chosen, and in his unguarded excitement, he said exactly what he was thinking.
Miranda Hart thinks Grant could be faithful but admitted she is confused, while Hall’s loyalty has held up. Winkleman herself believed Grant gave away his identity by accident, simply because he was so delighted to be a traitor. The real test is whether anyone still believes him at all.
“He was giddy, wasn’t he? He’s just laughing at what’s happening. Fantastic,” Winkleman said.
Grant was handed the lead part in a movie, and all he had to do was let everyone know about it, said Ed Gamble, who agreed with that assessment. It is an absolutely wild moment.
Hall, who has known Grant for 30 years and calls him her neighbour, is currently supporting him. That support might not last if he keeps his present course, since he may find that no one tells him a secret ever again.
The outcome of his attempt still hangs in doubt. The contest has progressed, and the risks attached to it have grown beyond anything previously seen.
Grant let the cat out of the bag, and the episode served as a lesson in what happens when a secret is no longer kept. He will carry that mistake through the rest of the season.
Source material: “Chaos, coffins and 'Claudiapatra' steal the show in Celebrity Traitors,” the BBC.
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