Celebrity Traitors fans accuse BBC of quietly erasing James Acaster from show

To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Last night, the stars of Celebrity Traitors series 2 gathered in a London studio to perform an autopsy on the grand finale. Viewers saw the Faithful, Romesh Ranganathan and Sebastian Croft, defeat the Traitors and take home a shared £83,000 prize for their chosen charities. Sadly, James Blunt was left out in the cold along with fellow Faithful and Little Mix singer, Leigh-Anne Pinnock, but they did successfully banish Traitors King Kenny and Maya Jama… by the skin of their teeth. It was a real nail-biter and perfect fodder for Ed Gamble to talk about on The Traitors Uncloaked. However, as Ed and host Claudia Winkleman spoke to Romesh, James B, Leigh Anne, and Kenny about the finale, fans couldn’t help but notice a rather conspicuous absence. Neither the cast nor the hosts seemed to be talking about the recently fallen Traitor James Acaster. Romesha and Bash triumphed (Picture: Paul Chappells/ Studio Lambert/BBC/Press Association) This perplexed and worried viewers, as James had been the second longest-serving Traitor, was one of the show’s biggest personalities, and was involved in one of the show’s most dramatic moments. ‘I hope James Acaster is ok,’ wrote TV host Dan Walker on X. ‘No appearance and not even mentioned on the Uncloaked show. Dr Andy Hershon was similarly concerned, asking: ‘[Is] James Acaster ok?Strange not mentioned on the Uncloaked show.’ @TheVocalHero meanwhile added: ‘Really sad not to see James Acaster on Uncloaked here. Whatever you think about what he did, he’s provided one of the most memorable moments on the show.’ James Acaster wasn’t mentioned on Uncloaked (Credits: BBC/Studio Lambert/Euan Cherry) On Reddit, meanwhile, user u/travelprofessor asked fellow fans, ‘Why is nobody mentioning James Acaster? It’s like it never happened, bizarre.’ ‘None of the celebrities are even mentioning his name,’ replied Helebell24. ‘It’s like they’ve all been briefed before the show not to speak about him.’ CoolRanchBaby noted: ‘It’s weirder they have just like erased him than if they’d just mentioned him as part of the show. They don’t need to talk about what happened that wasn’t shown or anything. Acting like he didn’t exist is making it a “thing”.’ Ed Gamble, who hosts Traitors Uncloaked, is good friends with James (Credits: BBC/Platform Media/James Green) This sparked a lot of online speculation about why James skipped the Uncloaked final, especially after earlier reports that filming had been halted during his last roundtable as he struggled with the pressure. ‘The pressure got to him, and it was clear he was finding it difficult,’ a source told the Daily Mail. ‘Everyone agreed filming should be stopped before things got too heated. Maya Jama also didn’t attend the final Uncloaked (Picture: BBC) ‘Everyone was aware of the pressure getting to James throughout the series; it was difficult to watch him struggling.’ In a statement, the BBC told Metro, ‘Our highest priority is always the safety and welfare of everyone taking part. ‘Players are closely monitored and supported throughout by production, which includes a dedicated and experienced welfare team.’ Other members of the Celebrity Traitors cast did not attend the Uncloaked final (Picture: BBC/Studio Lambert/Paul Chappells) It’s also worth noting that James wasn’t the only star to miss the Uncloaked final. Bella Ramsay, Michael Sheen, Joanna McNally, Rob Beckett, Sharon Rooney, Myha’la, Jerry Hall, and Maya Jama were also absent from the studio. Other fans, rather reasonably, pointed out that Uncloaked doesn’t recap the entire series, adding that they didn’t mention other banished players by name. ‘Loads of people are missing from the live Uncloaked show – and they’re not being mentioned either: Bella, Sharon, Jerry Hall,’ wrote Cake Bake fake on Reddit. Deals of the Day This Hoover vacuum is a game-changer for pet owners and muddy homes The wellbeing brand behind everyone's favourite candles has launched its biggest sale yet See London's Christmas lights from an open-top double-decker bus this winter My skin always suffers when the heating goes on but this serum changed that The skincare formula that finally took the guesswork out of my routine Metro has approached James Acaster and the BBC for comment. Arrow MORE: The 15 most terrifying horror films set at Halloween and where to watch them Arrow MORE: From Primark to Dune and Mango – here’s 27 items a shopping expert is buying this weekend Arrow MORE: Cancel your Halloween plans to binge these horrifying shows TV Newsletter Sign up and tell us which TV shows you love to watch to get personalised updates every morning.