Celebrity Traitors fans fear for ‘genius’ Sharon Rooney after she cracks murder in plain sight

| Senior TV Reporter Published October 22, 2026 8:54pm Updated October 22, 2026 9:05pm To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video There’s a new detective on Celebrity Traitors, after Sharon Rooney wowed BBC viewers this evening with her deductive powers. The Scottish actor has been billed a dark horse on the show, after largely flying under the rader through its early run. But Rooney came out swinging during the latest episode as she managed to work out, in large part, how Ross Kemp was murdered in plain sight. The EastEnders hardman became the latest star to bite the dust in the Scottish castle, after a yawn off that left him and Jerry Hall liable to go home. Ultimately, we learned this episode that it was Kemp who yawned first, allowing James Acaster to ask him, ‘Am I boring you?’ and seal his fate. Rooney, who dubbed herself ‘Poundland Poirot’, was on the hunt for clues in the castle and noticed that the perfume bottle, which had to be sprayed for the murder, had been emptied and moved. Sharon Rooney dubbed herself Poundland Poirot this episode (Picture: BBC) The Scottish actor has been billed a dark horse on the show, after largely flying under the rader through its early run (Picture: BBC/Studio Lambert/Euan Cherry) She also spotted that the peacock atomiser indicated sleepiness on a nearby chart, which indeed links back to the murder. Having discovered the perfume bottle in the library, the Faithful were led to believe the murder had happened in that room. Celebrity Traitors viewers at home were staggered by the ingenuity and took to social media to congratulate Rooney, with viewer Ruby labelling her a ‘genius’. However, many fears it might have sealed her fate as a prime target for murder, particularly given that she filled in Traitor James Acaster with her findings. Kerry wrote on X: ‘Sharon probably should have kept that to herself until the roundtable though she went straight to a Traitor.’ Tracey echoed her thoughts, writing: ‘Sharon be careful knowing these things will get you killed.’ This season has already proved to be another ratings smash for the BBC, with more than 15million people watching the first episode of this year’s series in the seven days following its transmission. It is the largest TV audience so far in 2026 based on what are known as consolidated ratings, which measure the number of UK viewers who watch a programme up to a week after it was first broadcast or released. The figure is also the highest seven-day audience ever recorded for an episode of The Traitors, either in its celebrity format or the civvies version. The previous high was set by the final of the 2025 Celebrity Traitors series, which attracted a seven-day audience of 14.94 million. The current series began on the BBC on Thursday October 1 when host Claudia Winkleman selected two of the 21 celebrity contestants to play the role of traitor – one of which was actor Richard E Grant, who promptly announced himself as a traitor to the startled reaction of the other players. An average 15.41 million UK viewers watched the first episode in the seven days following its transmission, according to data published by the ratings organisation Barb. This is just ahead of the 14.93 million average audience for the BBC’s coverage of England’s World Cup semi-final defeat by Argentina on July 15. Deals of the Day 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 Families can save up to 20% on summer 2027 holidays in Club Med's four-day sale Cold mornings are coming and this is the dressing gown I want to live in Celebrity Traitors continues on BBC One and iPlayer on Friday at 8pm. Arrow MORE: The Traitors on Celebrity Traitors are terrible – the latest banishment proves it Arrow MORE: Kay Burley leaves Celebrity Apprentice co-star ‘in tears’ during tense clash Arrow MORE: Ed Gamble shares truth about real James Acaster away from Celebrity Traitors TV Newsletter Sign up and tell us which TV shows you love to watch to get personalised updates every morning.