Celebrity Traitors stars are forced to listen to ‘traumatic’ song before every roundtable

| Deputy Entertainment Editor Published October 26, 2026 10:04am Updated October 26, 2026 10:12am ‘They do it at every single roundtable,’ Celebrity Traitors star James Acaster revealed (Picture: BBC/Studio Lambert/Euan Cherry) Celebrity Traitors star James Acaster has revealed the unlikely song they play while contestants head into the roundtables on the show, saying they’re left ‘blindsided’. The tense filming of the scenes shows players openly discuss their suspicions, examine clues from throughout the game, and ultimately vote for who they suspect is a Traitor. One player is then banished and must reveal their true identity to their fellow players. James, 41, who is currently playing the game as an unwilling Traitor, has now shared a show secret, including the song which is played before every single vote. ‘You can in silence down the corridor, then you walk in and you all sit down. They don’t announce that it’s going to happen, the first time they completely blindside you, but they do it at every single roundtable,’ the comedian said during a recent appearance. ‘They play that song from The Hunger Games, that “coming to the tree” song, like acapella, Jennifer Lawrence,’ he added. Stars of the show confirmed the song that plays before every single roundtable (Picture: BBC) He added: ‘You’re sat there and the camera goes in the middle. Sometimes you see the shots before the roundtable and it’s like a panning shot of everyone with a serious face and you’re having to sit there while it does the “coming to the tree” and it’s every f*****g time. ‘It’s the only song we heard the whole time we were there, and all day I would have it in my head constantly. And everyone would.’ Former contestants of the show backed up James’ claims, with magician Tom Elderfield, who appeared on the civilian series of the show in 2022, commenting: ‘This is true, and the song now gives me trauma.’ Reece Ward, from series four of the show, added: ‘It’s FACTS, and it catches you off guard every single time.’ Dylan Reeve, who was a Faithful on New Zealand’s version of the show, also added: ‘Can confirm! And it’s not just the UK version that does this!’ The Hanging Tree is a ballad from The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1, telling the dark story of a man sentenced to death for murder who calls out for his love to meet him at the tree. There’s a chilling subtext behind the song which reveals an invitation for her to join him in death, bringing a ‘necklace of rope’ to hang side-by-side with him. Traitor James Acaster shared the roundtable show secret during a recent appearance (Picture: BBC/Studio Lambert/Cody Burridge/BBC Creative) In the film, Katniss Everdeen learns the song from her father, and it later becomes a rallying protest anthem. Written by the Lumineers, the song features vocals from actress Jennifer Lawrence. The song has had a resurgence in recent years, with several viral moments including at political protests. Off Menu star James’ confession comes after a gripping roundtable in Friday night’s episode left viewers on a huge cliffhanger ahead of this week’s final. Actress Sharon Rooney and comedian Joanne McNally are facing banishment at the roundtable, with the show concluding before content creator and Traitor King Kenny could cast his deciding vote on their fate. Earlier in the episode, comedian Miranda Hart fell victim to the Traitors as she was killed off for being ‘a good detective’. 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 The Celebrity Traitors returns on BBC One and iPlayer on Thursday at 8pm. Arrow MORE: Celebrity Traitors bosses ‘had to buy James Blunt more pants’ after disaster struck Arrow MORE: Celebrity Traitors fans convinced this disguised star made a risky cameo Arrow MORE: Celebrity Traitors fans convinced they’ve spotted ‘game-breaking’ moment that left producers scrambling TV Newsletter Sign up and tell us which TV shows you love to watch to get personalised updates every morning.