James Acaster finally addresses claims two Celebrity Traitors stars ‘bullied’ him

| Deputy TV editor Published November 3, 2026 2:21pm Updated November 3, 2026 2:41pm There have been reports that James Acaster was teased during Celebrity Traitors (Picture: BBC) James Acaster had a dramatic time on Celebrity Traitors series 2. The 41-year-old was recruited into the Traitors fold early in the show’s run, and he spent nine long episodes acting as a reluctant killer. This all culminated in the comedian leaving Claudia Winkleman’s castle in spectacular style when he outed himself as a Traitor to the round table. Yet, arguably as dramatic as James’s time in the castle was, it’s been nothing compared to the media coverage of his time in the Scottish Highlands. It’s been claimed that filming had to be paused at James’s final round table, that Jerry Hall confronted him about being a Traitor (that one is true, to be fair), and some papers have even said he was bullied in the castle. Reportedly, Rob Beckett and Romesh Ranganathan kept teasing James, forcing him to complain to producers about the pair’s behaviour. James has denied these reports (Picture: BBC/Studio Lambert/Euan Cherry) However, James has gone on record saying that the reports he complained about Rob and Romesh are untrue. ‘I was like, I’ve been friends with those guys for like over ten years,’ a bemused James told Alan Carr on the Life’s a Beach podcast. ‘They were lovely the entire show; I didn’t complain about any of my fellow players. It’s completely fabricated.’ James then claims his agents, as well as Rob and Romesh’s agents, denied the allegations, but their denials were ignored. James has been friends with Rob and Romesh for more than a decade (Picture: BBC) The BBC has also denied the reports that James was picked on during production. A spokesperson for The Celebrity Traitors told Metro: ‘Claims of teasing amongst the cast on the show and claims of complaints about teasing are categorically untrue. ‘There were no incidents of this nature, and there is no evidence to support these allegations.’ Reps for Rob and Romesh meanwhile confirmed that these claims are completely untrue and couldn’t be further from the truth. Fans had been concerned for James after he left the castle. The funny Taskmaster star skipped the final Uncloaked episode, and viewers noted that guests seemed to be avoiding talking about him. ROmesh and Bash won The Celebrity Traitors series 2 (Picture: Paul Chappells/ Studio Lambert/BBC/Press Association) Dr Andy Hershon wrote on X: ‘[Is] James Acaster ok?Strange not mentioned on the Uncloaked show.’ @TheVocalHero 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.’ On Reddit, meanwhile, user u/travelprofessor asked fellow fans, ‘Why is nobody mentioning James Acaster? It’s like it never happened, bizarre.’ The Traitors ended with Romesh and Sebastian Croft scoring a win for the Faithfuls and bagging a shared £83,000 prize for their chosen charities. Deals of the Day QVC shoppers can save £159 on Elemis' biggest beauty gift set of the year 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 Arrow MORE: Brits warned to stockpile after ‘cyberattack’ sees UK ‘freezers switched to defrost mode’ Arrow MORE: Richard Osman launches into foul-mouthed rant following Celebrity Traitors backlash Arrow MORE: Celebrity Traitors winner Romesh Ranganathan sets record straight on James Blunt ‘feud’ rumour TV Newsletter Sign up and tell us which TV shows you love to watch to get personalised updates every morning.