Richard E. Grant Reveals His Traitor Role Moments After Being Chosen

Spoiler warning: This article discusses the Season 2 premiere of The Celebrity Traitors.

Richard E. Grant delivered the premiere’s biggest shock only moments after host Claudia Winkleman selected him as a Traitor. Asked by comedian Joe Lycett whether he was a Faithful or a Traitor, the actor answered with the truth in front of several fellow contestants.

The room fell silent, but the confession was so unlikely that some players treated it as a joke. Jerry Hall, who said she has known Grant for about 30 years, argued that his eccentric behavior made the admission less convincing rather than more.

An early mistake becomes an unusual defense

Grant later acknowledged that excitement had taken over and called the slip the biggest mistake of his life. His immediate problem was not inventing a new story but persuading the group that such a blunt answer could not possibly be genuine.

That strategy carried him through the end of the episode. Grant and fellow Traitor Maya Jama then received a twist: they could recruit a third Traitor while eliminating the other person brought before them. They summoned comedian James Acaster and broadcaster Amol Rajan, both of whom argued that they could redirect attention away from Grant.

The premiere ends before the choice is revealed

The episode closed on a cliffhanger before Grant and Jama made their final decision. That left viewers with two questions: who would join the Traitors, and whether Grant’s accidental confession would become a shield or an early route out of the castle.

The season features 21 celebrity contestants, including Bella Ramsey, James Blunt, Michael Sheen, Leigh-Anne Pinnock, Miranda Hart, Ross Kemp and Hannah Fry. They are competing for a £100,000 prize for a charity of their choice at Ardross Castle in the Scottish Highlands.

Nearly nine million viewers watched the launch live, according to the BBC. Grant’s mistake gave the format a rare problem in its opening hour: the truth was spoken plainly, yet the social game immediately made it difficult for the other contestants to believe.