Celebrity Traitors: Chaos, Coffins and ‘Claudiapatra’ Steal the Show - BBC News
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By Helen Bushby, Culture Reporter
(Published 35 minutes ago)
Spoiler warning: This article reveals details from the first episode of The Celebrity Traitors, series two.
One person in particular may have dominated much of this opening episode, but Claudia Winkleman's gothic arrival still caused a stir.
Carried aloft by druids in a closed coffin, the show's host arrived in a church to greet 21 anxious-looking celebrities.
"That was quite the nap," she said as she emerged.
"Claudiapatra!" gasped model and actress Jerry Hall – spotting similarities in both grandeur and hairstyles between Claudia and Cleopatra, the Egyptian queen.
Winkleman said at the show's press launch she loved her "iconic entrance", but admitted she'd initially wanted to hide in the castle's suit of armour.
"It's like a sort of GCSE history fantasy - it was either that or the grandfather clock," she said.
Image caption: Claudia Winkleman emerged from her coffin to greet the celebrities in church (BBC/Studio Lambert)
But the main talking point of this show was actor Richard E Grant, with his shocking admission.
Grant and presenter Maya Jama were selected as two of Winkleman's three traitors. But immediately afterwards, Grant appeared to forget the entire point of the game, by gleefully blurting out to those around him he was actually a traitor.
You could have heard a pin drop after he said it. Stunned silence.
He later admitted, in footage for viewers of the show: "That may be the biggest mistake I have ever made in my life. I was so thrilled to have been chosen as a traitor that in my unguarded excitement, I said, 'Of course I'm a traitor'.
"I clearly need to defuse all the heat that's coming in my direction."
"It's an interesting angle," laughed singer James Blunt just afterwards, while comic Rob Beckett told him: "I think you've just done something that's never happened in the game - it is a bold strategy."
Image caption: Richard E Grant (BBC/Studio Lambert)
Ex-BBC journalist Amol Rajan swooped the following day, asking Grant: "What happened last night?"
But instead of sewing clever seeds of doubt, Grant said he'd been so "blatant" about wanting to be a traitor that he simply responded he was one, when he was asked.
It was an odd reply, perhaps because he was flustered.
Rajan labelled him the "Lord of Chaos", but Hall stayed loyal.
"I just don't believe Richard's a traitor, I've known him 30 years and he's my neighbour," she said.
"He says and does eccentric things, he's an amazing guy, but I think he's like acting out because he's not been chosen."
Hall's loyalty could be tested though, given Alan Carr murdered Paloma Faith in series one by touching her face.
Comic and writer Miranda Hart also thinks Grant could be a faithful, but admitted she is confused.
Winkleman told the press launch she thought Grant blurted out his identity in error, because he was so thrilled to be a traitor.
"He was giddy, wasn't he? He's just laughing at what's happening. Fantastic," she said.
Ed Gamble, the host of BBC Two's Uncloaked, added: "It felt like he'd been given the lead role in a film and he just had to tell everyone. It's such an insane moment."
Grant may find that no one tells him a secret ever again.