BBC denies James Acaster complaint claim on Celebrity Traitors
The BBC has denied that James Acaster complained about Rob Beckett and Romesh Ranganathan on The Celebrity Traitors.
The denial answers a front-page newspaper report that said Acaster had raised concerns about his treatment during filming. The broadcaster says no complaint was made and no incident took place.
The Mail on Sunday reported that Acaster had spoken to producers at Studio Lambert, the company behind the series, after becoming uncomfortable with what the paper described as "macho banter" from Beckett and Ranganathan, according to Deadline. The paper carried the claim on its front page, which gave it immediate national pickup.
A BBC spokesperson rejected the story in full. Claims of teasing among the cast are categorically untrue, the spokesperson said, and claims that a complaint about teasing was made are also categorically untrue. There were no incidents of this nature, and there is no evidence to support the allegations.
The BBC gave that statement to Metro, as noted by The Independent. The wording leaves little room for interpretation. It denies both the behaviour described and the idea that any concern was formally raised.
That leaves two directly opposed accounts. On one side is a newspaper report of a backstage concern raised with the production team. On the other is a broadcaster saying nothing happened and nothing was filed. None of the three comedians named in the report has made a separate public comment as covered in the reporting.
For viewers, this means the dispute sits outside what is seen on screen. No change to transmission has been announced. The episodes continue as planned.
The audience so far is large. The Celebrity Traitors is averaging nearly 9.3 million live viewers in the UK, according to Deadline. That count covers live viewing only. It does not include catch-up or on-demand viewing added later.
What makes this stand out is the scale of the response. A short, flat denial. No qualification. The BBC rarely uses language as absolute as "categorically untrue" unless it wants to close a story down quickly.
