BBC denies James Acaster complained over Celebrity Traitors banter
The BBC has denied reports that James Acaster complained about teasing and macho banter on Celebrity Traitors.
The broadcaster said claims of teasing among the cast, and claims that complaints were made about teasing, are categorically untrue, Variety reported on 19 October 2026. It added there were no incidents of teasing and no evidence to support the allegations.
The reports began with the Mail on Sunday. The newspaper said Acaster had complained to producers after feeling uncomfortable with macho banter and teasing from fellow comedians Rob Beckett and Romesh Ranganathan. The BBC denial reported by Deadline concerned that alleged behaviour.
The BBC gave its denial statement to Metro, according to The Independent. Its wording was blunt. No teasing happened. No complaint followed.
Celebrity Traitors is the celebrity edition of the BBC's deception game, in which a small group of traitors secretly plot to remove the faithful players without being caught. The celebrity version is fronted by Claudia Winkleman and produced by Banijay-owned Studio Lambert.
This season's cast has included Bella Ramsey, James Blunt, Jerry Hall, Michael Sheen and Richard E. Grant, alongside Acaster, Beckett, Ranganathan and others. It is a large ensemble cast, meaning plenty of alliances, arguments and round-table votes.
The row surfaced after a busy episode for the series. Comedian Joe Lycett was banished, meaning voted out by the group, in its latest episode. That episode averaged 9.3 million live viewers in the U.K.
That same run of episodes also saw Acaster newly recruited as a traitor, according to BBC News. For viewers, that means his game has shifted. He is now playing against many of the same people named in the weekend's reports.
