Celebrity Traitors: neither to laugh or to cry but to understand
The 2026 Celebrity Traitors concluded on 30th October and I have watched all ten programmes. (usually on IPlayer). I hear people of varying ages talking about it, although not as much as they do about Palestine.
I’m in Cardiff more than London at the moment. In the latter I’d be in the pub late into the evening. In Cardiff public transport does not provide that option so I have more time to watch the TV (and do all kinds of other stuff).
For anyone on the left and the labour movement traitors are never far away. As the late Jeremy Hardy used to note, what the armchair socialist said was either ‘you’re wrong’ or ‘you’ve sold out’. There is indeed a long list of traitors who have done just that.
Of course Celebrity Traitors is not about that (no trade union officials have appeared so far, perhaps wisely, they might win) but the basic idea of deception remains. James A seemed to me the most interesting Traitor because he was really a double agent. A reluctant Traitor, he played the part, but without enthusiasm. If it was more true to life he’d also feed info to a Faithful.
Anyway the Missions are always a bit Monty Python and are even more so in this series. But if you’ve got a wide audience not all will be interested in people chatting which is what the Traitors mostly is.
The murders and banishments are familiar devices by now and that is an issue because innovation (a key management speak mantra currently) requires constant change. However that doesn’t always come off.
There have been (well in The Times that does this kind of thing)further suggestions of institutionalised racism on who gets booted. Quite probably but it is one factor amongst a number. For example given the star quality of Prof Hannah Fry her leaving at Episode 5 hardly seems ideal. Sometimes random rules, even though one sees media reports of the production team trying to exert some control.
The conclusion was dramatic and at last there was one winner with a beard. And the charities chosen, both refugee focused, spoke to our times (although not to the Daily Mail)
Finally if you want a truer to real life version of the Traitors the Archers is on Radio 4 six times a week and someone is always up to something, albeit actual murders are rare.
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