Last week on The Celebrity Traitors, a mission at a creepy cabin was interrupted by an audible fart. Host Claudia Winkleman struggled to keep her composure as actor Celia Imrie sweetly confessed: “I just farted. I’m so sorry. It’s nerves – but I always own up.” The moment went viral, with Deadline magazine reporting it “put some wind in the sails of the show’s ratings”.
Viewing figures have since risen to nearly 7 million live and 11.7 million total, making this celebrity edition an even bigger hit than the three civilian series. Half of all Britons watching TV at 9pm on Wednesdays and Thursdays are now glued to the goings-on at Ardross Castle, with two residents in particular stealing the show: Traitor Alan Carr and Faithful Celia Imrie.
Comedian Carr initially panicked after being tapped as a Traitor, dubbing himself “the new Linda” and wailing about his sweating problem. But he has since grown into the role, coldly betraying his real-life pal Paloma Faith and writing death order scrolls with relish. As Richard Osman noted on The Rest Is Entertainment: “Alan’s like an accountant who’s accidentally been made head of a mafia family.”
Carr’s quick wit has provided endless entertainment, from mocking Kate Garraway’s vocabulary to comparing Jonathan Ross’s leopard-print cardigan to the Flintstones. He has become a one-man meme machine, with odds to win now slashed. Meanwhile, Imrie is winning hearts as the castle’s eccentric elder stateswoman, her faultless comic timing extending beyond flatulence to deranged shrieks during a woodland wailing mission.
At a time when doom merchants predict the death of traditional channels, talking point programmes like The Celebrity Traitors might help save terrestrial TV. Powered by Imrie’s gas and Carr’s charisma, the show is proving that unscripted reality can still captivate mass audiences.
