91福利社

Amol Rajan was the first Faithful murdered by the Traitors.

How has your time been on The Celebrity Traitors?

I think it's much bigger than I expected. It's just an absolutely unforgettable ride of a lifetime. And honestly, there's kind of an unhappy contrast right now, because I'm sort of grieving what might have been. In time I know that I'll come to look on this as honestly one of the greatest privileges of my life. In fact, I already do. What an amazing thing to do, and it was bigger, it was bolder, it was braver, it was brighter than it looks on TV. And to have been sort of in it when it's a show and a game I love so much is just a blessing, really.

To go back to the start, what did you make of your fellow players?

When the names were announced, there were a couple of names I knew less of. I thought I knew less about King Kenny, for instance, but then I realised that actually I've seen thousands of his videos because I spend a lot of time on YouTube and I'm really into boxing. In fact, I kind of felt with every single one of them, that whilst I may be aware of them, I really didn't know them at all, so I was really able to approach getting to know them in the moment. If you only know the surface level about someone, then you can make a bunch of assumptions that come with that.

It just happens to be the case that I'm the only journalist here, and journalists are meant to be people who ask all the good questions. I was a little self-conscious about whether I should try and play that up to my advantage or whether that might arouse suspicion. How you negotiate your reputation is one of the interesting challenges in the celebrity version of the show. In terms of the cast overall, I thought it was a wonderful, really clever mix of people.

How did it feel being sat there for the Traitors pick?

Even if you're someone who works in TV and is on TV, there is still something amazing about actually being in the place that you see on TV! You see it so many times, and the kind of theatrical energy and character of that Round Table itself. I know it's such an overused word, but it is iconic. To actually be there, taking in that this is a real place, and I'm actually here – well, it's spine tingling. Then the TV thoughts are put aside and very quickly it's game time.

Did you enjoy the Mission?

What an experience! When else are you going to do that? If my 21-year-old self was told that I was going to be stood in a wetsuit, with new walking boots, on a beach in front of a burning shipwreck, next to Jerry Hall, telling me she was about to wield a crowbar and that she was an expert in it, I’d have said your life has turned out pretty damn well! I loved it, unconditionally, like absolutely a 100% fantastic experience, thrilling, and I just wish I could do it again and lots of times.

Let’s talk about your face to face murder and the buildup in the chapel….

Last year I went to a pilgrimage in India for a 91福利社 One documentary, travelling to the River Ganges. It’s called the Kumbh Mela, and it's just once every 12 years. It's the biggest religious gathering in the world, and it's about the alignment of Jupiter, the Moon, the Earth, and the Sun. Millions of people attend and there is chanting, smoke, rituals, people dressed in special garments, and it felt very heightened. I haven't felt that same intensity until last night in the chapel. Last night in the chapel, every sensation was turned up to the absolute max.

I'd been on this massive roller coaster of thinking that I was out, then thinking I was reprieved, then thinking, oh wait a second, this could get complicated. Walking into that beautiful chapel I saw one of the greatest comedians of his generation, in James Acaster, a legend, wonderful human being who has become my mate, and I'm thinking, what are you doing here, mate? Are you a Traitor? It suddenly dawned on me that there were a couple of open coffins, and he said, "I'm not a Traitor. And there are two coffins up there,” and I thought, okay, here we go.

Did you have any idea who the Traitors were?

No, I can’t say I did. Not with Maya anyway. I mean, it all makes sense in hindsight. And Richard straight up told us! I think the Faithful have got a real challenge now with Acaster in the mix. I think he is going to be brilliant.

If you could have addressed the others still in the game before leaving or left them with any advice, what would you have said?

I would have said, at this early stage of the game, we have to acknowledge it's a game of information, and the longer the game goes on, the more information you have. Right now, we don't have much information. We can all come up with our great grand theories of everything, but no one really knows. The one thing we do know is that Richard is either a Traitor, as he said, or a bad Faithful!

Richard E. Grant was the first Traitor banished at the Round Table.

You got your wish when you were selected as a Traitor. What was going through your mind when you felt that tap on your shoulder?

I was absolutely exhilarated, because it was only on the fourth round of Claudia walking around that I was finally rewarded. I'd heard such panic breathing from Miranda Hart on my right-hand side, coughing from Jerry Hall on my left. Between these two respiratory ladies, I nearly gave up hope.

It would have been an excellent cover for you. Nobody would have heard you gasping with joy. And then you discovered Maya was your colleague. How did you find that partnership?

I had no idea at all because I had no interaction with Maya other than an initial meeting at the beginning. She wasn't even on my radar as a possible fellow Traitor. But because I had botched the role so staggeringly by saying "I am a Traitor," and then had people believe me, I had to hand over all power to Maya, and I think she enjoyed that.

What was the thinking behind telling people? Was it meant to be a big double bluff?

Joe asked me. He said, "Are you a Traitor?” I suppose what I should have done in retrospect is go round everybody and say, "Are you a Traitor? Yeah. I am a Traitor, I am Spartacus. I am a Traitor” to try and make light of it, but that may have dug my grave even deeper. It was a completely catastrophically idiotic thing to do! I can only imagine the faces of the producers looking at each other and mouthing ‘he said WHAT?!’

It certainly is a different strategy…

The strategy of no strategy is the strategy, clearly. I'd watched every iteration that I possibly could have of this game and I was manifesting, willing myself to get invited to be a Traitor so receiving that…well, I lost all sense of self control.

Straight to business with your first murder and recruiting a third Traitor all at once. What a dramatic first act! Why Amol and James?

Amol had been asking me questions, and was absolutely vehement that I was definitely a Traitor. I knew that I was absolutely in his sights, and then James Acaster, I was told, was the most trustworthy player. So, if somebody was going to be able to calm the waters, deflect and defend my having said this stupid thing, he would be the one. In retrospect, I made a second calamitously ill-judged decision by choosing him because he didn't defend me at all. All he was thinking about was I’m now a Traitor and I must get rid of Richard as quickly as possible, which he did. Exactly what I would have done if I'd had the smarts that he does!

Did you expect the Round Table to go that way?

Yes, I did because when we were in the bar before going into the Round Table, Myha’la had made eye contact with me directly, but few others did. Miranda Hart was very friendly, and I thought, "Ah, she's doing this to try and ameliorate the fact that she's about to stab me” which is exactly what happened. I just felt it in the room before we headed into that Round Table.

It's one thing getting the votes from the Faithful, but what about James and Maya? Did that surprise you?

It didn't surprise me because they have to save themselves, and at the Round Table, James never uttered a word, other than when he was asked, "Who have you chosen and why?” He never said a word before, so he clearly listened to everything, and it was a tsunami of my name round the table. So, to have gone against that like Joanne did is risking your neck.

How did it then feel announcing to the room that you were a Traitor, and properly this time?!

I said, "it's been my dream manifested to be chosen as a Traitor. And sometimes in life, your dreams come true, and sometimes they don't.” And my face dropped, and all the people in front of me looked as if they had made the wrong decision. Oh my God, he is Faithful after all! And then I said, “I am an unfaithful Traitor,” to an instant unanimous standing ovation. It was a double-edged sword of the joy of being released and the humiliation of them being so glee-filled that they got one so early in the game. I gave it to them on a platter.

Do you want to see the Traitors go on and win?

I truly hope and believe that Maya and James Acaster are going to win.

What advice would you give to firstly the Traitors to go all the way, and secondly the Faithful? What should they be looking for?

They should take care not to engage with any 69-year-old actors!

And finally, if you could sum up the experience in three words, what would they be?

I’d say it’s been unforgettable, mischievous and lovely!

Myha’la was a Faithful and the second player banished at the Round Table.

What was the experience like for you?

It was so surprising because I went into this having seen people in past series get emotional on the show, and I kind of thought this is ridiculous, just lock into the game; it shouldn't be a problem. I had no problem cutting myself off from the outside world, I just wanted to be in the game and give it my all. But I think because I was so Traitor-minded, I had done all this planning and poring over in my mind for weeks on end about how I'd be as a Traitor that when I got chosen as a Faithful I felt so confused and lost. I had no plan and I’m a planner, that's how I function in this life. And so, the excitement that the game had begun, the fear of being a Faithful with no plan, and also then the complete and absolute loss of any sense of control. As a Faithful, you are completely a pawn, especially so early in the game. You can't really strategize that well because you can't trust anyone at all.

How did you go about adapting?

It took me one night, but by the second day, I had come to the conclusion that my strategy as a Faithful was that I just had to be 100% honest, 100% of the time. You can't be caught in a lie if you're never lying.

Who did you trust and get close to?

Well, I immediately got close to Richard, just because I feel like we’re twin flames. Really, I shouldn't trust him as far as I could throw him, which is ultimately, I think, my demise. Truly, I had a moment with everyone, which was so lovely. I felt quite close to Romesh. I felt close to Bella at points, although I knew right away that they were suspicious of me. That one was really heartbreaking. I also hit it off pretty quickly with Leigh-Anne and Maya, we just had fun together. Really, outside of the game, I’ve made some great new friendships. I can't wait to have a pen pal in Richard. I think Bella and I will stay connected as well. We're HBO siblings!

How did you find the missions?

Oh, they were so fun! I was shocked in the first mission at how difficult it was because whenever I watch the show I’m thinking, oh, these people aren't participating but in practice, I was like, oh hell no! I'm sorry, but a huge solid wood crate filled with water is like the heaviest thing. But then you get on in there with James Blunt, who has the strength of 1000 military men, and you fully commit to the job. Ross thrives in the missions too. I think they’re his happy place. I found that my role was often observing from a little bit of a distance because when there's so much energy up close, sometimes you can miss things. In yesterday's mission I did get a shield, that was short lived…if only, if only, if only….

What's been your proudest achievement?

I think I really defended myself well in that final Round Table. You always ruminate and think, "Oh, why didn't I say this? Why didn't I say that?” But generally, I thought I had something. I mean, I had the truth, but I also had a strong counter to every argument said against me and I did it with grace, I think.

Do you think you've learned anything about yourself?

I’m built to be a Traitor. If they want me back as a Traitor, I'm waiting. Yeah, I'd be back, but there are conditions! I'm not built to be a Faithful because I’m all about planning and having control and you just can't plan for the unknown. I'm annoyed that Richard couldn't stay in because I feel like he could have brought me to the turret and I would have let him win. I would have gladly led him to glory! There’s an alternate universe in which he and I get to the final.

But for the rest of this game, where you have been a Faithful, do you leave your heart with them and hope they get the win?

No! I want there to be carnage. Okay, I think I couldn't ever be a properly good Faithful because I always want to be a Traitor. I love the chaos. That's why we watch the game. It's fun to watch. It’s about the event, it’s just a game and we want to see wild twists that keep us glued to the fun. So, I hope for more chaos!

Bella Ramsey was the second Faithful murdered by the Traitors.

Was playing the Traitors everything you imagined it to be?

It was a lot of fun. It was very different than I thought it would be. I sort of forgot that it was also a show. In terms of the actual gameplay, really it was so exciting, and the missions were so exciting, and getting to know everyone was really wonderful.

You wanted to be a Traitor, didn’t you?

I actually didn't as it turned out. I changed my mind after the conversation with Claudia and really wanted to be a Faithful. At the Round Table Traitors pick, I was hoping not to get tapped because that afternoon I'd really thought about how exciting it would be to get to play the game and figure out who the Traitors were. I love the game so much, and the idea of being able to properly play it, to be a detective and hunt down the Traitors is actually really thrilling.

You clearly were a real asset to the Faithful because the Traitors found you threatening enough to murder! It’s a kind of compliment. How does it feel to be leaving at this stage?

I wish I got a few more days because I was going to go in today with a new resolve of trying to rein in some of my excitement and be more open-minded. I was going in with a fresh slate, and I was so excited to start again so I wish that I got a little bit more time to do that. Also, I think the Traitors killed me off because they knew that I was maybe going to start doing that and get to the bottom of things. All things considered, I feel satisfied and ready to go.

And are you cheering on the Faithful going forward?

I am forever Faithful. I was also questioning if I got recruited as a Traitor, what I would do? It would be a tough decision because I loved being a Faithful so much and I loved the camaraderie with the other people who I believed were Faithful, and getting to figure it out together was really fun.

Who did you feel closest to?

I felt really close with Bash, Miranda and James A but everyone, honestly. I feel like I had a different relationship with everybody. Romesh I really enjoy, and Ross, and I adore Julie. I could literally list every single name.

How have you found the missions?

I loved the missions. It was a nice break from the castle, and a break from thinking and figuring out. It was just fun because everybody wants to win the money for the charities, there was no Traitor/Faithful split in the missions. Everyone just works together,

Do you have a standout moment that you're particularly proud of?

I'm really proud of the first Round Table. I'm proud of how I responded when accused because I was genuinely Faithful and didn't have anything to be guilty about. I really liked being able to speak honestly about why I am a Faithful and feel like I dealt with that situation well. I wasn't sure if I'd react in a way that would make me more suspicious, but I wasn't even thinking about it. I was just honest, "well, here's the truth!” It was really nice to just be able to speak the truth and with conviction.

Would you leave your fellow Faithful any words of advice going forward? How are they going to catch these Traitors?

I want them to be really perceptive. I just want them to observe and I want them to notice behaviour changes and pay attention to them. I think we need a combination of that and logic. I would love to see the Faithful win. No particular player but I’m rooting for a Faithful win.

Julie Hesmondhalgh was a Faithful and the third player banished at the Round Table.

What was the experience like for you?

It's been the experience of a lifetime, so joyful. I’ve laughed till I’ve cried, most hours of the day. I’ll really miss being part of it. When the first Celebrity series came out, everyone knew what a huge fan of the show I am, so I got so many messages saying, ‘You've got to be in it, you've got to be in it’. I genuinely said to people, I think we'll be a few series in before they get to my level. Stephen Fry, Celia Imrie, Jonathan Ross, Paloma Faith - and then I’ll be in season 11!

Was it everything that you'd imagined it would be?

I have to say it's harder than I thought. I know how intense these experiences can be, and I know that in the business, especially when you're doing a play or a TV series, you make accelerated friendships. There’s no small talk, you're straight in with the big stuff. You bond with people and connect with people very quickly. So, when you get thrown under the bus…! I was ready for it, but it was a bit hard. The fact that I thought that in any universe I could be a Traitor is ridiculous- I knew I didn't have it in me. If Claudia had picked me, I would have been terrible, because they'd say, right, who shall we murder? And I would have been like, I can't let somebody like Ross with his big puppy eyes get murdered tonight, or Sharon, absolutely not!

How does it feel to be leaving now?

I felt like mine was a chapter that began very clearly and ended very clearly, a strong narrative arc- and that satisfies the actor in me! I didn’t want to just pootle along, I'd rather go with a bang. And honestly, I said this at the Round Table, and I really meant it- I did really enjoy the attention! All those people that I’d admired for such a long time talking about me! The star struck Julie of episode 1 loved that! It was extremely nice to feel like not-such-a-minor character at that moment!

What did it feel like to get that Traitor out on the first Round Table?

It was the best feeling; I cannot begin to tell you how incredible that feeling is. Right up there with marriage and childbirth haha! And then for Claudia to come in and say that that has never happened in any series of the Traitors ever! But of course it created this atmosphere of such cockiness and such blood thirstiness, it was a bit of a poisoned chalice ultimately.

You were voted most trustworthy player right at the beginning, do you think that was a blessing or curse?

It was possibly the most amazing moment of my life, haha, because I didn't expect it at all. I did in the back of my mind think, oh, this is quite front and centre- when everyone had advised me to keep a low profile for the first few days! There I am in my bright red dress, greeting everyone like some starstruck fan, and I am being very, very central in this first moment of the show where we meet for the first time and so I did worry that it might work against me. I thought, oh, they'll think I'm too Faithful, and I'll be so easily murdered - it immediately ruins your plan of keeping in the background, doesn't it?

At the Round Table you said you were the most deserved banishment. Why did you feel like that?

I lost any ability to defend myself! I was so sketchy throughout the whole thing, and I'd gone in hard on Richard, I'd gone in hard on Myha’la. You know, one triumph, one disaster, absolutely fine, but I thought I'm saying too much. Everybody gave me the advice before I came in, saying keep a low profile. Just try and survive, but don't be too much. And of course, on the first day I was voted most trustworthy, and then at the two Round Tables I had a lot to say. So I was planning to just sit back, little knowing that I was chief suspect.

There was a lot of discussion about Hannah at the beginning, and Hannah looked really vulnerable, and then suddenly it turned to me, and Hannah was doing a brilliant job of defending herself, and I was absolutely rubbish! At one point my mouth dried up to absolutely nothing. I had no spit left, and I had to take a big glass of water and my hand was shaking a bit which is the worst thing you can do and I knew I looked really guilty. It was text book guilt!

Do you think that tactically people are approaching the Round Tables in the right way?

No, we're absolutely rubbish. We're half evidence based and we're half vibes. Joanne is leading the vibes charge with crazy theories.

What made you decide not to share the information you had from Bella on who they were suspicious of?

Because I've been so heart on sleeve about my other suspicions, and me and Bella have been in cahoots a little bit, and we very much led the charge against Myha’la, and we also had suspicions about Joe. It was very difficult as I'm very close to Joe. I'd given Joe the shield in the church. We’d been buried alive together. And I did have a slight thinking that Joe would be the most amazing Traitor. So Joe- his comedy is completely about these very long-play hoaxes that he enacts on huge groups of people, he's absolutely born to be a Traitor. I didn’t want to believe that he was, but I thought that part of his strategy would probably be to keep me close to the end and then drop me at the last minute.

I didn't want Joe to know that I had any suspicions of him. Out of all the comics, I would have chosen Joe as a Traitor, plus Bella was absolutely convinced. And Bella has a beautiful mind. I know that Bella got it wrong with Myha’la, as did I, but there was nobody in that game who was more all over everything than Bella, so I felt very proud to be their little accomplice. So Bella only shared it with myself and Bash, and I wasn't willing to share it too early in the day and for it to get back to Joe- and then Bash did this brilliant thing at the Round Table where he just very articulately said, “This is Bella's theory. Don't shoot the messenger. Bella thinks it's Joe and Hannah” and immediately it just made me look really sketchy again!

Let's talk about the Missions. Did you have a favourite?

The spooky Mission, the cabin Mission, was my favourite. All of them were extraordinary in the design and the beauty and the scale of them. When we got to the cabin, it was just really nice to be spooked and scared rather than physically wrung out! The smell was really, really bad though- it really, genuinely smelt like shit, to the point where people were retching and Miranda was actually sick!

What's been your proudest achievement?

I think being voted as most trustworthy before anyone knew me, so only based on vibes, was a truly lovely thing. It was quite humbling to know that it was just a public persona perception thing and to see how very quickly it was ripped from my hands- and everyone was like, you're not what you seem at all! Haha!

Do you think you've learned anything about yourself?

I’ve learned so much about myself. I've learned what an open book I am. I have learned that I'm not capable of gameplay. I can only play in the way I play every single game at Christmas, which is in a totally terrifyingly gung-ho way that is not always successful! Also, the limits of what I can do. I think I'll watch it and think, why didn't you fight harder for yourself?! But it was just making me laugh so much about how much they had on me and how I couldn’t defend myself.

What would your advice be for the Faithfuls that are in there now, and how to catch the Traitors?

I think they're going to get Hannah. I don't think any of the comics are looking at James A. So that's obviously a mistake. Maybe at some point they'll be like, “hang on a minute- Why are we not putting him under the microscope? Why have we all just decided that he's the detective and he wants to solve this?” He’s done some amazing mind games on everyone. So, I would say, look in unexpected places and look closer to you than you think, because I don't think Joanne will ever think it's Maya. They're very close in the castle, and often it's the people right next to you you’ve got to worry about.

Who were you closest to in there?

God I really liked everyone, but probably Sharon, Bash, Leigh Anne – the young ones. I was Bella’s little accomplice, knocking around together in the castle, and that's what Traitors don't do. In my head I'm the same age as Bella and Bash, I just think I'm a young person, and it’s really quite shocking to me that I'm actually very much not!

Ross was also the big, unexpected love for me in this series. He’s just wonderful. I've never seen anyone as terrified of being pretend murdered in my life, who at the same time talks constantly about all the things he's seen and done in his life, and they are horrific. Romesh and Ross were my first friends in there.

Any message for your fellow Faithfuls and Traitors?

I would say, please don't feel bad, because I really did have a ball, and I loved the attention, and I knew it was coming from the right place. And genuinely, if I could have, I would have written my name on that slate because I was sketch as hell in that Round Table. And so, I don't blame anybody, even my closest buddies in there, for turning on me because they had to.

Who do you think will win?

It's hard because that is a pretty formidable group of Traitors, but I do have faith in the Faithfuls that they can do it, so I will be rooting for the Faithfuls every step of the way.

What three words might you use to sum up your experience?

In this order- challenging, bonkers, delightful.

Rob Beckett was the third Faithful murdered by the Traitors

How does it feel to be leaving the game now?

I'm a bit sad because I would have liked to have gone further, but a killing in plain sight, I've managed to get a Traitor, I've got a couple of Faithfuls wrong at the banishments, I’ve done some Missions, done the breakfast - I feel like I've done almost all of it. I was really missing the kids, so I'm happy to go - the kids wanted me to do it, and I've done five episodes and been murdered. So that's enough, let daddy have a day off!

Was being funny an advantage or disadvantage?

Basically, my game was to stay quiet and stay under the radar until the herd is thinned and then strike. But I was the herd that was thinned, so it didn't really work out.

Was it hard to read Romesh in there?

Romesh looks hard to read, but I know him like a brother, and I knew, as soon as I looked him in the eye, that he was a Faithful, and he knew I was a Faithful.

Were you happy being a Faithful?

Not really, I'd rather have been a Traitor. The thing is, as a Faithful, you're reactive, whereas the Traitors are proactive, and there's more to do, you get to go in the turret and all that. So I would have preferred to be a Traitor, but I was happy being a Faithful.

What was your reaction to Richard E. Grant saying he was a Traitor?

I thought he was a Traitor before he shouted it. So I'm quite annoyed, really, the only one I'd got, he blurted it out.

What was the experience like for you?

What I loved most was meeting everyone and talking to them. When you have Michael Sheen, Richard E. Grant, Jerry Hall, James Blunt, I don't care who's a Traitor. Give me the anecdotes I want the gossip. So everyone was going back to the hotel writing ideas of who it might be in their notepad, and I've got a notepad full of anecdotes that they told me that can only get wheeled out when I'm drunk at a party.

Who were you closest to in there?

Obviously Romesh. I got really close to James Blunt, Julie, even though I banished her, and Jerry Hall, I'd say I got to know everyone really,

Did you think your time might be up in the Crypt with Ross, Romesh and Leigh-Anne?

I thought they're definitely not going to get rid of Ross, because people suspect him. So they’d be mad to get rid of him, because he's going to be up for the chop at the Round Table. And then Leigh-Anne and Romesh were coming for Hannah, and obviously Hannah was a Traitor. So I think really, actually, I should have thought about it and gone, give me the key!

Do you regret giving Leigh-Anne a key?

I cannot in good faith, allow a member of Little Mix and now an unbelievable solo artist in Leigh-Anne Pinnock, go into a crypt in the middle of the night! First of all, I'm a gentleman. I can't do that. Secondly, I don't want hate off the Mixers. I don't need Little Mixers on my case because I left Leigh-Anne out in the cold.

You were really sure that Julie was a Traitor, how did you feel when you found out she wasn't?

I felt bad, but also I laughed. I find it really funny when we get it wrong, which makes me sound heartless. But Julie, I did feel bad, because Julie's so lovely, and we really bonded that day on the way into the castle. We really chatted, and then I bloody banished her off.

What's going to be your highlight from playing the game?

My highlight was meeting Jerry Hall, I love her. She's got such an amazing energy. She's just so chilled. We just floated on together. She tells me her life motto probably every eight minutes, and that is what will be will be.

No one wrote your name down at the Round Table, how did that feel?

I felt like I was suspected for a bit, because my face went red once, and then they went no, his face always goes red, and then that died off. But I think the blessing and curse of me is you know exactly how I feel when you look in my eyes and what I'm thinking. And I think that makes me a good comedian, a good communicator, because I can only be honest because of my face.

What did you think when you saw who the Traitors were?

I knew it was Hannah, but James... I gave James the benefit of the doubt because he desperately wanted to be a Faithful, but then that's the oldest trick in the book, saying that, but then he had been really quiet recently, and on reflection, he'd avoided me a lot which makes sense, because I know him quite well. And then Maya Jama, I mean, Maya Jama does not change her personality, whatever's happening. So she's going to be a great Traitor, I think she could win it.

Would you leave the other players with any words of motivation as they continue to search for the Traitors?

I'd say, don't stress yourself about it. All the money goes to charity. Have a good time for a long time.

Who are you tipping to go far or even win?

I want Jerry Hall to win. Jerry Hall's my pick, a rank outsider, but she’s my pick.

Who would you like to see make it all the way?

The ultimate finale would be Leigh-Anne, Jerry and Romesh staring down Acaster. Three on one and they take his sorry ass to the cleaners.

What three words might you use to sum up your experience?

Don't trust anyone.

Professor Hannah Fry was the fourth banished contestant and the second Traitor banished at the Round Table

What was the experience like for you?

That was the wildest roller coaster I have ever been on. I laughed more, cried more and got more excited than I ever have in the entirety of the rest of my life combined, it's amazing.

Was the game everything you imagined it might be?

And more, I think it's the intensity of it that you don't quite expect. I think when you're watching from home, sometimes people's emotional reactions seem over the top or outlandish, outsized. But I think when you're here and you're so cut off from everywhere else, the game is the only thing you can think about. And so it just heightens everything. It's so intense.

Were you happy being a Faithful, initially?

I knew that I could be myself. I could relax. I didn't have to pretend to be anything I wasn't.

Did you feel that being smart might be a hindrance?

Yeah, on the first day, I asked Michael Sheen who he would murder, and he said, You. And at that point I knew I was really in trouble. Surviving the first day was a really nice surprise. But I think, honestly, there were two separate moments where I was absolutely convinced that I was gone, first, when it was me and Jerry up for murder. Secondly, the Round Table, when half the votes went for me.

Did you think you were at risk, and it could have gone either way?

I knew that the smart thing to do in that situation would be to vote for Julie, just to make sure that there was one more vote on her side. However, I just couldn't quite bring myself when I thought she was so lovely and I knew she was innocent, I didn't want to be responsible for her banishment. I then did a very stupid thing, which was to tell Jerry in advance I was going to vote for her, because I think that was what swung her to vote for me. But nonetheless, I think Jerry's the one person on that whole table who could handle being voted for.

You really had to fight for your place at that Round Table when Julie left, how, how did that feel?

Is does feel quite full on when you're the one under the spotlight. The conversation around the table was okay. I think one of the reasons why I didn't want to be a Traitor is because the only way your game ends is by being banished or winning, so I think that having people vote for you and having heat on you is part of the role of being a Traitor.

Did you have a favourite Mission?

The first Mission, of course, What an amazing thing. I'm not the strongest, I'm not the fastest, I'm not the most capable of running, but being part of unlocking the safe, that felt really good, None of the others noticed that I was actually the one who got them the code. But they will, they will.

How did you feel in the Grave Digger mission when Jerry didn't want to do it, so you were immediately both at risk of murder?

Jerry wasn't faking. And you can't ever be annoyed with someone for prioritising themselves in that situation. But of course, I was absolutely gutted. Of course I was, especially with Amol being murdered, I already knew that I was really at risk. I was really vulnerable, and just the fact that the circumstance meant that it's now between me and one other person, it really wasn't a good feeling.

Who did you feel closest to? Was there someone in there that you trusted more than others?

I really like Joanne. We actually discovered that we're cousins, by marriage. So her cousin is married to my cousin. We're basically sisters. I really loved her so much. She described herself as how she came out of the womb as a show pony. That’s the perfect description of that woman. She is phenomenal. She knows exactly who she is, and she is totally unapologetic about it. I cannot tell you how much I admire her. She's phenomenal.

Maya as well. I really want Maya to win. I think Maya is playing the most amazing game. When someone looks like that, I think that you expect her to have a bit of a chip on her shoulder in some way or another, because, good God, she's one of the most beautiful women alive, but she's also just so much fun. No airs and graces, totally delightful to be around. I really want her to win. Leigh-Anne too, my God, that woman hasn't got a single thing wrong. Is she actually psychic? She's the most perceptive person I've ever come across in my entire life.

What's been your proudest achievement?

Getting that bloomin Roman numerals thing. I panicked as well. I knew that everyone was going to expect me to be the one to solve it, but mathematicians do not do mental arithmetic. I think people have this image in their heads that we just sit around thinking of big numbers all day, but it couldn't be further from the truth. I haven't seen a number, I haven't used a number since I was about 16, I’m all about the x's and y's. I can't split the bill at a restaurant any more than anyone else!

When you got your seduction letter, how did you feel?

I was genuinely torn as to whether to accept it or not. On the one hand, I came into this just so wanting to be Faithful, and I had this whole plan, had done all this work in advance of just really, really wanting to play the Faithful game and have authentic interactions with people. So I was tempted to turn it down and go in and tell everybody that I'd been seduced, or that they tried to seduce me and I turned it down, but I knew as soon as I did that that the heat would be on me anyway, and I'd almost certainly be murdered that night.

When you saw who the Traitors were, did you have any suspicions?

It was too early for my data stuff to work, so at that point I’d sort of ruled James Acaster out, because I just really believed him when he told me he wanted to catch Traitors, which actually, at the time, had been true. My God, I didn't have Maya down at all. My data would have come into play later on in the Game, around now… so there were bits the data picked up, so one is, Traitors feel bad about voting for Faithfuls, and sending them to banishment, so what they do instead is they vote for somebody that nobody else is voting for. They make a burn vote. James Acaster did a burn vote. It's not a complete giveaway, but it's a really strong indicator.

And then the other thing that people do, which both of them have done now, is Traitors will vote for another Traitor, having never voted for that person before. So both Maya and James have switched their vote from Julie to me, there are very few people who are in that category, because Joe voted for me both nights. So when you start putting these pieces together it starts to become really clear. The other thing is, three Traitors will never hang out together. You'll never get three Traitors in a car together, you'll never get three Traitors sitting together at breakfast. They want to avoid each other.

So if you keep track of every time you see three or four people together, and I have a spreadsheet, then you can really quickly start to filter them down and work out the combinations.

Do you think your behaviour changed when you became a Traitor?

I tried to just carry on doing what I had been doing. But I realise now, in the fullness of time, that actually I should have just shrunk back a lot more. Should have kept my mouth shut a bit more than I did. That is what Maya is doing beautifully. She's not really going after anybody, maybe at the Round Table to make sure that she speaks, but she's not actually trying to nudge the boat towards anybody.

How did it feel when both your fellow Traitors voted you at the Round Table?

Absolutely fine. They needed to protect themselves. The reality of the journey that I had with the set of circumstances that I was in, I was never going to make it to the final. They had to do what they had to do.

Did you enjoy being a Traitor?

Killing Rob Beckett was one of the best evenings I've had in my entire life. I was running through the woods in the middle of the night, opening the door to Rob Beckett's face. It was delightful. But I really preferred being Faithful. I think it's just a much more authentic experience, you get to interact with people and connect with them on a human level that just feels real. It's so much more stressful being a Traitor.

Do you think you've learned anything about yourself taking part in this game?

That I really hate lying to people's faces. I think there's actually some pride in being a rubbish Traitor.

Who do you think will win?

I think Maya. Leigh-Anne needs to keep quiet about how good she is because I don't think people have necessarily noticed, but as soon as Maya notices that Leigh-Anne is that good, she's going to kill her. I’d also love Joanne to win.

I’d love an all-girl final - Sharon Miranda, Joanne, Leigh-Anne and Maya, that's what I want.

Joe Lycett was a Faithful and the fifth player banished at the Round Table

What was the experience like for you?

It was beyond what I was expecting. It was so much more immersive, and I cared so much more about it than I thought I would. Obviously, when you watch the show and people really get into it and they start crying, you think get over yourselves, it’s just a game. But when you're in it, it is your whole life. And because I love the show, it was everything I wanted it to be, it was so much fun playing the game, and obviously very frustrating when you didn't find the Traitors. But I was fortunate enough to find two Traitors in my tenure and that's amazing.

Were you disappointed not to be a Traitor?

I am disappointed, because that was my dream. I sort of didn't play being a Faithful or a Traitor right. I tried to straddle both, and I was being greedy and I was rightly punished for it.

Did you have a game plan?

My game plan of using stats wouldn't have worked, because those stats required the Traitors not knowing them. I couldn't rely on them, which is sort of like in hindsight, why I think I just threw all the cards in the air that night and went ‘recruit me’, because I felt like I've got nothing now as a Faithful so I felt that my game plan had amounted to precisely zero, and it was time to try a different tactic, basically.

Do you think being so vocal about wanting to be a Traitor was ultimately your downfall?

I’m a silly billy - it was a combination of me begging for recruitment and then the Faithful being thick as mince and not thinking the obvious recruitment would be Joe. I don't blame them, because I would have done the same. I concede I've done this very much to myself, but I was too hungry to be recruited. And you know, if being passionate is a crime, then banish me from the castle.

Taking you back to the beginning, how did it feel in the church when Julie gave you a shield on day one?

I was so nervous and full of adrenaline and frantic that first day that I can't really remember what happened. I just remember feeling very, very nervous at the prospect of Julie being thrown to the wolves in some early brutal game from Claudia. So, I just instinctively stood up for her and basically said, ‘Let's just be careful, we're not going to banish or murder Julie straight out the game’. And I think I was rewarded for that gesture.

What are your thoughts about the comedians theory?

I think the theory hadn't been brilliantly thought through. One thing about comedians is that they often are quite good at finding holes in arguments. I was glad of the fact that I was part of the comedians gang, because it meant that at least one of them, and in my observation, it was James Acaster, would unravel that logic. And he did at the Round Table, and I think put it to bed that point. The point that actually there are more actors in there than comedians. So, you could say there was more likely an actor theory.

Did it help knowing a lot of them already?

I think for my mental well-being, it did, because we all know each other outside of the show, and we're playing a game in here. It's tricky, particularly with someone like Hannah Fry, who I really admire but had not met before, and really want to be my friend. I didn't like the idea that I was simultaneously trying to make a new friend whilst also accusing them of lying on national television. It's a weird way of establishing trust with a new friend.

Who did you feel closest to in there?

I really bonded with Hannah, even though she was lying to my face the whole time. Miranda is someone that I've met briefly in the past and I've always loved. I'm really pleased that I got a chance to play with her, do some sort of an improv, essentially, and kind of mess about. So I got very close with her, and then all the comics, of course. But I felt like I had a meaningful connection with everyone in there and really, really liked them all, and didn't expect to when I saw the lineup, I thought, well, there's going to be some people I'm going to find difficult, or are divas or whatever. And the reality was completely different. I got a lovely experience in either a big or a small way out of all of them.

Talk to me about the Missions?

I actually love the Missions, it was something I was really looking forward to, and loved. I think I'm clearly a bit of a dog in that I just need to be let out and given a run around, and have something to chase or grab and run back with, and I get a lot of pleasure out of that. I think those Missions do that and are really fun and I’ve missed not doing it.

What was it like getting a Traitor out at the first Round Table?

It’s pretty amazing, pretty good going. I think I’m right in saying that a Traitor, to my knowledge, has never announced themselves as a Traitor. I know lots of people tried to steer me away from it, but I was like, there's no game around that, he absolutely meant it when he said it to me. God knows what was going through his head. It was an absolutely superb, classic, Richard E. Grant way of responding to this game. It's one of the most iconic performances I've ever seen on this series.

In your gold chat with Claudia, you said your hope and dream was to be a Faithful who was recruited. Why was that?

I'm a fan of the show, I really love this programme, and I wanted to get as much of the experience as possible. I wanted to know what it felt like to be a Faithful and what it felt like to be a Traitor. So it was just a desire to absorb as much of the experience as possible. But I hadn't factored into that that I'm a silly billy, so I sabotage myself sometimes. I think I did get a very me experience of what it was like to be me on the Traitors. I don't feel like I pretended to be someone else. In the words of Katherine Ryan's mother, if we were all the same, we'd all be shagging your father.

When Hannah said that she was a Traitor, what did you think?

I didn't really believe that she was because we'd had such lovely Faithful chats, I hadn't entertained the idea properly in my head, but felt, from a purely statistical point of view, I had to pursue the fact that she might be because there were so many recruitments early on, and I would recruit her if I were a Traitor. So when she announced that she was, it was a total thrill. But it also threw up more questions and answers, because I want to know, when did she become a Traitor? Was she the first one and how much of the chats that we were having to the side were truthful.

What's been your proudest achievement?

I'm proud of the Missions and my involvement in those, I really felt like I mucked in, and was useful. I’m delighted that a charity will get some money, and I might have helped with that.

Do you think you learned anything about yourself taking part in the game?

The word that comes to mind for this whole experience is gratitude. It's made me really grateful for my life. I'm really grateful that I am in a position that I get to experience this, because I'm famous enough to be in the mix. I loved having my phone taken away from me, and I'm really grateful for the fact that I have a lovely life to miss. It's been full on, but there's been lots of periods where I've been able to pause and reflect and enjoy the company of the other players and the production team. It has been a life changing experience in lots of ways, and made me more grateful and happier about the life that I live.

Do you have any words of motivation for the players as they continue in their search for the Traitors?

Absolutely, I’d like to motivate the Traitors to find an unknown clause in the contract that can bring back a Faithful that's been banished to recruit because I'm there if they want me! I would say to the Faithful that they need to stop voting in a block and experiment with voting with their heart and their instincts, rather than following what happens at the Round Table, because that might reap more rewards.

Who are you tipping to take the win?

I think Romesh is a front runner. I think he's kind of unreadable but may get heat just on that basis. Then I think there could be a real curve ball, like Jerry or Joanne, someone who's playing it in a way that's out there. I've gone to Round Tables not knowing who I was going to vote for, and I don't know who's a Traitor - any of them could win at this stage.

Who would you like to win? If that's different at all.

Any of them really. I think they all warrant it in different ways. Everyone's got their own way of doing it which is unique to them and so good luck to them all.

What three words would you use to sum up the experience?

Joyous, Thrilling, Infuriating

Ross Kemp was the fourth Faithful murdered by the Traitors

How has this experience compared to the many different environments you’ve been to in the past?

It is not like anything else that I've ever done. Even though you would say it'd be odd to say a hostile environment is a comfort zone, it's something that I know, I'm with my team, I can trauma risk, manage myself with my friends who I trust. I also have an element of control whether I'm acting or whether I'm making a documentary – with this I’ve had to surrender control, which I found quite difficult and also quite daunting, being in a room with that kind of talent and intelligence. So all round, not an experience that I've ever had before.

Do you think you could prepare for this?

Even though I've sat and watched it with my kids and with my wife, and we've enjoyed it - until you're in that castle, you don't know how it feels. There is nothing else I've ever experienced that is anything like it. I think it's the cleverest show on British television. I lived every day thinking I was going to get killed, and now it's actually happened.

Was it everything you imagined it to be?

The fear of failure on this is not comparable to anything. Whether you're an actor, or in a hostile environment where you could get killed, you don't let people down. Yes, no one's going to get killed here, but the wish of not wanting to let yourself down or the people around you, was quite the drive.

I was under a considerable amount of pressure by my children to do this, and you can't really say no to it. It's so popular. But also, it's not like anything else. So I've enjoyed it immensely.

Did you have a favourite Mission? You and James Blunt really seemed to take charge.

I love the Missions. I'm an HSC qualified diver, so that first one was brilliant. It's like going back to your childhood, all the things that you wanted to do as a child that you were never allowed to do, or that wasn't a possibility - running around a pirate ship trying to find treasure before it blows up.

I think I'm used to promoting documentaries in hostile environments, so I treated the Missions as hostile environments. If people are buried, you want to get them out first before you go looking for the money. Would a Traitor have done that? Possibly not, but it still put heat on me, because they chose me to go first.

Did you work hard in the Missions to prove how Faithful you were?

I think it's just in my nature to take on a physical challenge and want to succeed at it. If that's caused me to go, the only thing that I have to say to that is the fact that I hope by succeeding in most of the challenges to raise money for whatever charitable cause it will go to.

You were quite paranoid on a few occasions?

The whole environment just makes you paranoid. If you're a fan of the show, you know that murder in plain sight happens. So when someone puts a hat on you, or touches your arm, however innocently it might be, I don't think I’m wrong in suspecting it.

Joanne called you the teacher's pet of the Traitors…

Well, maybe she's a Traitor, that's what she was doing. I wasn't the teacher's pet, they were just throwing me under the bus each time. I hope the next three or four Missions involve really heavy lifting across water, hopefully some poo involved. I’ll watch it with great glee!

Who did you feel closest to in there?

I love Sharon, and I got involved with James B during the Missions. It's difficult to feel close to anyone because there's so little to go on and even great brains, like Stephen Fry, or Hannah Fry can’t work it out. I don't feel that bad that I've gone when I've gone.

Do you think you've learned anything about yourself taking part in this?

You're never too old to learn new stuff. It was great to be around young people who are up and coming and have all that confidence. It was an honour to be asked to be a part of it.

Who are you tipping for the win?

It depends, Romesh, possibly James A or James B, and I think Maya's very clever.

Jerry Hall was a Faithful and the sixth player banished at the Round Table

What was the experience like for you?

It was such fun. I laughed so much. I had a great time with all the comedians. I genuinely loved all the other players, and thought they were all really nice group of people. I haven't laughed so much in years.

Was the game everything you imagined it to be?

It was a lot harder than I thought. It looks so much easier on TV, you know. The challenges were quite hard, I feel it was an achievement that I managed to get through so long.

Were you happy that you were banished rather than murdered?

It was kind of fun, and they were all so sweet. It was a lovely ending.

Were you happy being a Faithful?

Yes, I was. I think it's a lot easier to be a Faithful. I think being a Traitor you would have had to really watch everything you said more, so I was quite relaxed and just having fun.

Taking you just back to the beginning of the game, when Richard declared to everyone that he was a Traitor. Because you know him personally, did you believe him when he said that?

I didn't actually hear him say it. I just was told he said it, but I thought that's typical Richard. He's so eccentric, I know him as a neighbour and socially but we’re not so close that I knew him really, really well, but I did think that he was just being eccentric, and I just couldn't understand the logic of that. He made such a big mistake, but I think if I hadn't have known that he was quite eccentric, I might have gone ahead and voted with the rest of the group, but I just thought, oh God, that Richard, he’s just cross because he's not a Traitor.

Did you have a favourite Mission?

My favourite was the pirate ship Mission, I thought that was such fun. I was pretty good with my crowbar. It was quite nice, because we really worked together as a team, Traitors and Faithful alike, and it was so early on that I didn't really have many suspicions. I mean, logically I thought Hannah would be a good choice because of her big brain, but I didn't really have that many suspicions at that point, so it was just getting the Mission done, making money for our charities. I was really proud to be doing that. Plus, Claudia's outfit was definitely the best.

How did you feel when both you and Hannah walked into breakfast that morning?

I assumed Hannah was a Traitor, and that's why they couldn’t get rid of her. I was a bit confused about what was going on there, but that's when I decided to push for Hannah.

You were sacrificed alongside Hannah and Joanne in the Death Parade Mission, and then caged with them all, how was that?

I thought it was quite funny, but you know, I was in there with Hannah the Traitor, trying her best to persuade us all that she wasn't. Poor Hannah.

You were voted as being the player with their head in the clouds. How did that make you feel?

I thought that was so funny, because I was the only person who voted Leigh-Anne as having her head in the clouds, so it was quite a funny moment.

Who did you feel closest to in there?

I felt closest to Rob, he was my number one, and then I had a lot of fun with Rob and Romesh and I loved hanging out with Sharon. She's such a sweet girl. And then it was really nice to get to be with all those young people - Maya and Leigh-Anne and Kenny was so sweet, and Bella was really nice.

What do you think's been your proudest achievement?

I think when we caught two Traitors and we'd made quite a bit of prize money, I thought we were on a roll. I thought we were doing really well. I was very, very pleased with all that.

Do you have any words of motivation for the people that are left in there as they continue their search for the Traitors?

I think they should try and get more prize money. I think they should try and have more fun. I mean, it is a game, let's face it. It's a fun game, and what an honour to be asked to play it. It was great. I think I'll cherish these memories.

Who do you hope will win?

I think Leigh-Anne has a big chance, and I think Romesh has a big chance, and maybe Miranda.

Do you have any idea of who the Traitors might be?

I've suspected James Blunt for quite a while, and Joanne, and even Leigh-Anne, and Miranda too. And Romesh, so there you go. I still don't know. I still have no idea!

Are there any comparisons you can draw to your time on the catwalk?

Oh, it's so much harder than the catwalk, but you know, the catwalk, it's a very competitive world, and there's some ruthless people, I should have been better prepared, Apparently the reason I got voted off, everyone said, was because I was an icon, which didn't sound like it was a very factual reason, I think they saw me as a threat.

Are there three words that you could use to sum up your experience?

A good laugh.

Miranda Hart was the fifth Faithful murdered by the Traitors

What was the experience like for you?

I absolutely LOVED it. Please can I do it again?! I am sure for many the idea of doing it is a hard no for a number of reasons – it’s an intense experience and being idiotic and vulnerable on international television isn’t for everyone! – but for me it combined so much of what I love. The landscape, games, playing, being part of a team, deep and fun connection with people, being able to look down a camera and have a chat from time to time.

I could go on. But when I say it was intense, it REALLY was – way more than I expected. I understand now why you become close to people on shows like it.

Was the game everything you imagined it to be?

The actual game was much harder than I thought it would be. And much more all-consuming. I didn’t consider that I could think of nothing else but the game from the minute I woke up, to even during my dreams at night. One night I dreamt that I married Michael Sheen, so that was fun! It’s a fantastic game, you get completely hooked, and you want to work it out at a surprisingly desperate level. But of course, there are so many different angles and spins to look at things, which is why it is so hard.

Were you happy being a Faithful?

I surprised myself that I wanted to be a Faithful. I would have thought, when watching the show as a fan, that I would have been pleading Claudia to make me a Traitor. But when thinking about playing it myself, the fun seemed to be hunting down rather than being hunted and being part of a bigger team. I always hoped I would find my faithful alliances that would make that more fun too, which I did in Rob, James B and Michael.

You described yourself as a psychological sleuth in the Gold chat - were you able to put that to good practice in the game?

I was the worst sleuth ever in the end! So sure I had it nailed and then having to do complete U-turns. Agatha Christie would have been turning in her grave – you’re welcome for the tremendous pun. Although I was right about Richard and felt I led the charge with Hannah. I was getting closer with my attempt at psychological sleuthing but too late.

The night before I was murdered I suddenly remembered Rob was sure Joanne wasn't a Traitor, so therefore the movement in the blindfold mission had to have been Maya, and I remembered James A and Maya voting for Julie rather than Hannah without much evidence or speaking up. I was SO CLOSE to being able to whisper to James B and Michael that I thought I had got them.

You were suspicious of Richard even before he announced himself as a Traitor, what was it about him that you suspected?

Okay, I am going to bring quantum physics into my answer. Bear with! The only thing I know about quantum physics is that it has told us that our thoughts are matter which is why we can get good or bad vibes off people, sense moods. There actually is a felt consciousness between us. Mindblowing! If I didn’t understand that before, then I did sitting next to Richard because all I can say is that I literally felt the fizz of excitement coming off his body, even before I took the blindfold off. I just KNEW he had got his wish to be a Traitor.

Let’s talk about the Missions - did you have a favourite?

I loved the missions. I love swimming so the first one on the shipwreck was amazing to be in the water in a loch in that landscape. I think, weirdly, I am going to say being buried alive was my favourite! Because it cemented my friendship with serene Michael Sheen – sharing a grave with someone will make or break a relationship… The one I hated, and I am still cross about to this day is the puzzle shield making blindfold one – had I been any good at puzzles and built myself a shield I could have avoided murder that night and starting accusing Maya. Yup, still annoyed about it!

And the cabin mission - how was that for you and your reaction to the smell?

That smell was beyond... I am not sure quite how to describe it. Faecal. That’s all I can say. And my body did not respond well. I thought it was just going to be retching but it wouldn’t stop, and I left some of my insides in that cabin. I do remember also half laughing as I was retching because Julie started retching as she retches when she sees someone retching. Retch catching was happening.

Do you think you played with your heart or your head?

A bit of both I think. It’s almost impossible for the heart not to come into it even though you know you should try and take emotion out of it. If Joe Lycett had murdered me in plain sight and shouted he was a Traitor I still wouldn’t have believed it – I was blinded by love there. At one point I was so worried that Michael might not be my new best friend that I feared he was a Traitor. But generally I tried to keep my head on, it just wasn’t a very good head for the game.

Do you think Hannah lying about what happened in the crypt cemented your suspicions of her?

I was suspicious when she came into the breakfast room. She seemed different and was giving less information away. But you are always wary of how wrong those gut instincts go so I just kept an eye and was lucky that I was in the car when she was sharing about the crypt mission because suddenly at the Round Table I clocked that a couple of things she said didn’t add up. And then I knew with certainty. You see, I can sleuth…

Was it easy to get swayed in voting at the Round Table - I know you were upset you voted Julie instead of Hannah because of James Blunt?

I voted for Julie because I saw we weren’t going to get the votes for Hannah that night because James B was leading the way for Julie, which meant others could jump on that. But I was suspicious of Julie so that’s why I also voted for her. Michael and I looked at each other before the vote and we both knew we were going to do the same – go Julie instead of Hannah to make sure there was a majority vote for one of our suspicions. But I wanted to have voted for Hannah because I knew she was a Traitor and then we could have started again the next day and possibly not lost Julie.

Who did you feel closest to? Was there someone you trusted more than others?

I was closest to Michael, Joe and James B. And Kenny was my other 100 percent Faithful. I was blinded there as I didn’t consider he could have been recruited. I trusted Michael and James B completely. And I fell in love with Joe – my new on-screen husband!

Was it hard voting for friends?

I sort of forgot that some people might take it personally because it’s not something that would bother me knowing it’s a game. I did feel terrible when we voted Faithfuls out, but I was too immersed in the game to find it hard to vote for them – I was trying to be Miss Marple... Though the Round Table isn’t easy for sure.

Did you ever think Big Mix would be a thing and you’d be taught the moves to a Little Mix song?! Did you ever think it might be a Traitorous distraction?

I love Leigh-Anne so much for making my Big Mix wish come true. Though I would like to apologise to all viewers for the dance – bosoms as menopausally wobbly as mine should not have been doing those moves. However, I would like to say to Little Mix that I am available and will go into training…. When Michael suggested it could have been the way I had been murdered in plain sight I did in part want that to be true – what a way to go!

What’s been your proudest achievement?

I think just getting there and being part of it full stop. I have missed doing television so much and it has been a very hard road to get to a place after restricting long term illness to be fit enough to do something again.

Do you think you’ve learnt anything about yourself taking part in this game?

I think you will always go away from something as intense and unusual an experience as this learning something. I learnt many things, or rather relearnt. One being never judge a book by its cover and be open to being wrong about your first judgement about someone. Secondly, that however assured people come across we are all vulnerable, have needs, and ultimately desire to be kind, so look for the good in people and treat them how you want to be treated.

Make time for people rather than always looking after your own interests socially – that’s a big one. And finally, it has cemented my hatred of the smart phone because the joy of being with people without their phones – we talked and connected in a way I remember when I was younger. We need to put those darn things away.

Would you leave the other players with any words of motivation as they continue the search for the Traitors?

Remember my bouncing floor theory is what I would shout at them!

Who are you tipping to go far or even win?

If Michael can avoid getting murdered then he could go far and possibly win.

And who would you like to see win if that’s different?

I just want a Faithful to win, that’s my main desire.

What three words might you use to sum up your experience?

Fun, moving, bizarre.

As you were murdered, you didn’t get to say goodbye or give a speech to the other players revealing your Faithfulness. If you could do that now, what would you say to them?

I think it’s a good thing that I wasn’t banished because my speech would have ended up being emotional and mushy. I would have told them how precious the connection and the joy and playfulness had meant after years of not being able to experience that, knowing that they are the most important things in life. And then no doubt the floodgates would have opened. I also would have tried to extend the reveal of what I was an absurdly long time. Anything for some more airtime!

Joanne McNally was a Faithful and the seventh player banished at the Round Table

What was the experience like for you?

It was confronting. It was more hardcore than I could ever have imagined, and the speed at which you get sucked into the game is frightening. You go in, everyone's holding hands and laughing, and within 24 hours you're living in a palace of paranoia accusing your own mother of killing people, and she's not even in the show.

Was it everything you imagined it to be?

I underestimated the reality of the feelings that obviously you know we're all wired to be accepted by our tribe and you can tell your nervous system over and over and over again it's a game but at the end of the day when an entire table is turning on you, holding your name up, or somebody else's, whatever way you want to phrase it, it doesn't bring out the best in you.

How did you find the Round Tables?

Round Tables are spicy. You think that it's just going to be a bunch of professional people having a laugh and a gentle accusation here, a soft finger pointing there. Like I say, it feels very real when your tribe turns on you, even though you're trying to tell yourself it's a game. It's the opposite of what we're wired to want. It brings out a kind of feral fear in you.

Do you think as a team that you played those Round Tables well or was there a herd mentality?

I did my very best not to join in on the pile on when it became clear to me that someone was about to be banished, I tried to suggest another person, just so that that person being banished didn't see every single person holding up their name. Maybe I'm projecting my own sensitivities onto them. Maybe they wouldn't have minded, but I think I would.

You were so sure that Richard wasn’t a Traitor?

The Richard thing was very embarrassing for me, it was a very early boo boo on my part. What I learnt about myself is that I believe men's lies. That was confronting. I was absolutely convinced he was a Faithful, but you know why? Because he told me he was, and apparently that's all it takes for me. I just blindly accept it as truth, and that is why I am still single. I'm 43 with a string of failed, toxic relationships in my wake.

Were you happy being a Faithful?

Oh my god, we all went in stupid, frankly stupid. Watching the show and being in the show could not be more different. Like, you know, I've watched Richard Osmond's House of Games. I've done Richard Osmond's House of Games, it's the same experience, except when you do it, you come home with a wheelie suitcase with Richard's face on it.

With this, watching it and being in it are completely different. Watching it, you're like, oh my god, the Traitors are having so much fun, I want to be a Traitor - you kind of feel like you're the lead role in a play, then it comes down to actually having to lie your face off to people who are essentially your friends It got very serious very quickly.

At one stage I was like, there's more of us now than ever before, we're multiplying, it's like whack a mole every time you kill a Traitor, another one pops up, and that’s a real kind of pressure.

You had a few slip of the tongues, suggesting that you might be a Traitor…

When Leigh-Anne came in saying that she'd been chased through the forest, I went, oh yeah, it looked awful. I meant it sounded awful, but of course I might as well have walked into the Round Table wearing a cape and a lantern. Everyone's grasping at straws, because no one has a fucking clue what's going on. It's like the blind leading the blind. So, when I said that, I mean, as you know, I am a Faithful, I wasn't there.

I can't blame them for jumping on that, to be honest. I would have done the same, and James Acaster was obsessed with me being a Traitor. It wouldn't matter what I did - I could have resuscitated a horse, I could have run into a burning building and saved everyone's lives, and he'd still think I was a Traitor.

You were convinced that everyone needed to start looking at the quieter players, the gliders. Do you think that's still the case?

Absolutely, the more you say, the more trouble you're in. The more you say, the more chance you have of saying something stupid. For example, you would start inserting yourself in situations you were never in. If I was a Traitor, I'd keep my mouth shut. I’d do the bare minimum, I'd get by, but I wouldn't put my head above the parapet.

Do you have any idea who the Traitors are?

It's so hard to tell, everyone's very convincing. Also, you're surrounded by actors and I don't care what they say, it does make a difference. Richard was like, "Oh, it makes it harder”. That's absolute horseshit. I think Leigh-Anne is one, I think Bash is one, I think Michael Sheen is one, and I think Sharon might be one too.

Did you have a favourite Mission?

I actually think ripping out the scarecrows was good craic. I got to run around a bit, and watch my pumpkin head blow up. It was all quite meta. It reminded me of the Return of Oz. It was very dystopian with all the scarecrows being all sinister.

Who did you feel closest to in there?

Maya is the new love of my life. Hannah, another new love of my life. We're related. I was very close to Sharon, I think she kind of turned on me in the end. I really got on with Michael Sheen. I really love Michael, I loved James Blunt.

There was no one I didn't get on with, although I'll be honest, Romesh... I mean, James Acaster was going for my blood from day one, there was no getting away from him, but I was a bit shocked when Romesh came for me. I thought to myself that I'll embed that memory now, and hold on to that for a while. That's a grudge I'll enjoy holding.

Were you worried going into that final Round Table?

I wasn't worried going in, but it took me about 10 minutes to realise I'm in trouble here. It was quite intense, obviously it went to deadlock. I think there was a part of me that was ready to go, and then when it came down to pleading to stay, I think pride got in the way, and I was like, I'm not gonna beg you. I also think the power of the dagger went to Kenny's head. It's what happens when you give men a bit of power, they lose their minds.

Who would you like to win?

I would have said Romesh until he voted for me. I hope Michael Sheen is a Faithful, although he's very, very smart. He might be too vocal to be a Faithful. I'd like Maya, Michael Sheen, James Blunt, that's all I can say. I’m team Faithful, I want goodness to win.

Sharon Rooney was a Faithful and the sixth player murdered by the Traitors

Was the game everything you imagined it would be?

It was more intense, but it's more everything. Everything is heightened in there. It’s everything you hope and expect it's going to be and MORE. You can't describe it. Even just driving up to the castle on the first day is unreal. Each and every single moment is even better than you expect it to be.

Were you happy being a Faithful?

1,000,000%

You are a huge fan of the game, did that help you in there?

Yes and no. Sometimes knowing too much can be a bad thing. I would go on my daily walks around the castle on my own to just decompress a little and have a wee look in little secret hidey holes. I enjoyed every single minute of those quiet times! I would speak into my mic and say ‘I will be going on a walk later, and I hope you've left something in my hidey hole’ but they never ever did. I always thought I’d find a wee secret shield or something and I'm still a bit annoyed that I didn’t. I would go and make myself a squash then go on a wander. Things happened on those wanders and I cannot wait to find out if I was right about them.

You obviously noticed the missing perfume bottle…

That is exactly what I'm talking about!!! The perfume!!! Poundland Poirot had a lightbulb moment! I instantly thought, "Hang on, hang on, me and James Acaster both saw the perfume bottles on day one. What if that's how Ross was killed in plain sight?” I went and got James A right away because I know he wouldn't laugh at me - he's not like that he’s a gem - and he didn't disagree, which was a nice feeling. Then we found the peacock bottle in library and that represents SLEEP! So I just can’t wait to see if there’s something to this!!! We don't know if that's the murder weapon, but it could be.

I would just like to say on record, if the perfume theory is true, and that is what killed Ross Kemp. Then Poundland Poirot will ride again. But if that theory is wrong, it was absolutely nothing to do with me, and it was James Blunt.

Did you have a favourite Mission?

I enjoyed aspects of all Missions. Mission One, that was excellent. It was so exciting to actually be doing a Mission ON the Traitors! I found a key which was cool! Being buried alive with Bash – excellent - no one I’d rather be buried with! We chatted in the coffin. I quite enjoyed it. Getting to go to Claudia’s cabin - so cool!

Oh, the death parade, absolutely terrifying, but also exhilarating, because I ran. I ran for my life, carrying gold. I sprinted like Usain Bolt, in my head. That was my favourite Mission mostly because it was like a fever dream and I didn’t forget what show I was on and call out a certain sentence hahaha!

Who did you feel closest to in there?

Miranda and Bash! But I also loved Jerry so much she was a joy. To be honest it was like a big silly family and I’m so lucky I got to be in there with them all.

What's been your proudest achievement?

Just the fact that I did it. I'm just really proud that I stuck it out, even at times when I didn't think I could. I didn't give up on myself and I remained Faithful the whole time.

Do you think you've learned anything about yourself taking part?

I've learned that there will be times that I'll be tested by other people, I'll be tested by the game, I'll be tested by myself but I can still do it. I can keep strong and I can keep trusting myself.

Is there a message that you would leave to the other players still in the game, words of motivation as they continue the search for the Traitors?

I would say, ‘what are you scared of’? Use your brains, use your words, find your voice, and write the right name on the slate.

How would you sum up your experience?

I would say even though it's the Traitors, the game was always Faithful to me.

As you were murdered, you didn't get a chance to give a speech or say goodbye to the other players, revealing you were a Faithful. If you could do that now. What would you say to them?

I told you I didn't lie.

James Acaster was a Traitor and the eighth player banished at the Round Table

How did it feel to be banished?

I feel pretty good getting to episode nine, and now we've got a proper final on our hands. With three Traitors, it would have been a foregone conclusion that we were going to win. Don't get me wrong, I thought it was hilarious at one point that we were just going to walk our way to the final and win the whole thing, but this is much better, isn't it?

Your final Round Table, you finally got to tell them that you were a Traitor...

The idea of doing that got me through the whole experience because you feel as a Traitor sometimes, when you see people have real life reactions that are bigger than the game, you feel bad, and I would have to remind myself they don't have a game without you, literally, if no one's doing this stuff, they can't play, and they all want to play. So you are doing an important job here, so they all have something to do, and when they catch you, they'll be really happy and they'll like it, and it will feel good to just tell them and see that reaction.

Did you go into that Round Table thinking you were at risk?

I went in thinking I've got no heat on me whatsoever, it was a surprise, but I was glad that they caught me.

It’s exciting that you get to reveal that you're a Traitor at the end of your game. But some Traitors do it even earlier, don't they?

Yeah, sometimes you just say it straight after the Traitor's pick, shout it at the top of your lungs, roll the dice and see what happens there.

I was really surprised by the people who still weren't convinced. I think those people have got to go away and have a bit of a look at themselves, and be like, "Why did I believe that man so much?

Joanne, Myha’la as well. I think she was overly empathising with Richard because she was disappointed she wasn't a Traitor.

Quite often, you would talk about what you thought the Traitors had done, and literally just say what you had done.

That was it. You’ve got to change those little words for the sake of the game. You can't Richard it. Nine times out of 10 the other Players would dismiss me, and go “that’s wrong” - and then every now and again, they'd latch onto it and go, "Okay, yeah, that sounds like the most feasible, and that would actually lead them somewhere, and then that was fun as a little Traitor going, "Ooh, getting closer. Can you get me?!

So, Kenny and Maya, your fellow Traitors, they're still in there. Do you think they have what it takes to win?

I don't know. I believe in them, I’ve got a lot of faith in them. They're excellent Traitors, but you still have James Blunt. James Blunt is ferocious in this game. He is a man possessed.

Michael Sheen was a Faithful and the seventh player murdered by the Traitors

What was the experience like for you?

It's totally thrilling to be in the actual castle that I've watched on the TV. I've loved the show from the beginning and I've wanted so much to drive up to the castle, that front courtyard, and see it for real, and walk through those doors, and hear the peacock outside, be in those rooms, and to actually do it is, is beyond thrilling, it really is. It's a magical place with the most beautiful countryside, and to play this extraordinary game with an amazing group of people was incredible.

Was the game everything you imagined it to be?

You can't possibly be ready for how intense the experience becomes. I know you hear people talk about it, but it's impossible to describe how it kind of pulls you in, and I think also you get out of it what you put into it. I've loved watching it so much on the television, I get so involved with it, I get so immersed in it, and I'm constantly coming up with theories and thinking about possibilities, and that's when I'm at home on the settee, so actually being in there, I think I really wanted to be fully involved and fully immersed, and I really did feel like that.

It's a brilliant game, and of course it's a moving target, because every time a new game completes itself, everyone learns more about it, both the people watching it and future players, but also the team behind it, and so it keeps changing and evolving in a way that's really fascinating, but also incredibly frustrating once you're playing it because of all the different possibilities. What's part of the game, what's not part of the game, what's a clue, what's not a clue, what's just someone's natural personality and behaviour, what's suspicious. It's overwhelming. It's a completely overwhelming experience.

You left the choice of being a Faithful or Traitor up to Claudia. Why was that?

I've said from the beginning, I can see that being a Traitor is the best part, and under normal circumstances, I'd want to be cast as it, but I also anticipated that it would be very stressful. It's a real responsibility to bear, it's a weight to bear, and seeing how people in the past have felt about it, I wrongly thought, it's going to be so much less stressful to be a Faithful. The experience of being a Faithful is incredibly stressful, just in different ways.

I hadn't anticipated how much being a successful Faithful is all about survival. In a way, we were a victim of our own success, because getting Traitors early on just means that there are more recruitments, and that means when you're looking back, the longer the game goes on, its harder to try and find inconsistencies of behaviour or patterns of behaviour because the recruitments throw a complete spanner in the works, because you don't know when someone became a Traitor or not.

When Richard announced that he was a Traitor to everyone, what went through your mind?

Knowing Richard a little bit, he is someone who is a bit of a chaos merchant, and he's a big character, who says and does things that can make you take a step back sometimes.

I knew before Claudia made her pick, how much he wanted to be a Traitor, and he couldn't believe anyone, including myself, who said that they didn't really want to be a Traitor. He kept saying, you come on a show called The Traitors, and you don't want to be a Traitor. I don't believe it. When I heard that he had said I am a Traitor, I knew that he was trying to take heat off himself by making a joke of it.

Your fellow players voted you as head of the Round Table. Do you think that was a poison chalice?

I think it was. As soon as I found out that that had happened, I immediately got concerned, because anything that puts your head above the parapet, anything that makes you stand out, is an issue for you one way or another, either because of how the Faithfuls will react to it, or if the Traitors might see it as a threat. I think it did make me vulnerable, and increasingly as time went on, it was harder to answer the question of, well, why haven't they got rid of you or recruited you, and I couldn't really answer that.

Did you have a favourite Mission?

I think the one I enjoyed the most was probably having to assemble the Traitor shield puzzle in the church for a lot of reasons, one, because I got it by the skin of my teeth, but also knowing that I don't think the Traitors have ever had to do something like that. I mean, they have to murder in plain sight in the castle, but the fact that they were walking right next to us, right next to me, was kind of electric. It also seemed to offer up so many possibilities, so many clues, it was so tantalising to try and imagine what would happen, and so all the different possibilities and me thinking I heard something off to my right, was just so electric that I loved that one.

Were you surprised at how paranoid you could become in there?

Well, no, you've got so little to go on that when a theory starts to take shape it's really hard to let go of it, like something about the church on day one and the shields and the idea that possibly we had chosen our own Traitors was so compelling that it was so hard to let go of it. We went for Julie on the basis of that, and then went for Joe on the basis of that, and both of them turned out to be Faithful, so you do feel a bit foolish.

I think I shout at the telly the most when I'm watching it is when people have a theory and don't follow it all the way through, they go halfway and then give up on it and get sidetracked, and I always think you have to follow that through, because otherwise it's just going to come back around, and you get nowhere. You always learn something. So, I don't think paranoia is a bad thing in there. When you've got evidence, even if it's flimsy, and you can build that into a theory, you have to follow it all the way through.

At that last breakfast you said you were going to make it a living hell for The Traitors…

It was partly true, and partly heartfelt, but it was also a tactic. I thought that it was probably my last day and my time was running out, I couldn't see how I could last much longer, and so I figured that that Round Table that night was going to be my last one. I felt like it was an all or nothing day.

I realised that that last day I had to make it an apocalypse because I thought one thing that maybe we had in our favour was that it seemed like the Traitors were a bit nervy, and a bit skittish at times, and that if I tried to frighten them, it might flush them out, or push them into making a wrong move, or a misstep of some kind, and just knowing that I was going to go no holds barred all day and put everyone under pressure and just push and push and push. I hope it might give us a bit of an advantage, and I knew that in doing that I was sort of making it impossible for me to survive, but I figured that my time had run out anyway, so I might as well go down in flames on the last day, and it worked well.

That last Mission was amazing. You put your RADA training to good use!

It was funny, because given the point in the game we were at, where there was so much at stake, to have a Mission that was just fun, gave us a sense of welcome relief. The Missions have often been ways of trying to get more information to get more insights about the Traitors, but it was clear in this one that there was going to be no information, so in a way that allowed us to just enjoy it. I mean, having said that, seeing Ross Kemp's dismembered head screaming at you from inside a jar of formaldehyde is not something I want to do too often, but it was funny. My three years of training at RADA, and my time treading the boards of the classical theatre, eventually actually paid off.

Who did you feel closest to in the castle?

Different people at different times. Early on, the first person I met and talked to was Maya that day in the church, and that does create a special connection. And then on my last night, feeling pretty sure that it was my last night, standing there at the fire pit, and the last person I'm with is Maya. Again, there was a lovely kind of poetry to that, kind of a bookend, even though I was standing there thinking you're a Traitor.

Who do you think the Traitors are?

At the moment, Maya and Leigh-Anne. Mainly because of the murder in plain sight. It just seems like too much of a mad coincidence. Everybody in this castle knows that if you do anything out of the ordinary and put suspicion on you, and she goes and does that, and I get her justifications, her reasoning for it, but it's just off the Richter scale in terms of a suspicious move on that night. And then Maya, for the very reason that there was nothing suspicious, the more you think about it, the more you think the Traitors are most likely to be passengers in this, just trying to stay quiet under the radar whilst not seeming too quiet, and I thought Maya had played that beautifully.

If you could choose a highlight from the whole time in the castle, what would it be?

There’s so many.. pulling up in front of the castle for the first time is huge. The first time you hear the peacock, for real, and go, oh, they don't put that on, that is actually there. The light before we go in to do the Round Table – we’d look out at this extraordinary view, and sit there thinking, I'm in the castle, I'm playing Traitors, and look at what I get to see out there. That was really special.

Do you think you've learned anything about yourself taking part in the game?

I was really surprised by how much I was able to separate the game from the real life aspect of it for so long. I was really enjoying the intensity of the game, whilst at the same time really enjoying being with these lovely people and having a great time getting to know them and connecting with them and really enjoying being in the castle and loving the intensity of it, and so being able to keep all those things separate. I was really surprised by that I think.

Do you have any words of motivation for your fellow Faithfuls as they continue the search for the Traitors for this final stint?

Leave no stone unturned. You've got to look in the unlikeliest places. And just be brave, and make moves on them before they make moves on you.

Who do you think will win?

I would like Romesh to win, I have a feeling that James Blunt might win - there is something extraordinarily relentless about him, Romesh said to him at the Round Table last night, for someone who's got it wrong so much, you've got no shame, you just bounce back immediately with more theories. There's something about him, his batteries just don't run down, so I would not be surprised if he's there at the at the very end.

As you were murdered, you didn't get a chance to say goodbye or give a speech to the other players, revealing that you were a Faithful. If you could do that now, what would you say to them?

I would probably say what a weird experience we've all gone through, we're now so weirdly connected with each other for the rest of our lives. Whenever any one of those people pops up on the TV or on the radio, it'll be like a member of my family is on, and that's very special. And to have gone through such an extraordinary, unique, once in a lifetime experience like this together is a real privilege, and I would have also said that I'm a Faithful!

What three words would you use to sum up your experience?

Magical, overwhelming, apocalyptic.

Maya Jama was a Traitor and the ninth player banished at the Round Table

You were the only OG Traitor left in the game, how did that feel?

I never really expected to even make it this far, let alone to win it. So, it was okay, you know? I felt like that was my time to go. It was the right time.

How do you feel about that final Round Table? Did you expect to feel some heat?

Oh, I knew it was coming, that Michael, James duo beforehand really got to me. I've watched them so many times go for different Faithfuls throughout the game, and I’ve thought if they come for me like that, how am I gonna get back? Because they are strong and pointy, and Micheal has this sort of Shakespearean quality to him.

I just felt like I had to match their energy with that final Round Table. I already knew that everyone was going to come for me, so the feeling before going into there is like this is your last chance just to fling everything at everyone, and do your best, but I don't know, you always think once you leave I could have said this, I could have done that, and I've been going round and round with those thoughts, but I'm happy, I'm proud.

The downside of going at that Round Table is there's no declaration that you're a Traitor. Did you have a speech planned in your head were you to be banished at one of the other Round Tables?

I didn't plan anything. I think my whole gameplay and tactic throughout all of it was just one day at a time, try and have as much fun as possible, and don't get banished. I wasn't thinking of what you say if they find you. I was kind of hoping I may get this far, so I didn't have to say anything.

How did you feel when Kenny voted for you?

I expected it. I knew that it was going to have to be one of us, and he was a lot more trusted at that time than me, and I felt like it would be selfish for me to expect him to try and save me when it was never going my way, although I didn't expect Leigh-Anne to vote for Romesh, if Kenny had known that, he could have jumped on that train as well.

For a long portion of the game it felt like it was going to be a triple Traitors win, didn't it?

I don't know how it crashed down so quickly. I feel like the game of James not wanting to lie, me just trying to keep the vibes happy and Kenny playing as a Faithful couldn't have lasted till the final. It was impossible. I think maybe if I was a bit more savage, things could have gone a different way.

Do you think you could have been savage and thrown your fellow Traitors under the bus, if you'd survived that final Round Table, for example?

I think so. That last day I was like, I have to just be a savage now. I've been lovely and considerate and put other Traitors feelings before mine this whole game, and now I'm gonna have to look after myself, because it is really a solo game at the end of the day, isn't it?

Were you rooting for Kenny to bring it home for the Traitors?

I did want him to try. I also loved Leigh-Anne and I was hoping, she might do it.

How did you find that final Mission?

I really liked it. I enjoy thrill seeky things. Hanging out of a helicopter was fun, I couldn't really fully enjoy myself, though. There was a bit in the back of my mind that just knew I would be fighting for my life tonight. I could tell people were avoiding me a little bit, and I felt sad because I'm like, you guys all suspect me, and I want to be your friend.

Were you slightly relieved to see Richard E Grant go?

I didn't want Richard to go just because of the fun of it. He was a savage, cold-blooded killer. He loved it all. I'd be like, "Should we not do that? That's mean, and he'd be like, "Kill them” So it made being a Traitor really silly and fun, but I knew that it was only a matter of time before he did something crazy again, like expose me.

With Kenny, it felt like you finally recruited someone who wanted to be a Traitor?

I knew Kenny would love it, and Kenny plays a version of Traitors on the outside, which is basically the Traitors online, and I've seen how much he enjoys that. I've watched the YouTube videos, and I'm like, that is a man that will have fun killing some people in here. Plus, he built such a strong bond as a Faithful with everybody else. Nobody suspected him, and I was already spending a lot of time with Kenny, so that didn't change.

Let's talk about the murder in plain sight, we absolutely loved watching the jeopardy of you and James, particularly trying to achieve it. Were you worried that you weren't going to pull it off?

It was so much harder than I thought. Genuinely, I thought if I do two little fake yawns in front of Jerry, she's knackered, she's gonna go, but it took ages, ages, and ages, but luckily Ross was really tired that night. He survived so many fake yawns. We knew that we couldn't be fussy with who we killed, it was a free for all. Whoever entered this library, you're gonna get killed. It was quite lucky that it was Ross and Jerry, because we didn't mind killing them at the time.

What do you think you would have been like as a Faithful?

I would have been absolutely terrible as a Faithful. I'm so happy I got chosen as a Traitor, because I’m not like people like James A that look at every single detail, and they manage to work out tiny, tiny things, like the perfume bottle. I just don't think like that, and I'm not really an intense person to interrogate anyone. My style of play is ride the wave, have fun, and you just can't catch a Traitor that way, unless someone slips up.

What's this experience taught you about yourself?

I think I learned I can be quite selfless, it's never that deep to me. So I would always try and make someone else have a good time. I'm happy that I was able to do that whilst still killing people.

Leigh-Ann Pinnock was a Faithful and the tenth player banished

How does it feel to leave so late in the game?

It feels incredible. I did not expect to get this far, so honestly, I'm so proud of myself. And I mean, did I want to win? Of course I wanted to win, but I think to be able to make it to the end game is just unbelievable.

How was it being in that end game?

The tension was through the roof, it was actually quite petrifying, and I was the first to walk in as well, and then the guys came in after me, and not one of them looked at me, and it just felt like, what is going on?

Did you sense in that moment that you might be first out?

Yeah, they were super awkward. I could feel it so funny, honestly. But I kind of, yeah, I think the fact that I did know kind of helped the feeling of it, if that makes sense, like, as I said before, like, just to even get that far, I did not expect that. So,

What did you think your chances were of winning the game?

It's so funny because I went into it feeling like I just needed to go with my gut, and I think no matter what happened before, obviously there's an element of wanting to stay in the game as well, so sometimes you keep your cards close to your chest, and sometimes you don't want to be as vocal in case it gets you murdered, but at this point I just needed to lay it all out on the table and just go with my gut in this instance, and I couldn't shake the feeling that I thought it was Romesh.

I am literally so annoyed at myself, because my gut had been right a lot at the beginning, and I felt like I needed to trust that towards the end, and I did not want a situation to happen where I got to the end with a Traitor. I wanted the Faithfuls to win, so that's why I felt like I had to go all in and just do what I felt. But I feel like it got me banished.

At the fire pit, you found out that Maya and Kenny were Traitors. How did that make you feel?

Stupid. The wool was put over my eyes, but I think I had suspicions of Maya, so I wasn't that shocked, and if I didn't vote for her the first time, and she'd stayed, I would have voted for her the second time. But Kenny absolutely floored me, he did a good job. He was just Kenny, and I just trusted him. I was flabbergasted at that.

Even though you left during the end game, were you happy that it was a Faithful win?

Even though I left during the end game, yes, I was happy that it was Faithful win. I think I would have been fuming, actually, if a Traitor had taken it, I was convinced it was Romesh. I think what I didn't do is just use the evidence. I should have gone on that, and that alone.

Why do you think you got so far in the game? What was it about your tactics?

I feel like I managed to stay in very long because I did a good job of slightly staying under the radar, I think I had a bit of heat on me from the first Round Table, so I feel like that might have helped.

Was this the lipstick theory?

It was the lipstick theory, and it was also the fact that Joanne mentioned that she felt I was quite reserved and quiet, but that is my personality. Like I said before, I do kind of go into myself a little bit when there's bigger characters around, but then when it's one on one, and you get to know me then everything comes out, but I think initially maybe we didn't get to have as many chats as everyone else, so she suspected me because I was a bit quiet.

Obviously it wasn't just a lipstick theory, you were part of another insane theory, which was the twerking dance theory with Miranda?

It was actually a titty shake! Who would have thought that me just wanting to uplift Miranda in that moment, teach her a bit of choreo, was gonna get me in so much trouble. Because she was down about Joe being banished, she needed a bit of cheering up. She was super close to Joe. She was talking about making connections and getting really deep, and I was like, okay, we need to liven up the mood, break out of the game a little bit and just have a bit of fun and enjoy ourselves.

Did you think you might attract suspicion when you were doing that?

Absolutely not, and also, you don't want to get into a situation where you're going, I should really help someone out here and lift their mood, but I better not. I better let them wallow, because I might get suspected! Obviously I wasn’t to know that that was on the same night as the murder in plain sight. Any other night it probably would have been okay.

Lets talk about the Crypts because that was another huge moment for you. Why do you think you were picked as one of the four that night by the Traitors?

I still don't know for sure why I was picked, but I feel like any girl could have been in that lineup, and the boys would have done the gentleman thing and given them the key.

Did you think it was going to cause problems for you later on down the line?

I didn't think it would put heat on me. I didn't think of that in the moment, that's because I thought Ross was a Traitor at that time, and then obviously when Ross went, I was like, oh, I'm in trouble now.

You had a very eventful game...

A lot of things happened, and I'm like the most relaxed, chill person ever – it literally went from lipstick to Crypts, to dancing with Miranda...

What have you learned about yourself in this experience?

I've learned that it's okay to be me. I think I obviously have been in a group for over 12 years, and I'm a solo artist now. For me, the last couple years have been about finding myself, and I just feel really grateful that I got to go in that castle and just be me and do that, and regardless of these bigger characters, I think I was accepting of who I am and loving that, but then also I think I’ve learnt resilience - this is not an easy game, it's hard and intense, and people get immersed, and at that Round Table it can get heated and you're like fighting for your life. I feel really proud of myself the way I handled it.

When did you realise that being in it is so different to watching it on TV?

I think the moment I walked into that Round Table, you don't know how you're gonna be in that moment when you're getting heat on you, and people are coming for you, and you're like literally just trying to prove what you are, like, I've been a Faithful for all of this, so trying to prove something with little to no evidence is really hard, but I think I surprised myself about how well I handled things in there.

You were an amazing Faithful, but what would you have done if the Traitors had tried to recruit you?

It's so funny because I came into this wanting to be a Traitor, only because I felt like I would have been better at being a Traitor than a Faithful, which is interesting, because I found it really hard, working out who the Traitors were - it's really not an easy thing to do, piecing everything together.

So I thought being a Traitor, I could just be myself and act like a Faithful. But actually now, having played the game, absolutely not! Having to remember a lie, and not getting caught out, I just don't think was for me. I feel like I was always supposed to be a Faithful, and if I was to get recruited, if it was a seduction, I probably would have said no.

What's been the best bit about being on The Celebrity Traitors?

The best bit about being on The Celebrity Traitors is meeting everyone - what an amazing group of people, all so different. We just all got on so well, and I think that's what made it quite hard at the end as well, especially if you are someone that can find it hard to separate the game from reality. I really feel like I made friends for life in here, as cliche as it sounds.

Will we see Miranda Hart in a music video of yours anytime soon?

Oh my gosh, 100% I would love Miranda to duet with me at some point!

King Kenny was a Traitor and the eleventh player banished

How are you feeling about getting so close?

Annoyed because I’m super competitive but I don’t think I could have changed anything about that scenario.

Did it feel vulnerable being the only Traitor?

100% but it reached the point where it was just so obvious. I felt like it was very obvious who the Traitors were in that room and, if I was sticking up for Maya, I would have looked very suspicious. So, unfortunately, I had to vote her out.

Was that a difficult decision to vote for Maya?

So difficult, because I really wanted me and her to be in the final, and then we would have taken the win, but I had to do a high risk, high reward move, taking her out.

Do you think she understood in that moment what was going on?

I hope she understood. I really do.

Did you think when Romesh moved against James Blunt on that end game that you might have had a chance to win it?

I thought I might have won. At first, I was like, I didn't expect that, because in my head, the way I've been playing this game, I've just been visualising that I'm actually a Faithful. Why would I not want to end the game? In my head I'd already pictured a scenario where Leigh-Anne and Maya are Traitors, and it just made sense. Obviously, James Blunt, the passionate, Faithful Romesh, and Bash barely had anything on him. So, I was just like, let's end the game.

I was very surprised that Bash voted for me, because he kept saying I trust you, I trust you. But I think by the time it gets to the end game, you can trust everyone, but it becomes about degrees of trust, and I think that's where I didn't play it right. I just forgot that aspect. You have to make a list, which Bash was great at, by the way, of things that could make you a Traitor. And I think Romesh probably had the least, and I think he just tallied it down to him and Romesh, which is fair. That's the smartest thing he could have done as a Faithful. So, you've got to respect it.

Did you have a strategy?

I came in here not having a single strategy, a single clue. Obviously, I knew what the game was about. I've watched it and I've played it online, but you can't have a strategy going into this, because things can happen along the way and then it's like boxing, you kind of have to just be reactive and be on guard and react as things come your way.

What was it like being recruited as a Traitor?

It was amazing. I'll be honest, I spent the first half of this game being a Faithful, a very passionate Faithful. I was putting clues together, and when I got Hannah out, it was the best feeling. So, when I got her out, the Traitors saw that raw passion and emotion in me, and they just said to themselves, we either murder him or we bring them onto the team, and that worked, because that brought me to the very end.

I lost some hair in the process, my hairline might have receded, but I like the pressure. It's a very high-pressure environment, just constantly being on edge, you're constantly lying, or manipulating - it's something I've never ever done in my life, but I was able to poker face it.

Do you think that you and Maya being so close in the castle cast more suspicion on you both as Traitors?

I don’t think it did, and I think it was a genius move from us. We were just like, you know what, I honestly don't think people will think that the Traitors will be so close. Remember, there was one moment where we were voted as the most trustworthy – insane!

What are you feeling in that moment when that happens?

Let me tell you something, I was on cloud nine. I just thought we've won this. This is easy.

There were no obstacles. And then it all came crashing down.

Talk to me about that power day when you got the dagger, which meant a double vote at the Round Table.

That was a nightmare, because I thought the general consensus was that Sharon was going to get voted for that night, and I was going to vote for Sharon for my own reasons as well. The way Sharon defended herself made me change my mind, so I just changed it to Joanne,

How do you think Niko's going to react to your time in the game?

I think he's going to be proud of me, because of how terrible I’ve been at these games in the past. He went in with a heavy strategy, but I think not having a strategy helped me more. You have to be agile, you've got to be willing to adapt, and that's the mentality I had going into this game. And on top of that, I wanted to have fun as well. Never in a million years did I think I'd get to the final. I just wanted to last a few more episodes than Niko as a joke between friends

Did you prefer being a Faithful or a Traitor?

I prefer being a Traitor. Being a Faithful is fun, you can be a passionate Faithful, but if you're not in control of what's going on, you being a passionate Faithful can end your game quick. Whereas being a Traitor, you're in control of the game, you're in control of the moving parts, you're in control of theories, you're in control of the manipulation, you control who gets murdered, you control driving narratives at the Round Table, you control everything, but it does come at a cost. It's high pressure, your brain is always active 24/7 so that's the cost of being a Traitor.

Do you think if you'd remained Faithful that you would have figured out that Maya and James were Traitors?

I would have figured out James Acaster, but not Maya, because when I went to the turret, I couldn't believe Maya was a Traitor, because she played such a good game. I fully believed she was a Faithful, whereas James Acaster, I had a suspicion it was him from the get-go. I could just tell something in his demeanor was telling me watch out for him and just observe him, but I didn’t have the evidence to prove it. I was just going off body language and facial expressions, but that's not enough for the table, you needed evidence to prove your case.

Talk us through the murder in plain sight? That was your first job straight after being recruited.

My nervous system went from zero to 100! I'd just got the job, but you know what, I was just like, I'm just going to go for it. I was like, library's empty - boom, I'm going in there, getting the spray, put it in my pocket, waiting for my team members to arrive, so that we can discuss the plan. Sprayed it, because it was just us three in the library, and I'm just thinking realistically we should wait for someone to come in rather than going out to find someone. Someone would have come to the library, and that's essentially what happened to poor Ross. It would have looked suspicious if I wanted to stay in the library after Sharon asked me to discuss theories outside of the room, so I went with Sharon.

What's this experience taught you about yourself?

This experience has taught me that I'm very adaptable and very agile in situations, and I can talk to all sorts of people. I didn't know anyone except for Romesh and Maya, and I think me not knowing anyone also helped me be adaptable and not overthink stuff. I didn’t have a preconception of anyone, so I was just playing the game as if I was playing it with strangers. I can also cope well under high pressure because when I was getting accused and put under the spotlight at the final two tables, I was very quick in coming up with a response and I was able to defend myself very well just by telling the truth! Well...just by telling the truth most of the time!

What's been your biggest highlight from the game?

My biggest highlight was finding out that Maya Jama was a Traitor, I still can't believe to this day, I still can't believe she was a Traitor - she was a very good Traitor.

James Blunt was a Faithful and the twelfth player banished

Did you ever think you’d make it to the final three?

No, I'd hoped I didn't make it that far. Just I couldn't, couldn't find a way out. I was doing everything wrong, and no one was murdering me, and no one was banishing me.

You were really forceful with a lot of your theories, and a lot of those theories were wrong…

I was the blind leading the blind, but the blind was me.

How was that end game for you?

I really enjoyed it. It was intense, like all of them. It was coming down to the wire, so it's like all of them, and there was a curve ball in there that completely caught me by surprise, which actually was fantastic gameplay by a person who was no longer acting like a Faithful but was actually acting as a true Traitor, but I was really happy with it, because you know, we've got the Faithful win.

So no regrets in how that end game played out?

I’m thrilled with the end. From the bottom of my heart, thrilled.

What do you think your friends and family will say when they watch?

I think they'll think I'm a bit of an idiot blundering through.

You really took charge in the Missions, alongside Ross. Was that your background in the army coming through?

I think these were just a load of headless celebrities who needed a little bit of rank and order.

You mentioned at the start that you'd profiled everyone. Did that help you at all?

Evidently not, but actually on reflection it did a little bit… my first choice of just straight up profiling was either Michael or Richard, and Maya, and I can't remember who else it was. It was probably a comedian, and that’s not too bad. I wish I followed that through. That was a good theory.

Did you have a favourite Mission?

The final mission was epic. It felt like we were making a movie.

Who did you feel closest to in there?

I've had moments with everyone and genuinely it's been really nice hanging out with a very, very varied bunch of people and getting on with all of them.

What's been your proudest achievement?

I think our proudest achievement is that we’ve raised money for charity. That's why we're all here.