BBC hit with additional Celebrity Traitors blow as one other star ‘turns down’ present
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Following the success of the civilian version of The Traitors, the BBC is currently in the process of assembling a star-studded lineup for its celebrity spin-off edition.
However, the broadcaster has been hit with a series of setbacks while planning the series, with multiple celebrities pulling out of or turning down the show, reports have claimed.
The show, in its original format, has been a huge success for the BBC. Hosted by Claudia Winkleman, the reality TV show follows a group of people living together in a castle in the Scottish Highlands.
Among them are a number of secret “Traitors”, who conspire to eliminate the “Faithfuls” in the group without being detected.
Yet, despite the success of the series, several famous faces have reportedly been unable to commit to the forthcoming celebrity version, with new rumours circling every week about which A-listers may be headed to the Traitors castle.
A BBC spokesperson told The Independent: “The Traitors is a game that includes lies and deception, thus it would be foolhardy for any Faithful to speculate before the game has begun.”
Here are all the celebs who’ve reportedly turned down the BBC game show so far…
Liam Gallagher
Oasis frontman Liam Gallagher, who is set for a busy summer with the band’s reunion, revealed on social media that BBC bosses had approached him to appear on the celebrity series of The Traitors.
Filming for the show will take place in April, three months ahead of the Oasis reunion tour kicking off in Cardiff in July. However, Gallagher made it clear that schedule conflicts with rehearsals weren’t the issue.
“Would you ever wanna go on the show The Traitors?” a fan asked the musician on X/Twitter, to which he answered with full honesty, writing: “I got asked. I don’t do celebrity.”
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Lorraine Kelly
Despite The Traitors high audience numbers, and being “flattered” by the offer, much-loved TV presenter Lorraine Kelly, 65, turned down being involved in the celebrity edition of the programme earlier this week, per The Sun.
After a series of “secret talks” the daytime chat show host ultimately declined to appear on the series, despite being a “huge fan,” due to conflicting commitments in her TV schedule.
A source told the publication: “Producers were hoping she would sign on the dotted line, but in the end, Lorraine couldn’t make it work with her schedule at the moment so had to pass.”
Daisy May and Charlie Cooper
Kelly’s refusal comes after reports that comedian Daisy May Cooper and her brother Charlie, who created and starred in the award-winning mockumentary series This Country, also passed on the show due to family reasons.
According to reports, the BBC are keen to cast a famous duo for the celebrity series, after the popularity of paired contestants including mother and son Diane and Ross from the second series, and couple Tom and Alex who secretly conspired together in the first series.
Vernon Kay and Tess Daly and Judy and Andy Murray
Meanwhile, other duos including father and son football stars Jamie and Harry Redknapp, tennis royalty Judy and Andy Murray and married presenting couple Vernon Kay and Tess Daly were previously reported to have been asked.
Danny Dyer, Stephen Fry, Tom Daley, Jonathan Ross, Alan Carr, Paloma Faith, Jennifer Saunders and Ricky Gervais have been rumoured to have been approached to take part in the series.
A source told The Sun: “Although the famous couple won’t have any secrecy around the fact they are linked, it will still create huge amounts of suspicion and paranoia and really test allegiances.”
“Will family ties prevent them from stabbing their relative or partner in the back? Would it warp the normal dynamic between the Traitors when it comes time to ‘murder’ their loved ones?”
“Bosses know the intrigue will make for great telly, as they’ve seen how it stirs things up in previous series.”
The BBC declined to comment when contacted by The Independent at the time.
Planning for the forthcoming celebrities series is already underway. It will be filmed in the show’s original location, Andross Castle in the Scottish Highlands.
The celebrity version of the show’s format has already been tested in the US, with the cast including former Love Island contestant Ekin-Su Cülcüloğlu, Real Housewives stars Tamra Judge and Phaedra Parks, and former Speaker of the House of Commons, John Bercow.
