Claudia Winkleman Reveals Her Celebrity Traitors Picks — Here’s Why She Couldn't Say No

Spoilers ahead for The Celebrity Traitors premiere. Consider yourself warned.

The Celebrity Traitors kicked off on BBC One with exactly the kind of theatrical chaos you want from this show: celebs digging up their own graves to win shields, a moody round table, and Claudia Winkleman doing anxious laps before crowning her secret saboteurs.

So, who are the Traitors?

• Alan Carr
• Cat Burns
• Jonathan Ross

How Claudia actually picked them

Yes, she does the dramatic stare-down, but the choice is not solely hers. Winkleman sits with BBC brass and the casting team to hash it out after doing longer off-camera chats with the contestants. One telling bit from her media Q&A:

'I do those chats with them and they are much longer than you see. Then I go into a room with the bosses from the BBC, the brilliant casting group, and we sort of work it out together. We do not have long, but Alan said he wanted to be a Traitor... so how could you not?'

That last line explains a lot. If someone like Alan Carr puts his hand up, you do not overthink it.

The first 'murder' comes with pollen (yes, really)

In a neat twist for episode 1, the Traitors are told they have to murder in plain sight. The assignment lands on Alan, who is instructed to brush a contestant's face with pollen from a poisoned flower without blowing his cover. Because of course the most conspicuous comedian in the room gets the stealth mission.

We see the trio meet in the turret, get their marching orders, and then it is on Alan to actually do the deed. Nerves hit him hard throughout the day, which should make tomorrow very interesting.

Cliffhanger time

The episode cuts out before we see who gets taken out, so the first elimination reveal is being held for tomorrow (9 October). We will also find out if Alan was a smart pick for Traitor or a liability with jazz hands.

Alan Carr on whether he even wanted this gig

Before the launch, Alan admitted he was not sure he wanted to be a Traitor at all. He is curious how he would cope, admits he does not exactly have a poker face, and calls himself indecisive — though he thinks that might be useful because it keeps him open-minded. His plan was simple either way: if he is a Traitor, he will try to murder as many people as possible; if he is a Faithful, he will hunt the Traitors. Either side, he expects to get completely sucked into the game.

When and where to watch

Episode 1 aired Wednesday 8 October at 9pm on BBC One and iPlayer. The next installment lands tomorrow, 9 October, at 9pm.