Celebrity Traitors winners Romesh Ranganathan and Sebastian Croft hit back at criticism of their refugee charity donation

Celebrity Traitors winners Romesh Ranganathan and Sebastian Croft have addressed the criticism they faced for donating their prize money to refugee charities.

The comedian, 48, and the actor, 24, hit back at the rhetoric around their chosen charities, Refugee Council and Choose Love, receiving £41,500 each.

Following their joint win, critics have accused the final of being a 'stitch-up' or an example of 'some form of BBC bias' because of where the money has gone.

The Refugee Council supports refugees who have been forced to flee their homes and are seeking safety in the UK. Choose Love, which supports gay and trans refugees, recently accused Israel of 'genocide' in its war on Hamas in Gaza.

The winners' choice of charities prompted backlash online, which the Rest Is Entertainment podcast host Richard Osman said was a case of 'idiots being pathetic'

Appearing on Sebastian's – who is known as Bash – podcast, The Sunday Scaries, the stars discussed how they felt about the online commentary.

Bash described the money going to Choose Love and The Refugee Council as his 'Slay Of The Week' and the duo even admitted the discourse could be seen as a positive thing because it highlighted the cause. 

Sharing his thoughts, Romesh said: 'You text it to me like it was such an interesting thing you said. He said "If that's how they feel about the donation, imagine how they talk to the actual people and imagine how they feel about the actual people.'

Romesh revealed how his wife had been concerned about seeing the backlash highlighted on social media and by news outlets.

He said: 'Lisa, my wife, was slightly worried about because she saw all of this kind of the articles about it and she's going to me, are you upset about it? And I said, "Actually, I think it's kind of good. You know, I actually feel good about it". Yeah.'

Detailing some of the DMs he has received, Romesh said: 'Some of them I mean I don't know if you've got any of this but some of the messages are so funny that I've been getting obviously you get comments going this is a disgrace and turns out they were the real traitors all along and all that stuff.

'But I've also got lots of DMs from people going it's so cool that you did that and like you know much love to you and Bash for doing that.'

Romesh joked about a message he had received from a troll who told him his career was in trouble because of his chosen charity.

He said: 'Somebody messaged me going uh read the room retract your donation immediately your career is in deep trouble. And he's like, 'Okay, mate. All right, mate. Relax.' I don't think so. I'm on everything!'

Romesh then commended Bash for his approach to the backlash, saying: 'I think it's a really good thing. I feel like I'm patronising you with this. But for someone your age. Your attitude to this is so good man! Your takeaway straight away was this is a great thing, I think you said this is low key a slay.'

The TV personality offered context as to why he chose The Refugee Council and said it is his belief that they are used as a 'distraction technique'.

He said: 'I'd got so fed up with the rhetoric against uh against refugees and how these people are being demonized and I feel like look people have different opinions.

'But I feel like they're a distraction tactic and people and they and people have been pointed out that direction for things to blame is my personal opinion please don't at me any more than you have done.

'But I think for us to both by coincidence be donating to those charities and then to see the discussion that's had off the back of it and you and I were talking about this before.'

'It was so cool to see Richard Osman on Entertainment talking about it and I think the voices that are that are angry about it have been amplified because that's the fun angle, right? 

'But loads of people have come out in support and actually the people kicking off about it has kind of galvanized the people that really think it's it's a lovely thing. Yeah. I think that back and forth has actually been really positive.'

Bash added: 'It was so funny when we got to the end and we both realised. Nobody really discussed [the charities we'd choose], we didn't assume we would win. It felt like such a nice moment at the time. 

'But to see a response, it made me think if that is people's response to a game show donating money to people who are really vulnerable, imagine how difficult it is for people navigating that system.'

Discussing the online discourse on his podcast, The Rest Is Entertainment, Richard recently hit out at 'idiots' being 'pathetic' about the Celebrity Traitors final.

On the Rest Is Entertainment podcast, Richard's co-host Marina Hyde said critics have accused the final of being a 'stitch-up' or an example of 'some form of BBC bias'.

The winners' choice of charities has prompted backlash online. One X user posted: 'With so many overlooked and deserving charities desperately needing support, why does the BBC keep pushing the same agenda?'

Another wrote: 'Fixed from the beginning.' 

Richard said on the podcast: 'It turns out a lot of those people are idiots. Or it's possible that they're very clever and they have an agenda, because they ain't right.

'To accuse the BBC of bias in this shows, first of all, a fundamental misunderstanding of how you make a television programme. Even in a conspiracist culture, this is one too far.

'It's pathetic. Do you know what? I'm done with it. It's genuinely so pathetic.'

The author went on to point out that '15 million people watched' the latest season, while only around 'a thousand people are being t***s about it'.

He claimed: 'That's like being in a championship football game with 15,000 people [where] 14,999 [are] cheering, and [there's] just one idiot who's not happy.'

Richard continued: 'Be incredibly popular and successful, then go on a hugely successful game show and then be the smartest player on that entire show, and show empathy and gameplay and intelligence. Then you can give money to whoever it is that you want to.

'And you don't have to be telling other people who to give money to. You don't know who Romesh and [Sebastian] give money to all year round.

'Look at the benefits Romesh has done all year – look at all the different people he's done benefits for. If he wants to give money to the Refugee Council, that's what he does.

'Don't jump on the back of a show that's been made by incredibly talented people that has been a hit – something you've not been able to do in your lifetime.

'And the second you do [have a hit], you will find that things change for you, and you'll find that you, then, can demand things, and you [will] find that you can change culture in the way you want to do it. Until that moment, you know what? Just let other more talented people do the thing that they want to do.

'Let people be free, let people think freely – because that's what you're supposed to think about – and I'm really sorry that two people who wanted to give money to refugees won this show, but that's the world that you are living in. Different people think different things to you.'

Osman added: 'Stop wetting your pants about everything. Stop saying, "it all comes out of licence fee money" – you cannot be that stupid.

'You cannot be that stupid to not know that The Traitors makes a fortune for the BBC. It's giving huge amounts of money back to the BBC, this show, this is not something that's a drain on licence fee payers.' 

The Celebrity Traitors has boosted ratings for the BBC and is bound by strict impartiality guidelines, enshrined in its charter. 

Fellow finalists' chosen charities included Leigh-Anne Pinnock playing for British Red Cross Society, James Blunt was supporting Blue Marine Foundation and King Kenny was playing for Rethink Mental Illness. 

Other celebrities were playing for the likes of Unicef, Astriid, Alzheimer's Society, Matt Palmer Trust, The King's Trust and Longfield Community Hospice. 

Choose Love will receive half of actor Croft's £83,000 prize, despite claiming on its website that Palestinians 'are still experiencing a genocide'.

In an open letter signed by celebrities such as Gary Lineker, it petitioned the Government last year to ban the sale of arms to Israel and 'end Gaza complicity'.

Croft said of Choose Love: 'It's an organisation that I used to volunteer at. The money will be going to refugees and displaced people, but predominantly queer refugees and displaced people, and they are just the best organisation.'

But Tory MP Jack Rankin said: 'When activists nakedly misuse charitable designation to peddle their extremist agenda, it should concern us all.

'It is doubly shocking that our licence fee, which we have no choice but to pay, is shovelled in directions opposite to the national interest.

'The BBC are supposed to be impartial and should not be handing money to political activists.

'If they had any backbone, they would refuse to let public funds bankroll pro–migrant crusades.'

Choose Love also bankrolled a legal challenge to the then-Tory government's immigration policy of deporting asylum seekers to Rwanda to make their claims.

Choose Love admitted meeting the 'staff costs' of charity Asylum Aid, which led – and lost – a High Court fight against the Tory scheme, which was ruled lawful.