How Rob and Romesh's mocking jibes behind the scenes got too much for James Acaster... as insiders tell KATIE HIND why he complained about the duo to producers

To the nine million plus watching at home, Celebrity Traitors is a slick operation. The decor inside Ardross Castle in the Scottish Highlands is pristine, the twists and turns are genius and the drama is so all-consuming its audience plans its weekly routine around watching it.

Add to that the celebrity line up – which is the envy of its BBC sidekick Strictly Come Dancing – and it makes for perfect viewing.

This year though, it’s funny too – thanks to the gang of comedians providing light relief among the nerve-jangling intensity.

But away from the cameras, say Traitors insiders, not all of them are enjoying the jokes.

In fact, despite appearing to get on well, sources on the show’s production told me James Acaster complained to producers he was being ‘teased and mocked’ on set by fellow comics Rob Beckett and Romesh Ranganathan.

The trio had been expected to get along well, and on-screen seem to have done so, but were said to be ‘very different people’.

Sources revealed Acaster, 41, became uncomfortable with his two co-stars’ macho banter. Beckett and Ranganathan, who have been close friends for years, were accused of ‘going too far’ with some of their jokes. And on-set chatter suggests James ‘is much more sensitive than they are’.

One snitch claims: ‘Rob and Romesh clearly thought they were having a bit of a laugh, but James began to feel quite a lot of it was at his expense and away from the cameras he started to get annoyed and upset by it. In the end, he spoke to the production team about it, saying he was unhappy and felt like he was being singled out.

‘When Rob and Romesh get going together they are unstoppable and hilarious, but not at all malicious – it was more a misunderstanding. Rob and Romesh’s gags were all meant in good humour, but James just didn’t see it that way. They’re completely different characters, and obviously with Rob and Romesh being such close friends away from the show, it meant they were totally on the same page and he just wasn’t.’

Officials were desperate yesterday to quash talk of a rift as ‘categorically untrue’, insisting the comics had ‘got on brilliantly well’. An insider added: ‘There is no evidence to support these allegations.’ They even claimed Beckett and Ranganathan, 48, didn’t ‘tease’. ‘As if,’ scoffed another source. ‘They love a good giggle.’

But another TV insider on the show suggested Beckett, 40, had proved a divisive figure despite his cheeky on-screen persona. ‘Rob seemed to have a habit of winding people up. Whether he fully intended to or not is up for debate, but he’s not always as upbeat as he is on the TV,’ said the source.

This week’s episodes saw Beckett become an unexpected victim of the Traitors, when he was ‘murdered face to face’ by the undercover villains, who include Acaster – alongside Maya Jama and latterly YouTuber King Kenny.

Joe Lycett followed him as the eighth player to exit the game on Friday night, with the season now at its halfway point.

It was reported last week that an unnamed celebrity had also thrown a major tantrum after being denied the chance to call their family, accusing producers of being ‘like human traffickers’. The blistering row saw the star let rip after being told they could not casually speak to friends and family between the scenes.

While their identity remains a secret, Acaster did tell The Times: ‘You can’t have an authentic conversation... At one point my partner said, “Have you caught the sun?” I was saying, “Oh yeah. We were outside for one of the missions”. I was told I couldn’t even tell her that!’

Acaster has spoken regularly of learning coping mechanisms to help him manage his emotions. But production had to be temporarily paused at one point as he suffered a panic attack, with this being put down to the game’s intense environment.

The series has also been blighted by leaks and slip-ups – enraging senior staff at production company Studio Lambert, which makes the show for the BBC.

‘They are desperately trying to keep a lid on this stuff,’ says a show insider of the po-faced hierarchy behind Traitors.

There have even been reports that cast members’ tight non- disclosure agreements include a potential £100,000 fine should they breach their confidentiality clauses. But that has done little to prevent several speaking out.

The BBC has declined to comment on much of that speculation, but a further division has since broken out between Beeb chiefs and Studio Lambert.

I’m told there are some within the firm, owned by TV executive Stephen Lambert, blaming the BBC for failing to contain sensitive information. To help prevent further leaks, the BBC has been cracking down on how many staff can access episodes in advance.

And the strained relationship does not stop there, with it emerging this weekend that woke corporation bosses tried to ban the words ‘murder’ and ‘kill’ from the show. This was due to concerns there could be a murder on the same day it is broadcast.

But top executive Syeda Irtizaali refused to back down, as she believed ‘audiences are not going to get confused with a real-life news story’. It was one of several battles she faced in getting the programme on air in the UK in 2022, with BBC colleagues also worrying the format ‘won’t work’.

Since then, it has become the biggest success on television – even eclipsing Strictly Come Dancing. And like the dance contest, viewers want to know what goes on when the cameras aren’t rolling.

As one industry source reminds me: ‘There’s no such thing as bad publicity.’