Richard E. Grant has continued to lean into the chaos of his time on Celebrity Traitors, treating fans to a light-hearted social media exchange with comedian Rob Beckett just days after throwing the BBC reality hit into turmoil.
The 69-year-old actor, whose casting has proven to be a masterstroke for the broadcaster, took to Instagram on Wednesday to tease what may well be his exit episode. The playful post follows a jaw-dropping moment earlier in the week when the Saltburn star accidentally blurted out "I’m a traitor" to fellow contestant Joe Lycett, leaving his co-stars in absolute shock and spinning the game on its head.
In his latest video, Richard decided to recreate one of the most talked-about moments from the show so far: his bizarre deflection tactic when cornered by 40-year-old comedian Rob Beckett. During Friday’s gripping episode, Rob had questioned the veteran actor about his "bold strategy" of openly announcing his traitor status, asking him to explain his workings. Rather than addressing the accusation, Richard famously dodged the question by asking, "Have you got more teeth than a normal person?"
Revisiting the humorous exchange online on Wednesday, Richard asked the exact same question straight down the camera lens. Quick to fire back, Rob retorted via social media: "Richard, do you have more forehead than a normal person?"
"I don’t know what you possibly mean, Rob," Richard insisted deadpan, before dramatically sticking a yellow post-it note onto his forehead with the word "Traitor" written across it in large, bold letters.
The actor could be seen laughing as he held a hand to his forehead and shook his head, expertly building anticipation for Thursday night’s installment. He revealed a second handwritten note reading, "Traitors ep 3, BBC1 8pm Thursday," before signing off with the witty caption: "Clearly, @robbeckettcomic & I are no longer on speaking terms!"
The playful online sparring comes on the heels of an episode that left viewers howling with laughter and reaching for social media to praise Richard’s unorthodox gameplay. Fans flooded the X platform throughout Friday evening to celebrate the actor’s baffling defense mechanism.
"Richard is hilarious lmfao like he’s so obvious??? I was already laughing and then he asked Rob if he has more teeth than a normal person, omg I’m dying," one viewer wrote.
Another fan added: "When Richard asks Rob ‘Do you have more teeth than a normal person?’ is single-handedly the funniest thing I have ever heard."
"I’m still laughing at Richard saying to Rob about his teeth; ‘Do you have more teeth than a normal person?’ Keep Richard E Grant in here FOREVER PLS," echoed a third.
While the internet lapped up the comedy value of his deflection tactics, the tension within the Scottish castle has reached fever pitch. Viewers were left incandescent with rage during Friday’s broadcast over what many termed a "ridiculous" cliffhanger ending that saw the hit BBC show abruptly cut to black mid-round-table.
The atmosphere had grown increasingly toxic and tense as the celebrities debated whether Richard was genuinely a Faithful or hiding in plain sight as a Traitor. Just as the argument reached its boiling point and players began going back and forth on his innocence, host Claudia Winkleman stepped in with the immortal words, "Players, the time for talk is over."
To the immense frustration of millions watching at home, the second episode ended right there, denying audiences even a glimpse of the celebrities writing down their suspicions on their chalkboards. With the format temporarily broken, fans now face an agonizing six-day wait until the next episode airs, sparking widespread complaints across social media about the abrupt departure from the show’s traditional breakfast-to-murder structure.
Elsewhere in a dramatic episode that kept viewers on the edge of their seats, former Today programme host Amol Rajan fell at the very first hurdle after being "murdered" by Richard and fellow Traitor Maya Jama.
Audiences had spent 24 hours waiting to discover whether Amol or podcaster James Acaster would be selected by the newly formed traitor trio to join their ranks. Ultimately, it was revealed that Amol had lost out on the opportunity and was banished from the game entirely.
Speaking frankly about his shock early exit, Amol admitted that he was still "grieving" the abrupt end to his time on the show.
"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," Amol reflected. "In time I know that I’ll come to look on this as honestly one of the greatest privileges of my life."
Nominated as one of Claudia’s original Traitors alongside Maya Jama, Richard has already cemented his place in television history by making what is widely considered the biggest slip-up the franchise has ever seen.
While mingling casually with Faithful Joe Lycett in the lounge area, the comedian jumped straight in with a direct interrogation, asking simply, "What are you?"
Without missing a beat and wearing a massive grin, Richard replied, "A Traitor."
Visibly stunned and unsure whether he was being subjected to an extraordinary double-bluff, Joe responded: "I think you’ve just done something that has never happened in the game… bold strategy."
The unprecedented confession has left the remaining celebrities in a complete tailspin, with Richard himself acknowledging that he will face immense heat when the round table finally resumes. However, with James Acaster—who had previously been leading the charge against Richard—now working closely alongside the traitors behind closed doors, the dynamic within the castle promises even more explosive television.
The drama comes as the second celebrity series continues to smash viewing figures for the BBC. The launch episode drew a record-breaking peak audience of nine million viewers, comfortably surpassing all previous premieres for The Traitors UK.
Overnight figures revealed that the opening episode averaged 8.9 million viewers, surging nearly three million higher than the launch of the first celebrity series and outperforming the fourth series of the civilian version broadcast back in January. Last year’s star-studded inaugural celebrity run—which featured eventual winner Alan Carr alongside Jonathan Ross, Stephen Fry, Kate Garraway, and Paloma Faith—debuted with a peak audience of 6.5 million, averaging 6.1 million viewers across the board.
