Joe Lycett reacts to jaw-dropping moment Richard E Grant reveals he’s a Traitor

Read the original at Evening Standard ↗
Evening Standard · collected 2026-10-02 · by Holly Bishop

Quick Summary

Joe Lycett reacted with surprise when footage from the BBC show "Traitors" was shown at his pub, The Lycett Arms. In the episode, Richard E Grant unexpectedly declared himself a Traitor mid-show, which initially surprised viewers and is now considered by some as the best moment of the series. Lycett’s bemused reaction during a watch party with family and friends further fueled fan discussions about Grant's unconventional move. The article focuses on the comedic and unexpected nature of Grant's declaration, highlighting how it has become a highlight for many fans.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-10-02, using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the same event (that is the story summary below).

AI analysis runs on qwen2.5:14b, locally

Story summary

The Celebrity Traitors, a popular BBC show, is returning for its second series on Thursday, May 18th, at 20:00 BST. The new season features 21 celebrities, including actors like Michael Sheen and Julie Hesmondhalgh, comedians such as James Blunt and Rob Beckett, and content creators like King Kenny. Contestants will compete for a £100,000 cash prize to be donated to charity based on their performance in tasks designed to outwit each other.

In the first episode, the celebrities were divided into Traitors and Faithfuls, with Claudia Winkleman revealing only two traitors initially. This departure from tradition left viewers shocked, especially when veteran actor Richard E Grant declared himself a traitor just minutes after arriving at the castle, leaving many in disbelief about his honesty or bluffing skills.

Executive producer Sarah Fay emphasized that the show aims to evolve and push boundaries each year, incorporating fresh ideas while maintaining its core format. This season will air twice weekly on Thursdays and Fridays, with 10 episodes total, up from last year's nine. Additionally, BBC One, iPlayer, and Sounds will broadcast a spin-off series titled Uncloaked, hosted by comedian Ed Gamble. The first episode concluded on a cliffhanger, leaving fans eager to see who the traitors select as their first victims or allies in the upcoming episodes.

Written for “Celebrity Traitors Show Return” on 2026-10-05, grounded in this article and the 25 other(s) covering the same event.

Signals How these are calculated →

Claims extracted
11
claim-shaped sentences
Uncertain
0%
0 of 11 hedged
Leaning
not political
takes no side on a contested political question
Correction & hedging signals
67.5
corrections and hedging in what we collected; not a measure of accuracy
Outlets on this story
26
Entertainment
Narrative spread
1
articles carrying this framing
Analyzed 2026-10-02 · how these are computed

Story

📰 Celebrity Traitors Show Return
Entertainment · 26 article(s) covering the same event. See how they differ ↓

How this is being covered How these are calculated →

Article leaning vs. publisher reliability
Source leaning vs. consistency

Compared with similar articles

This article reads unscored and hedges 0% of its claims. Each row says how that neighbour differs.
Evening Standard
⚖️ leaning not scored 🔴 5% hedged 1 of 22 📰 publisher trust 68
“Both articles describe Richard E Grant's unexpected declaration as a 'Traitor' during the first episode of Celebrity Traitors, shocking other contestants and viewers.”
BBC News
⚖️ leaning not scored 🔴 0% hedged 0 of 4 📰 publisher trust 78
“Both articles describe Richard E Grant's unexpected admission that he is a Traitor on the first episode of Celebrity Traitors series two.”
Daily Mail
⚖️ leaning not scored 🔴 4% hedged 5 of 136 📰 publisher trust 65
“Both articles describe Richard E Grant being selected as a Traitor in the first episode of The Celebrity Traitors, aired on October 2, 2026.”
Daily Mail
⚖️ leaning not scored 🔴 16% hedged 7 of 43 📰 publisher trust 65
“Both articles describe Richard E. Grant's slip-up as a Traitor immediately after being sworn in during the same episode, with Joe Lycett reacting to it.”
Evening Standard
⚖️ leaning not scored 🔴 17% hedged 4 of 23 📰 publisher trust 68
“Both articles describe Richard E Grant revealing he is a Traitor during an episode of Celebrity Traitors, with Joe Lycett reacting to the revelation.”
Evening Standard
⚖️ leaning not scored 🔴 5% hedged 3 of 55 📰 publisher trust 68
“Both articles describe the same specific episode of Celebrity Traitors where Richard E Grant and Maya Jama were chosen as traitors, causing surprise among fans.”
Evening Standard
⚖️ leaning not scored 🔴 14% hedged 3 of 21 📰 publisher trust 68
“Both articles describe Richard E Grant's unexpected revelation that he is a Traitor on a BBC show, and reactions from other celebrities and Joe Lycett.”
Evening Standard
⚖️ leaning not scored 🔴 6% hedged 2 of 31 📰 publisher trust 68
“Both articles describe Richard E Grant and Maya Jama being selected as Traitors on The Celebrity Traitors, with Grant revealing he is a Traitor in front of his fellow contestants.”
Daily Mail
⚖️ leaning not scored 🔴 9% hedged 5 of 53 📰 publisher trust 65
“Both articles discuss the first episode of 'The Celebrity Traitors' where Joe Lycett reacts to Richard E Grant's revelation, indicating they are describing the same specific broadcast event.”
Evening Standard
⚖️ leaning not scored 🔴 0% hedged 0 of 28 📰 publisher trust 68
“Both articles discuss reactions to Richard E Grant's unexpected declaration as a Traitor in the first episode of Celebrity Traitors, indicating they are describing the same specific incident.”

Publisher

Evening Standard · 3457 article(s) · 22 correction(s) detected
Running correction rate · 22 correction(s)
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Who wrote this

Holly Bishop
52 article(s) here · 1 carrying a prediction
🔮 “I don’t know why i even thought we would get Glastonbury tickets in the first place lol,” one user said online.
🔮 The festival is back again after a fallow year this year, and will take place from 23-27 June 2027 at Worthy Farm.
🔮 Comedian Josh Widdicombe has riled some fans from the get-go with his presenting style, with many labelling him a “spare part” in comparison to co-hosts Emma Willis and Johannes Radebe, who have generally received a much warmer reception.
🔮 They had 15 minutes to remain inside their coffins, but any celebrity who shouted “haggis” would be released and put at risk of murder.
🔮 Following a tense cliff-hanger, where viewers were left biting their nails as to who would be chosen, Acaster was selected whilst Rajan was murdered.
🔮 In the first episode of the popular BBC series, Grant, alongside Maya Jama, was picked by host Claudia Winkleman to become a Traitor.
🔮 I don’t think Richard will last long,” said one.
🔮 I don’t think Richard will last long,” said one.
🔮 Four brand new celebrity pairings will be embarking on the journey of a lifetime, leaving their phones, credit cards and comforts behind.
🔮 On Wednesday, September, her family announced her death in a statement, in which they paid tribute to the “most wonderful mother” and “cherished grandmother” who will be remembered for her “endless capacity for joy”.
Also by Holly Bishop
Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.
All 52 articles by Holly Bishop →

Topics

BBC Channel 4 The Standard

Subjects

Grant PERSON · 3× Lycett PERSON · 3× BBC ORG · 1× Channel 4 ORG · 1× Claudia Winkleman PERSON · 1× Maya Jama PERSON · 1× Richard Grant PERSON · 1× The Standard ORG · 1× Traitor PERSON · 1×

Narrative

“I am absolutely howling at Richard Grant just openly admitting to being a traitor and everyone just being completely gagged they’re speechless,” said one.
framing: assertive · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-10-02
🔮 In the first episode of the popular BBC series, Grant, alongside Maya Jama, was picked by host Claudia Winkleman to become a Traitor.
2026-10-02 · Evening Standard
Joe Lycett reacts to jaw-dropping moment Richard E Grant reveals he’s a Traitor · assertive framing

Claims (11 extracted, 0 hedged)

In the first episode of the popular BBC series, Grant, alongside Maya Jama, was picked by host Claudia Winkleman to become a Traitor. asserted
Grant → pick → Winkleman
The decision already caught fans by surprise, as there are typically three traitors selected. asserted
decision → catch → surprise
But fans were left even more surprised when, following the round table, Grant declared to his fellow stars that he is a Traitor. asserted
he → leave → stars
Lycett appeared taken aback and asked: “Are you?” before Grant replied that he saw no point in playing if he was not a Traitor. asserted
he → appear → point
In footage shared exclusively with The Standard, Lycett reacted to the bizarre moment again in front of his family and friends. asserted
Lycett → share → family
Lycett looked bemused whilst his guests were in hysterics over the blunder, which some fans have labelled as “the best Traitors moment of all time”. asserted
fans → look → time
The comedian was hosting a watch party at his new pub The Lycett Arms. asserted
comedian → host → pub
It comes ahead of his Channel 4 show Live From The Lycett Arms at 10.00pm tonight, where he is opening up about his Traitors experience. asserted
he → come → experience
Fans were both delighted and stumped by the bizarre behaviour. asserted
Fans → delight → behaviour
“I am absolutely howling at Richard Grant just openly admitting to being a traitor and everyone just being completely gagged they’re speechless,” said one. asserted
one → howl → ?
“My mouth dropped,” said a second, whilst a third added: “I’m obsessed.” asserted
I → drop → ?
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