By Fatma Younis
Comedian James Acaster, 41, has responded to being called an "accidental sex symbol" since joining the cast of the BBC game show Celebrity Traitors. Acaster appears as one of the traitors alongside TV presenter Maya Jama and content creator King Kenny. The Late Late Show host Patrick Kielty coined the phrase, and fans have created compilation videos of Acaster since the series began.
Speaking on the Vinylly Retentive podcast, Acaster said he is enjoying the newfound attention after feeling during lockdowns that no one would fancy him again. He described himself as a reluctant traitor who chose to play the game as if he were a faithful contestant, hoping to fly under the radar. Acaster explained that behaving like a faithful gives others nothing to suspect, a strategy he believes proves you don't need to be devious to be a traitor.
The final two episodes of the 2026 series air this week, with the penultimate episode on Thursday and the finale on Friday. Acaster remains in contention for the winner's title alongside fellow traitors Jama and King Kenny.
