By Ahmed Abdelsalam
Irish comedian Joanne McNally has scrapped a planned tell-all podcast episode about her time on BBC's The Celebrity Traitors after the broadcaster warned her it would violate her contract.
Podcast episode pulled at last minute
McNally, 43, competed as a Faithful on the most recent series of The Celebrity Traitors and reached the penultimate episode before being banished. She had teased a bonus episode of her podcast My Therapist Ghosted Me to air after the finale, but fans were left disappointed when it never appeared.
In an episode released on Wednesday, podcast producer Joe Attewell explained that a "tell-all" recording was completed on Friday and edited for a Sunday release. Late on Friday evening, however, the BBC intervened, stating that virtually everything discussed violated the non-disclosure agreement McNally had signed. Attewell joked he was "bundled roughly into the back of a BBC van" to receive the warning.
Co-host Vogue Williams said she had spent considerable time researching questions and was ready to interview McNally, describing the unaired content as "juicy." McNally acknowledged the need to protect the privacy of the game.
NDA and contract restrictions
The Independent understands there was no official threat of legal action and that McNally's references to severe consequences were tongue-in-cheek. It is standard for contestants on The Celebrity Traitors and The Traitors to sign NDAs banning spoilers. Last year, series two finalist Jaz Singh said the show would "sue you for hundreds of thousands of pounds of TV damages" if leaks occurred before broadcast.
Other stars share behind-the-scenes details
Despite the strict agreements, some former contestants have spoken out since the series ended. James Blunt revealed this week that viewers "didn't see the full extent" of James Acaster's confession to being a Traitor at a roundtable in the penultimate episode, adding that the moment "was more dramatic than you saw."
Show concludes with winners
The BBC series concluded in October, with Faithful contestants Romesh Ranganathan and Sebastian Croft splitting the £83,000 prize fund.
