Alex Casey and Tara Ward take a seat at the round table to discuss the conclusion of one of 2025’s best shows. Warning: Contains spoilers!
Tara Ward: Do not stand at my grave and weep, Alex Casey, because I hoovered down The Celebrity Traitors UK finale on Friday night and haven’t stopped thinking about it since. I yelled at the telly and watched with my mouth agape, and to the deathly final moments, it just felt so joyful to watch a TV show that was equal parts ridiculous, compelling and warm-hearted. How are you feeling about the end of one of the year’s greatest shows?
Alex Casey: I am in a state of mourning, but also reflecting on all the good times we had together. Celia’s resplendent fart! Stephen’s awesome j’accuse when he clocked that The Traitors would be tired! Mark Bonnar weirdly loving being scooped up in a net! I already miss all my very famous friends very much. And that’s before we even talk about that stormer of a finale – were you one of the lucky ducks that got to watch it on ThreeNow before most of the world?
TW: Sadly, I was slower than a rugby player trying to find a key inside a treasure chest on a moving train, and didn’t get a sneak peek at the finale when it was uploaded here several hours before it aired in the UK. “We are deeply sorry that the final of The Celebrity Traitors was made available in Canada and New Zealand ahead of its scheduled BBC One premier transmission,” a spokesperson for All3Media International said. “This occurred due to an internal miscommunication regarding release dates. The episode was taken down immediately once the issue was identified.” I mean, what a perfect lead-in for a show that’s based entirely on mistakes, miscommunication and misunderstandings.
AC: Was your so-called spokesperson Alan Carr himself? Honestly wouldn’t put anything past that fella at this stage. I was at a birthday dinner on Thursday night with someone who had been lucky enough to snaffle up ThreeNow’s snafu upload and she was sitting there like this. It took everything in me not to give her the ol’ Kate Garraway (ask a bunch of confused questions and then just do nothing with the answers). Alas, I waited to watch it along with the broadcast on Friday night, and it did not disappoint. That final challenge? OK Crunchie bar train robbery!!!
TW: Trains are cool, and I thoroughly enjoyed watching the lid of that treasure chest donk Boulder Joe Marler on the noggin three times in a row while the train chugged merrily through the Scottish highlands. This finale had it all: suspense, scheming, surprise, humour, tears, and celebrities overthinking everything. It could have gone any way, and yet, by the time the winner Alan Carr was sobbing into his sequins, it felt like this was the only way it should have gone. What a redemption arc for Alan, who couldn’t stop sweating in episode one but had grown into a cackling, cunning puppeteer by the end. Do you think he deserved the win, or were the celebs just really, really oblivious to the evidence right in front of them?
AC: I definitely think he deserved the win, especially for murdering twice in plain sight and somehow flying under the radar despite a) forgetting he had a shield and b) laughing UPROARIOUSLY in front of EVERYONE while trying to get through the line “I am a faithful”. I guess that is the power of a chatty, chatty man – win everyone over with your never ending well of gags and pick them off one by one. It is truly remarkable to read our early reactions and remember how close he was to crumbling in week one. A testament to both the resilience of the human spirit and the power of a pair of statement glasses. Were you expecting him to win?
TW: I was sure Joe had convinced the others to banish Alan, but what I love about The Traitors is that one minute I want the faithful to sort their shit out and expose the traitors, but the next I hope the traitors deceive everyone until the bitter end. It’s almost like it doesn’t matter who actually wins, but it’s more about how they win. Alan was the most consistent player, and also seemed determined not to take it all too seriously. It’s a silly, silly game after all, and I loved watching the celebs hug it out at the end. They’d just spent the past two weeks shrieking like banshees down an ancient well, aka every celebrity’s dream, so what is there to feel sad about?
AC: Yes, that three-way hug was such a beautiful moment. I saw someone post a photo of it being like “this is what modern masculinity looks like” which was hilariously earnest given the circumstances but also 100% true. Alan Carr’s journey was obviously incredible and the sight of him in a bedazzled jacket sobbing “it’s been tearing me apart” was instantly one the television moments of the decade. But as we approached the final banishment ceremony, pouches at the ready, it occurred to me that every possible outcome for The Celebrity Traitors finale would have made for incredible television – the format just can’t lose!
It’s also interesting how the show kept the charities quiet until the very end, which is a very different approach to something like Celebrity Treasure Island where they are so frequently discussed. I guess it would look a bit bad to see a celebrity Traitor snatching cash off animal rescues etc, but just another example of how the show so deftly manages tone. Claudia Winkelman did an incredible job of navigating the rollercoaster that was Alan winning, Nick saying “fuck” and Alan then unleashing full banshee sobs. A Traitor win is always a weird feeling, but at least this felt nowhere near as rough as when a civilian Traitor wins.
Is there anything else you wanna say about this impeccable season?
TW: I feel like we could write a doctorate on the delicious intricacies of this show, but like Celia Imrie’s fart in a hut, we must release ourselves. I loved how this celebrity season proved that TV isn’t dead yet, and how it reminded us that appointment viewing can still exist with the right format, inspired casting and clever editing. It was, from start to finish, a delight.
AC: In the words of a very chatty man, parting is such sweet sorrow indeed.
The Celebrity Traitors UK streams on ThreeNow.
