After that dramatic season premiere of The Celebrity Traitors, fans have a lot to digest – not least that Richard E Grant moment. However, another big talking point has been the antics of Ross Kemp, whose paranoia has quickly made him a viewer favourite.
During the episode, the star showed endless suspicions towards others, notably when Bella Ramsey put a hat on him after doing well in a mission, as well as Leigh-Anne Pinnock affectionately brushing his arm in the castle.
The star reckoned he was being secretly targeted in plain sight, and Leigh-Anne suggested he “calm down” when he accused her, noting: “It would be more than a rub on the shoulder.”
BBC
Related: Best streaming services
“My guard is very much up,” Ross admitted on camera. “Anybody touching me, offering me a drink, talking to me in a slightly odd way, that could be me gone. So at the moment I’m feeling pretty paranoid.”
Fans shared their reaction to the scenes, many in agreement that Kemp was providing TV gold, one writing on Reddit: “I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. Casting Ross Kemp in this show was genuinely a genius level move from whoever first thought to approach him.”
“His paranoia will be the highlight of the show,” another viewer said, a third joking on X: “By ep 3 of The Traitors, if someone makes him a cup of tea Ross Kemp will explode.”
However, others predicted that he could be an all-timer. One said he “has the potential to be an all-time terrible Faithful”, while another added that he is “gunning for” the title.
BBC
“He’s gonna draw suspicion because the Faithfuls will say he’s trying too hard to look like a Faithful,” a further fan added.
Uncloaked host Ed Gamble said that watching the scenes back at a press screening for the first time made him think it was “one of the funniest things I’ve ever seen on television” (via The Independent).
“I mean, what a variety of men live within the Ross Kemp sphere, you know?” he added. “He’s a big hard man running the boat mission, and then [he was] immediately terrified of a member of Little Mix touching him on the arm.”
Gamble continued: “I think that’s something we don’t even think about really when we’re watching it, the amount of paranoia that must be in there, especially if you’ve watched the game.”
The Celebrity Traitors season 2 airs on BBC One and iPlayer.
Visit our Streaming Guide now to see at a glance where you can view ALL your favourite shows and movies.
The new edition of Legends, a 100-page celebration of Dolly Parton’s life, is here. Buy Dolly in newsagents or online.
Sam is a freelance reporter and sub-editor who has a particular interest in movies, TV and music. After completing a journalism Masters at City University, London, Sam joined Digital Spy as a reporter, and has also freelanced for publications such as NME and Screen International. Sam, who also has a degree in Film, can wax lyrical about everything from Lord of the Rings to Love Is Blind, and is equally in his element crossing every ‘t’ and dotting every ‘i’ as a sub-editor.