BBC game show host ‘set to sign’ for Celebrity Traitors as star emerges as frontrunner for first ever all-star edition
CLAUDIA Winkleman is heading back to Ardross Castle for the BBC’s first ever Celebrity Traitors – and it seems she’ll have some familiar faces joining her for the new series.
BBC game show host Richard Osman has become the unexpected front runner as an insider has teased that he is “set to sign up” for the monumental celeb series.
The Sun revealed in January that a celebrity spin-off of The Traitors was in the works, with filming expected to start in early 2025.
The show was officially confirmed at the Edinburgh TV Festival last week and since then, speculation has been rife about the celebrity line-up.
Richard, 53, is reportedly the new favourite for Celebrity Traitors with an insider confirming he has the skills BBC bosses are looking for.
They told The Mirror: “Richard would be a terrific signing. He reckons he knows how to commit the perfect murder, so could surely spot a Traitor from 100 paces or outsmart the others if he needs to?
“He also knows exactly how TV works. Anyone who’s seen him on Pointless or House of Games will know how clever he is. And his claim that he’s no good at lying seems unlikely.”
The former Pointless host previously said that he can’t keep a secret, revealing that he’d been turned down by MI6 in his youth.
“You could not find a worse spy. I would have been terrible. I’m too tall, not bright enough, and if I have a secret, I tell everybody,” he revealed.
But overlooking his secret keeping abilities, the Cambridge alum has plenty of skills that would serve him well on Celebrity Traitors, such as his ability to listen and observe what’s going on around him.
Taking about his skills, he said: “I’m good with words and at doing quizzes and I have a good memory, but that’s not intelligence. I’m visually impaired so I see very badly. But it’s meant I’ve had to listen a lot and take in information really well.”
Richard, who currently presents the quiz show House of Games and Pointless Celebrities for the BBC, has put his smarts to good use.
He is a published author who has written almost half a dozen best-selling murder mystery novels.
His current publishing deal with Penguin reportedly worth £10 million and the first instalment of his Thursday Murder Club series is now being turned into a Steven Spielberg movie, starring Helen Mirren, Celia Imrie, Jonathan Pryce and Ben Kingsley.
Additionally, during his career Richard has helped create shows including Deal or No Deal, 8 Out of 10 Cats, and Whose Line Is It Anyway?
If Richard does sign on to Celebrity Traitors, he’ll be in good company as bosses also hope to bring Ricky Gervais back to the BBC to star in their new celebrity spin-off.
Do you have to pay tax on game show winnings in the UK?
Unlike in many other countries, such as the US, HMRC allows cash prizes from competitions and the National Lottery to be tax-free.
However, in order for the money to be seen as from a ‘competition’, there has to be a skill-based element, such as a quiz question, or the option of free entry.
This is why some competitions ask incredibly simple questions that even a five-year-old could answer, as they are trying to get around the requirement to offer a free entry option.
The comedian, 63, is high among the collection of A-listers being targeted for the centrepiece project.
Ricky has been busy of late with his hugely popular stand up series for Netflix.
But the broadcaster hopes he might be convinced to come back to the channel where he shot to global fame for his role in The Office.
A TV insider said: “The Beeb want the crème de la crème of stars for the celeb spin-off, and they ideally have to be incredibly smart, funny, and mischievous — and that’s Ricky in three words.
“Behind the scenes, big names have already expressed their interest in taking part from the moment it was revealed the new version of The Traitors was being made.”
Other stars said to be in the frame for the programme include presenter Jonathan Ross, who has expressed his love for the contest, as well as Courteney Cox, a close friend of host Claudia Winkleman.
But the Beeb has yet to reveal who they want for the show, or whether anybody has been signed up yet.