James Acaster is said to be plotting a huge comeback following his rather disastrous appearance on The Celebrity Traitors, during which he broke the rules and revealed his true identity.
James Acaster was once one of the UK’s most-loved comedians, but things took a drastic turn for him. During his appearance on The Celebrity Traitors, James, 41, initially started the show as a Faithful – which he was more than content with.
But soon, he was recruited as a Traitor. Despite not wanting to be one, he accepted the role and joined Maya Jama and the original Traitor, Richard E. Grant, in the Turret. Throughout the show, James insisted that he was the most Faithful Traitor going, but he couldn’t keep up with his lie.
James cracked under the pressure and, during one roundtable, left his co-stars completely lost for words when he declared he was a Traitor, before being banished from the castle. Now it’s reported that James is plotting a huge comeback to remind his fans why they fell in love with him.
A source told The Sun: “Before The Celebrity Traitors, James was seen as a real good egg. He was one of those comedians people just instinctively liked. He had this slightly awkward, self-deprecating charm and there wasn’t really any controversy surrounding him.
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“People knew about his relationship history and the Rowan Atkinson situation [Louise Ford ended her relationship with Acaster to start a relationship with Atkinson], but that was about as much drama as there was.”
They went on to add that the revelation on the BBC One programme was such an unexpected moment and viewers believed James had thrown his fellow Traitors, Maya and King Kenny, under the bus.
The decision indeed sparked a division on social media, with some sympathising with James, while others were very critical of his decision.
The source went on to say that the backlash surrounding James was “unfamiliar territory” for the actor and that he’d been “taken aback” by the reaction.
James’ former girlfriend Louise ended their relationship and struck up a romance with Mr Bean actor Rowan after the pair appeared together in the West End production of Quartermaine’s Terms.
He only found out a year after his relationship with Louise ended. James told audiences that he opened a newspaper to see a lead story about her new relationship.
“No one else in the history of time has ever been left for Mr Bean,” he said, adding: “I’m a goddamn saint to have kept this in the back pocket so long.”
Meanwhile, Richard Osman recently revealed that he believes James may be feeling “destabilised” following his appearance on the show. Discussing any regrets that the cast may feel now, Richard said on The Rest Is Entertainment podcast: “If you’re in it, like if you’re James [Acaster] at the moment, I bet you think, ‘Oh, I wish I hadn’t done that because everyone can have one opinion about this today.’
“James then has to listen to 56 million opinions, you know, and like nobody needs that. And the thing with him, he’s so brilliant and so talented that whatever he does next will, you know, supersede this in a heartbeat.”
He added: “But you know, it’s just annoying to have to spend a couple of weeks sort of in a position where you feel slightly destabilised. James, if you’re listening, or people who know and love James are listening, James, we love you. I’m very excited for what he does next.”
The Mirror has approached James’ spokesperson for comment.
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