Celebrity Traitors fans say "take a bow" as history is made at first banishment

Warning: Spoilers follow for episode three of The Celebrity Traitors.

The Celebrity Traitors viewers have called for one of the show's stars to "take a bow" following the result of the first banishment – which marked a huge show first. For the first time ever on the UK version of the programme, a Traitor was caught at the first Round Table.

And, of course, that Traitor was none other than Richard E Grant.

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As many fans had suspected, it was a landslide at the Round Table, with a massive 16 of the 20 votes going to the legendary actor.

"I have been annihilated," he said afterwards. "I have managed to check-mate myself which, as far as I'm aware, has never been done. My daughter's going to be... 'oh, dad'!"

Host Claudia Winkleman told the remaining players: "Players, this has never happened before. Your first try and you got one."

Responding on X, one viewer said: "The Man. The Myth. The Moment. Richard E. Grant, take a bow."

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"Absolutely gutted for Richard," someone else wrote. "He would’ve given us so many iconic moments."

A third posted: "What a glorious exit from Richard! Bring him back next year!"

"Oh, Richard. You are always going to be a legend," read another post.

Following Grant's elimination, Traitors Maya Jama and James Acaster opted to recruit Professor Hannah Fry to their ranks.

Joanna McNally had previously teased that the Round Table would be one to watch – and sure enough, she was one of the very few who did not opt for Grant.

Reacting to the news that she had misjudged the situation, she quipped: "This is me with men all the time. I completely believed him."

Maya, meanwhile, reflected afterwards: "I'm sad to say I did what I could, but the damage was done. I had to throw my honey under the bus.

"Richard, you messed up but you didn't take me with you."

The Celebrity Traitors airs on BBC One and streams on BBC iPlayer.

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The new edition of Legends, a 100-page celebration of Dolly Parton's life, is here. Buy Dolly in newsagents or online.

Shaun is an Evening News Editor at Digital Spy, with over a decade of experience reporting on all things pop culture. He has written for outlets including Metro, Attitude, Huffington Post, The Mirror, Yahoo!, Pink News and Express Online, specialising in TV, movies, soaps, music and LGBTQ+ issues. He is also a BAFTA Rocliffe-winning scriptwriter, having written episodes of the soap Hollyoaks, the official Steps musical Here & Now and multiple Offie Award-nominated plays. He studied English Literature and Drama at the University of East Anglia, and will happily talk at length about Desperate Housewives to anyone who'll listen.