Jeremy Clarkson has publicly shared his doubts about the authenticity of The Traitors, suggesting that BBC producers must be manipulating the hit programme behind the scenes.
The 65-year-old presenter, speaking before a Christmas special of Who Wants To Be A Millionaire, has questioned how the show manages to maintain its dramatic tension without some form of intervention from production staff.
The series has been a stand-out success for the BBC in recent years, ever since the civilian series first debuted in 2022.
This year marked the show’s first-ever celebrity edition, with 15 million households tuning into the finale to witness Alan Carr emerge victorious over his fellow famous faces.
Jeremy Clarkson is the face of Who Wants To Be A Millionaire
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ITVBut while much of the show’s appeal is the tension, scheming and backstabbing from its contestants, Mr Clarkson isn’t convinced all is as it seems.
“Come on, I’ve worked in television for 30 years,” he said of the show. “You’re not going to spend that much money on a programme where there’s a risk it all falls to pieces.
“So, I’ve no idea how they’re doing it, but I bow down to them,” he added, according to the Daily Mail.
When asked outright if he believed manipulation from the producers was at play, Mr Clarkson alleged: “They must be – and I’m not just being a cynic, I know how television is made.”
Claudia Winkleman and the first Celebrity Traitors winner Alan Carr
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BBC
Despite his scepticism about how the Claudia Winkleman-fronted series operates, Mr Clarkson was quick to praise the programme’s entertainment value, describing it as a “belter.”
However, the former Top Gear host has firmly ruled out any possibility of appearing on the celebrity version himself.
He stated he “wouldn’t in a million years” sign up for the celebrity edition of the programme, despite his admiration for it.
The presenter did, however, speculate that his former Top Gear colleague Richard Hammond might be tempted to take part in the competition.
LATEST JEREMY CLARKSON NEWS:
This year’s Celebrity Traitors finale was watched by over 15 million
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BBCThe next series of the civilian series debuts on New Year’s Day with a whole host of budding Faithfuls and Traitors hoping they have what it takes to make it to the final.
The BBC has also greenlit a second series of the celebrity version, which will premiere in late 2026. GB News has contacted the BBC for comment on Mr Clarkson’s comments.
Meanwhile, Mr Clarkson is gearing up for a return to screens in the next special of the ITV quiz show, Who Wants To Be A Millionaire, as budding quizzers hope to pocket life-changing sums of cash.
However, speaking of major financial changes, he’s also spent much of the past week passing judgement on the Chancellor’s latest Budget and what it could mean for the public.
Mr Clarkson has made no secret that he is opposed to Rachel Reeves and Labour’s proposals, claiming that they – along with “snaggletoothed vegan” Zack Polanki of the Green Party – believe “that if you work hard, all the money you earn is theirs, and that it should be given to someone who won’t work at all”.
Writing in the Sunday Times, Mr Clarkson hit out at the Chancellor further: “In the UK it’s difficult to get on the bottom rung of the ladder and impossible to climb up it, because Reeves doesn’t believe in that sort of thing; not at her core. It revolts her.”
He’s far from the only public figure to criticise the Chancellor following last month’s proposals, with Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch among those ripping into the Budget.
However, the reception toward Ms Reeves has led some to allege she’s been “bullied”. Mr Clarkson inevitably didn’t agree with the notion, delivering a savage response to the “bullying” claims on social media.