Miranda Hart has been murdered, and quite frankly, I’m fuming. Friday night’s episode of The Celebrity Traitors saw another favourite leave the castle after Maya Jama, James Acaster and King Kenny chose Miranda as their latest victim. Her departure was bad enough, but what followed might have been even more frustrating, as the Faithfuls continued to make some spectacularly questionable decisions. With the final approaching, the Traitors appear to have everything going their way, and I’m beginning to wonder whether the remaining Faithfuls have any idea what they’re doing.

Farewell to Miranda Hart

Miranda might have only been in the episode for a few minutes, but she still managed to steal the show. Her reaction to discovering she’d been murdered was brilliant, declaring “Oh, bottoms!” before reading her letter and throwing it away in mock anger. It was such a Miranda moment, and I’m still annoyed we won’t get to see more of her in the castle. She’d been such a lovely addition to the series, and I would happily have watched her stay right through to the final.

But there was also a really lovely moment as Miranda reflected on what being part of The Celebrity Traitors had meant to her. After spending years dealing with health problems and being away from television, she spoke about how special it had been to return to doing what she loves, from performing again to simply being outdoors in the Scottish Highlands, laughing and spending time with other people. She admitted there had been times when she wasn’t sure she’d be able to do those things again, which made hearing her talk about the experience all the more emotional. It was such a heartfelt moment, and a lovely way to end her time on the show, even if I’m still not happy about her being murdered.

The Faithfuls handed all the power to the Traitors

If losing Miranda wasn’t bad enough, the Field of Screams mission made things even more frustrating. The contestants had to choose three people they trusted most to be in with a chance of winning a special power, knocking the others out by destroying scarecrows with their names on them. Michael Sheen and James Blunt had plenty to say about who they thought could be trusted, and seemed pretty pleased with their choices.

So, who did the Faithfuls end up picking? Maya Jama, James Acaster and King Kenny. That’s right, all three Traitors. Somehow, they managed to pick every single one of them.

I’m struggling to understand how we’ve reached a point where the three people deceiving everyone are considered the most trustworthy contestants in the castle. Maya, James and Kenny have barely faced any suspicion, yet rather than question why, the Faithfuls have rewarded them with even more power. Even Claudia Winkleman couldn’t resist commenting on the extraordinary coincidence of all three ending up together, although the irony was completely lost on the people who needed to hear it.

To make matters worse, Kenny ended up winning the dagger, giving him a double vote at the Round Table. So not only had the Faithfuls managed to put all three Traitors in the running for a special power, they’d now given one of them the deciding vote over who would be banished.

Michael Sheen, I love you, but what are you doing?

I love Michael Sheen. I really do. He’s a brilliant actor, seems like a lovely man, and is exactly the sort of person I’d want on my team in almost any other situation. Unfortunately, that situation cannot involve identifying Traitors, because his detective skills have been rather less impressive than his acting career.

Michael seems convinced that Sharon Rooney is a Traitor, although most of his suspicions appear to come from how flustered she gets when she’s accused. To be fair, Sharon hasn’t exactly helped herself with some of her reactions, but being nervous at the Round Table doesn’t mean she’s guilty. Michael and James Blunt seem so sure they’re on the right track, despite being completely wrong, while Maya, James Acaster and Kenny are barely getting a second look.

It’s frustrating because the Faithfuls aren’t short of intelligent, capable people. Michael is thoughtful and articulate, and there are plenty of strong personalities left in the castle who should be able to put the pieces together. Yet they’re so focused on those who react badly to being questioned that they’ve barely considered the people who appear far too comfortable. At this stage, I’d quite like someone to sit Michael down, explain the difference between a nervous Faithful and a convincing Traitor, and send him back to the Round Table for another attempt.

A dramatic cliffhanger, but are the stakes really that high?

The episode ended with Sharon Rooney and Joanne McNally tied at the Round Table, leaving Kenny with the deciding vote thanks to his dagger. He’s already voted for Sharon, so there’s a good chance he’ll stick with her, meaning we could be saying goodbye to another Faithful. And as much as I don’t want to lose Joanne either, I’m really not ready to say goodbye to our Scottish gal Sharon! Although, to be fair, she does seem a bit fed up with the whole thing by now, and who can blame her when the Faithfuls keep looking in completely the wrong direction?

It’s a good cliffhanger, but knowing that both Sharon and Joanne are Faithfuls takes some of the excitement away. Joanne has attracted more suspicion after a few slip-ups throughout the game, so it’s understandable why some of the others have their doubts, but we know they’re wrong about both of them. Whoever goes home, the Traitors have managed to get through another Round Table without anyone coming close to catching them. And while I’ll obviously be sad to see either of them leave, I’d much rather be watching the Faithfuls finally put one of the actual Traitors under pressure.

That’s what I found most disappointing about the second half of this episode. The best Round Tables are the ones where suspicion begins to build, someone spots a contradiction, and a Traitor suddenly finds themselves in trouble. Here, we’re watching two innocent contestants fight to defend themselves while the people responsible sit comfortably out of danger. There’s only so much satisfaction in watching the Faithfuls repeatedly accuse the wrong people.

The CultureCues Verdict

For CultureCues, episode eight was a frustrating watch. I still love The Celebrity Traitors, and there’s no denying how entertaining Maya, James and Kenny have been, but I really need the Faithfuls to start giving them something to worry about. We’ve already seen Richard E. Grant and Hannah Fry banished, so there’s still hope that someone might finally begin asking the right questions, although the remaining Traitors currently look far too comfortable for my liking. And with that Round Table cliffhanger leaving us potentially having to say goodbye to oor Sharon (sigh!), things aren’t looking much better. I’m hoping we get a proper twist, a surprise accusation or at least one Faithful who finally works out what’s happening right under their noses, because watching the Traitors stroll into the final without a serious challenge would be a disappointing end to an otherwise brilliant series.

The Celebrity Traitors continues Thursday 29 October at 8pm on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.

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