There’s a new contender for the worst Traitor ever

The penultimate episode made Traitors history with a jaw-dropping confession. Here’s everything that happened in the semi-final.

Did the Traitors make a mistake with murder?

As we rejoined a tense Round Table, the vote was on a knife-edge in more ways than one. Dagger-holder King Kenny surprisingly switched his decisive double vote from Sharon Rooney to Joanne McNally, meaning the Irish comedian got the boot. She departed in tears, explaining: “I’m premenstrual,” before announcing that she was “a hardcore Faithful”. Host Claudia Winkleman put on her stern teacher voice to tell them: “Players, you have just banished your fifth Faithful and at such an important time. It is vital that you banish a Traitor tomorrow.” She later added that they’d found two Traitors but lost 11 Faithfuls. Not exactly strong stats.

Retreating to the turret, the Traitors got down to murderous business. Sharon had received three votes, was widely suspected and weepy that everyone was turning against her. Having been talked over and dismissed by the boys’ club on the scarecrow mission – a feeling all too familiar for women in workplaces nationwide – her spirit seemed broken. Leaving her in the game was surely the wise move. Instead they opted to kill her. “Poundland Poirot has been struck down in her prime,” sighed Sharon.

Should they have murdered Michael Sheen while they had the chance? Considering what later transpired, it seemed so. Besides, Kenny had riskily changed his vote to win Sharon’s trust – a move that made no sense if he immediately helped murder her. With pressure rising as the endgame loomed, the treacherous trio were making uncharacteristic errors. Their crown was slipping.

Sheen emerged as the pivotal player

At the ever-shrinking breakfast table, eyes were on everyone – and at last the Traitors came under sustained scrutiny. James Blunt said they should start looking at the quieter players and pointed out how James Acaster had gone hard at Joanne. Meanwhile, Romesh Ranganathan and Sebastian “Bash” Croft had begun to mistrust Maya Jama for coasting through the contest.

Had Sharon been murdered because she’d almost figured out the murder in plain sight? Michael kept pulling at this thread, backed up by Blunty. All three Traitors had been in the library with Ross Kemp and it was coming back to haunt them. Michael confronted Maya in the kitchen, noting how she stayed under the radar and would “make a brilliant Traitor”, especially if paired with Kenny. Uh-oh. For once, the queen of the turret looked rattled.

Michael had the bit between his teeth. Now the undisputed “leader of the Round Table”, he sensed that the Traitors were wobbling and vowed: “Vengeful daddy is in the house.” But suspicion cut both ways. Romesh and Bash were still questioning why such a powerful force hadn’t been murdered. They rallied the troops against him. It was beginning to look like Sheen vs the Traitors vs the Sheen-sceptics. The whiskery Welshman promised an “apocalypse” – but it was about to be averted.

Shock as the reluctant Traitor turns himself in

By Round Table O’Clock, Michael was ready to come for Maya. She and several Faithful were gunning for him in return. However, before this mouthwatering showdown could fully unfold, a curveball came from an unexpected place.

Early exchanges were cagey. Michael was questioned for loudly steering the Faithful in the wrong directions. Blunty came under fire for forcefully pursuing suspects and not being stung when it backfired. But gradually the three chief detectives – Michael, Blunty and Romesh – began to theorise that it was the unsuspected ones, the ones who kept their heads down, who were the Traitors. Attention turned towards Maya, Kenny and Acaster.

When the library riddle resurfaced, a castle-rocking plot twist came. Acaster had spotted the fateful perfume bottle on day one. He’d later been on the murder scene. Yet somehow he’d been given a free pass. As the viewing nation held its breath, Acaster suddenly announced that he wanted to be completely honest and explain. “I was made a Traitor without wanting to be,” he confessed. “It’s me. Vote for me.”

The reluctant Traitor had played the game on his own terms. He’d refused to lie and acted as a Faithful whenever possible. He refused to compromise his morals but became adept at subtly sowing seeds while acting like a nerdy sleuth. Now he left on his own terms too – by basically turning in his gun and badge.

Acaster had been a terrible Traitor in many ways, content to take a back seat and let his more proactive conclave colleagues take charge. Witness his woeful performance in the Traitors’ Lair mission, when he refused to take off his blindfold, let alone sneak around as instructed. Yet he was also a uniquely quirky presence who bent the rules to suit himself, defied stereotypes and won hearts with his eccentric charm. The weight visibly lifted off Acaster as he came clean. He grinned that he was proud of how the Faithful had logically followed the clues to catch him. He was duly voted off, ruefully admitting that he was “so Faithful that I couldn’t make it to the end as a Traitor”. Who saw that rug-pull coming? Certainly not the producers.

Latest twist in series of bombshells

A chaotic series has forced programme-makers to earn their money and think on their feet. Executive producer Sarah Fay has admitted that a “little bit of sick” came up in her mouth when Richard E Grant made his game-breaking confession in episode one. This week has seen widespread speculation that producers were also forced to scrap a plot twist during the scarecrow mission. Reports suggest that the planned reward was “the Power of the Pardon”, which featured in the US edition and enables a banishment to be reversed. However, the Faithful inadvertently selected the three hidden Traitors to be given the secret advantage. A hurried rethink saw it changed to the double-vote dagger.

Now came Acaster’s shock admission. There have been rumours that filming had to be paused after the comedian became visibly stressed and suffered a panic attack. This might well have been during his cross-examination at the Round Table, leading to his sudden confession. It’s also notable that we never got to see how Acaster himself had voted – perhaps because he’d acted Faithful to the last and dropped a fellow Traitor in it, akin to Kieran Tompsett’s infamous “parting gift” in the first civilian series.

An unorthodox exit for an unorthodox Traitor. Luckily, no great harm was done. The game masters have done well to salvage the series from this string of unforeseen developments and still leave it set up for a tense final.

Maya left with a life-or-death decision

Before this pre-Hallowe’en double-header, the Traitors appeared to be cruising towards another win. Now the game is back on and the Faithful are in with a real chance. Michael and Blunty’s eyes remain on Maya. Romesh says she’s “a textbook Traitor”. Can co-conspirator King Kenny hide in her shadow and evade detection?

That nightcap around the firepit ended with a full-circle moment. Michael and Maya, who’d been first into the chapel way back in episode one, were left suspiciously sizing one another up. This looks set to be the defining rivalry of the series. The Traitors have one last murder to commit and a huge decision to make. Slaying Michael might eliminate their main threat but would point straight to Maya. Leaving him alive is a risk but might mean she can frame him. Ever the thesp, he concluded: “Only the night will tell.” Sleep well… if you can.

The 80-minute finale airs at 8pm on Friday. For the last time, meet you back here to analyse all the Ardross action.

Try full access to The Telegraph free today. Unlock their award-winning website and essential news app, plus useful tools and expert guides for your money, health and holidays.