Claudia Winkleman explains her Celebrity Traitors picks: "How could you not?"
It's no easy decision...

*Warning: Celebrity Traitors spoilers ahead.*
The Celebrity Traitors made a triumphant debut on BBC One tonight, with host Claudia Winkleman carefully choosing her Traitors – and fans are certainly not disappointed.
After much build-up, including the celebrity contestants digging up their own graves to win shields and taking part in the first challenge of the series, it was time for the famous faces to plead their case as to whether they should be a Faithful or a Traitor.
As she walked round and round and round the table, Winkleman chose Alan Carr, Cat Burns and Jonathan Ross to be her Traitors, before they all met in the turret and were given their first task.
But just how did Winkleman choose her Traitors? While the decision isn't solely down to the host, it was a no-brainer for some of the picks.

"I do those chats with them and they're much longer than you see," Winkleman told RadioTimes.com and other press.
"Then I go into a room with the bosses from the BBC, the brilliant casting group, and we sort of work [it] out together. We don't have long, but Alan said he wanted to be a Traitor, and they were compelling. So how could you not?"
As revealed in the episode, the Traitors must murder in plain sight, all without being detected by the Faithful.
The onus was put on Alan Carr, who was instructed to touch someone's face with pollen from a poisoned flower, all without arousing suspicion from the other contestants.
The episode ended on a cliffhanger, meaning viewers will have to wait until tomorrow (9th October) to find out who will be the first contestant to leave the daring competition.
Read more:
- Celebrity Traitors boss hints at season 2 – and reveals comedy legend they'd love to sign up
- Who left Strictly 2025? First celebrity to be voted out revealed
Viewers will also see if Alan Carr was the right pick, as his nerves certainly got the best of him throughout the day after being chosen as a Traitor – a fate he didn't even know he wanted.
Prior the series launch, Carr said: "Well people have asked, would you like to be a Traitor? And the answer is, I don't know. I'm fascinated to know how I would cope with it if I was.
"I'm not known for my poker face, but you've just got to adapt. I'm indecisive, and that's the problem. But I think that's probably good because I’d say it’s best to have an open mind.
"If I'm a Traitor, I’ll try to murder as many people as possible. If I'm a Faithful, I'll try and catch those Traitors. Whichever side, I think you can’t help but get sucked in. It becomes your world and that's the part that I'm quite looking forward to, the routine of it and just being fully immersed in it."
Celebrity Traitors begins on Wednesday 8th October at 9pm on BBC One and iPlayer.
Add The Celebrity Traitors to your watchlist on the Radio Times: What to Watch app – download now for daily TV recommendations, features and more.
Check out more of our Entertainment coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what else is on. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
Authors
Katelyn Mensah is the Senior Entertainment Writer for Radio Times, covering all major entertainment programmes, reality TV shows and the latest hard-hitting documentaries. She previously worked at The Tab, with a focus on reality TV and showbiz news and has obtained a BA (Hons) in Journalism.
