How Alan Carr Got Away With Murder

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Alan Carr is arguably the most entertaining Traitor ever to play The Traitors. While players like Cirie Fields and Harry Clark might have been strategically stronger, no one managed to stay under the radar quite like Carr while also providing so much compelling viewing. Known for hosting the talk show Chatty Man from 2009 to 2017, Carr began The Celebrity Traitors visibly nervous, overwhelmed by the pressure of being a Traitor. His first act – eliminating a player in front of everyone – was particularly memorable (and chaotic). In a moment of panic, he touched his close friend Paloma Faith, accidentally betraying and losing her as an ally. It was a funny scene, but it didn’t suggest he’d be a particularly skilled player.

Throughout the nine episodes, Carr transformed into a ruthless killer on the show. He shockingly eliminated national icon Celia Imrie and casually voted out fellow Traitor Jonathan Ross. In the end, he won by cleverly manipulating Faithful players Nick Mohammed and David Olusoga into eliminating Joe Marler instead of himself, even though Joe had been key in removing other Traitors. The series, which originally aired on the BBC in the U.K., quickly became a viral hit in the U.S. and is now available to stream on Peacock. Carr’s performance was a major reason for its success, and there are now reports that the BBC is considering bringing back his show, Chatty Man. Carr himself says, “In over 20 years on television, I’ve never seen a reaction to my work like this.”

The British version of The Traitors seems to have a more well-known cast than the American one. How did they put it all together? The BBC was very secretive about it. They asked potential contestants if they were interested, but wouldn’t reveal who else had signed on, so everyone started asking around in the entertainment industry. I heard rumors that Stephen Fry and Jonathan Ross were involved. It was a lot of ‘Are you doing it?’ and ‘I don’t know, are you?’ If you were a celebrity, you were definitely getting asked! At one point, Courteney Cox, Graham Norton, and Amanda Holden were considered. I signed up because I’m a big fan of the show. But when my friend Daisy May Cooper dropped out, I worried I’d be the only ‘normal’ person surrounded by attractive contestants from Love Island. Thankfully, the cast list leaked online before filming began, so I knew I wouldn’t be the only one!

Who did you immediately want to work with?Tom Daley. I mean, who wouldn’t want to work with him?

It all happened so quickly – I killed him instantly. I received a lot of criticism afterward, especially from LGBTQ+ people who said I’d eliminated the only attractive person around. I remember thinking, “Seriously?”

He loved to knit, and when he was killed, I returned to the room in the tower and found his yarn still there. He’d been murdered while in the middle of a knitting stitch. That scene will stay with me forever.

The dynamic between the Traitors was interesting. Cat was incredibly composed and collected, while Jonathan was the strategic planner. He played a careful game, and I pretended to be naive. I think our different approaches worked well together.

The show made it seem like accidentally killing Paloma actually benefited you during the season. Were you secretly planning it all along? Well, I needed to complete the task by midnight, and it was getting really late, so I was panicking. Touching someone’s face is a very personal thing, and honestly, I’d have preferred it to be someone else – like Tom Daley or Joe Marler. But Paloma was a friend. Then, I ‘woke up’ and saw her walk through the door at breakfast, and I was thrilled she was still alive! But then, just half an hour later, I was pushing her into a coffin at a graveyard, watching her get taken away. It was a terrible experience for me.

Did it not occur to you that this might actually be helpful? When I was sitting with everyone, people kept coming up to me, patting my back, and saying, “Alan, you must be devastated.” People off to the side were even offering a mental health professional for me to talk to about losing my friend. But I kept saying, “I’m alright, I’ll just take things one day at a time.” Looking back, I think it was a really smart move.

Jonathan made a risky move by eliminating Ruth Codd early in the game. What are your thoughts on that decision? Ruth was incredibly perceptive. While others at the discussion table hesitated and offered theories without backing them up, Ruth was determined and focused on uncovering the truth. She was really closing in on the culprit, and I think another round of discussion would have led her to the answer. Jonathan seems like a dominant personality – a strong player who took decisive action.

Do you believe he could have succeeded? Honestly, I think he pushed himself as far as possible. Being a leader has its drawbacks. I, on the other hand, prefer to stay out of the spotlight.

The early murder of Paloma really helped Alan avoid suspicion. It quickly established within the game that he wasn’t a Traitor. It felt like Claudia essentially declared that everyone could be a Traitor, except for Alan. I wasn’t affected by it at all, and even Clare Balding immediately wrote Alan’s name on the slate as someone who definitely wasn’t a Traitor, apologizing as she did so, saying she had to write someone’s name down. I just told her it was okay, everyone makes mistakes.

Looking back, I think eliminating Joe Wilkinson was a really smart decision. I started to suspect he was figuring things out when he began to ask too many questions. Honestly, both Joes were a problem for us, so we took out the more outspoken ones – Mark Bonnar, Tom Daley, Joe Wilkinson, and Ruth. I really like Kate Garraway, but she would never have suddenly accused us and refused to move on until she named Jonathan, Cat, or Alan as the culprit. David was always theorizing, but he never acted on anything. And as Cat pointed out about Charlotte Church, she was always loud and incorrect. Joe Marler pretended to be clueless. He led us to believe Nick and David were the final two, which made us think we’d won. But then, at the roundtable discussion, he unexpectedly targeted Cat.

The Celia murder felt like a major turning point. Looking back at how Paloma was killed right in front of everyone, did you apply anything you learned from that situation here? I was definitely anxious, but not quite as much as before. There were several moments – like when I was sweating, drinking, laughing at them, or even forgetting about my shield – where I genuinely feared being discovered. The act of killing Celia stands out; it was something I’d never done before, even quoting Shakespeare in the moment.

I was in love with Celia, and I believed the mission required me to end her life. Telling Joe Marler, a large and intimidating rugby player, something sentimental at his death would have sounded absurd. The situation left me with no choice, and despite her occasional flatulence, I truly loved Celia.

Okay, so people are asking how I managed to get everyone to turn against Joe Marler. Basically, during the discussion, I just casually dropped that I didn’t trust him and that he was pushing everyone to vote for Nick and David – which I didn’t like. I figured if I planted that little seed of doubt, it would grow. Honestly, I think it did! I managed to stay above the fray, and since Cat was out of the picture but Joe was still there, it naturally fell on him. I don’t even think he did anything wrong, he was probably just doing what he thought was right. I feel terrible even saying this, but I’m not exactly a good person.

It’s easy to come across as ruthless on the show, but it’s just part of the game. Remember, we were all playing for charity, though the broadcast doesn’t focus on that. The producers actually edit out the conversations about charity because viewers are more interested in seeing drama and conflict. For me, it was all about winning for the children’s cancer charity. Without that context, I just seemed like a cold-hearted player. People wondered how I could eliminate so many contestants, but I was focused on the cause. That’s why I got so emotional at the end. Seeing Nick Mohammed’s excited face was tough – he and David thought they had it won, but I knew I was still in the game.

Could you explain to American audiences how popular this show was in the U.K.? It was a huge hit – at its peak, a quarter of the British population was watching! It’s funny because even now, people will call out my character’s name in public, jokingly asking who I’m going to ‘murder’ today. While I knew a lot of people watched the show, it’s clear many didn’t, and they probably think I’m an actual released criminal when I walk down the street.

It’s really a mix of happy and sad because I doubt I’ll ever be part of something that captured the public’s attention quite like this. There was a lot of media attention – paparazzi were even following me at home. Usually, no one pays attention to my life, and honestly, neither do I.

We heard rumors the BBC was considering bringing back your show, Chatty Man. Can you talk about that, and what the show meant for your career? Well, I’d love for Chatty Man to return, but that report was just internet hype – just a rumor. I’m exploring some possibilities with streaming platforms, so who knows what might happen? Nothing is definite, but things are looking good. I’m also starting a stand-up tour. I’ve performed in small venues in America before, and it would be great to expand that. Most Americans probably know me from RuPaul’s Drag Race U.K., and I’ve been working in entertainment for over 20 years.

Someone pointed out that my show Traitors felt similar to my old show, Chatty Man – it was pretty chaotic! These days I do quiz and renovation shows, and I’m a judge on other programs. But Chatty Man was all about having fun and joking around with celebrities like Lady Gaga, Kim Kardashian, and Taylor Swift. That show really helped my career. Considering I was briefly famous for ‘killing off’ characters on a show, it’s amazing how much support I still receive, and I’m really grateful and enjoying this period of my life. It wasn’t always this way, though.

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2025-12-05 00:57