Cliff Notes – The Celebrity Traitors breaks staggering record with ‘astonishing’ finale
- The final episode of Celebrity Traitors attracted an average of 11.1 million viewers, peaking at 12 million, making it the most-watched show of the year so far.
- Comedian Alan Carr, the last remaining Traitor, won £87,500 for his chosen charity, Neuroblastoma UK, after successfully deceiving fellow contestants.
- Viewers praised the finale as the best ever, with many calling for Carr to receive a knighthood for his contributions to Entertainment.
The BBC has announced Celebrity Traitors has broken a massive record, hugely popular in an age when TV is dying.
The Celebrity Traitors final has smashed a record to become the most watched show of this year.
Overnight, comedian Alan Carr pulled off a blinder and managed to make it all the way to the end of the competition, convincing Nick Mohammed and David Olusoga that he was a Faithful like them.
Despite them turning on Joe Marler and banishing him, they made a massive mistake and were left with Alan, 49, – who was then able to scoop the entire prize pool of £87,500 for his chosen charity Neuroblastoma UK since he was a Traitor.
After tuning in, many fans said it was ‘the best final ever’, with others demanding Alan was also awarded a knighthood for his ‘services to entertainment’.
For the past month the show has stopped the country, sparking endless water-cooler conversations and seen fans flooding social media platforms with a string of theories.
It’s now also been revealed just how popular the show was.
The season finale attracted 12 million viewers
The Celebrity Traitors final – which ran for an extended 70-minute episode – had an average audience of 11.1 million, with a peak of 12 million, the BBC has announced.
This means the show amassed the biggest overnight audience since the episode of Gavin & Stacey on Christmas Day last year.
Those statistics also revealed that from the penultimate episode, which aired last Thursday, the series had drawn an additional three million viewers.
Numbers from iPlayer viewership for the final are still to come.
In a turn of events very few anticipated, Alan was the last Traitor standing after being selected to deceive his fellow contestants during the premiere episode.
Many – including Alan himself – were shocked by the win
Along the way, viewers were worried he’d been unable to keep up the act, especially after ‘forgetting’ he had a shield and struggling to hold a straight face when asked by host Claudia Winkleman to declare ‘I’m a Faithful’.
However, he did also take on the unenviable jobs of murdering Paloma Faith and Celia Imrie face-to-face, but was called ‘both the best and worst Traitor ever’ by viewers.
After he was announced as a Traitor and the winner of the show, Alan broke down in tears and admitted: ‘I’m so sorry, it’s been tearing me apart, I’m so sorry. I feel so bad.
Following the emotional finale, he spoke about his emotional reaction on spin-off show, Traitors Uncloaked.
The Gavin and Stacey Christmas special has 12.3 million people tune in.
‘I think all the deceit, the lying, the murdering of Paloma and Celia had all taken its toll and then I think it dawned on me that I had won such a huge amount for my charity, Neuroblastoma UK,’ he said.
‘The charity is so close to my heart that it all became a bit too much.
‘Hopefully when people see how upset I was they won’t feel so bad that I killed all those national treasures.’
What charity did Alan Carr choose after winning Celebrity Traitors?
Which charity did he choose?
Alan Carr revealed his £87,500 prize pot will be donated to children’s cancer charity Neuroblastoma UK
What is Neuroblastoma?
According to the charity’s own website, ‘Neuroblastoma is classified as an embryonal tumour, a type of cancer that develops from the cells left behind from a baby’s development in the womb. The cells from which it develops from are specific cells in the nervous system called neuroblasts, giving neuroblastoma its name.’
What does the charity do?
The organisation is a research charity hoping to ‘lead to more effective treatments and ultimately a cure for every child diagnosed with the disease’.
How do donate?
Click here to find out more about how to donate
Last year it was announced that Gavin and Stacey had become the most watched Christmas TV show in over a decade, with 12.3million people tuning on Christmas day.
Within a month it then had over 20.9 million tune in.
Many viewers have called for Alan to be ‘awarded a knighthood’ after his time on the show (Picture: BBC)
Airing a few hours earlier on Christmas Day, Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl also managed to attract an impressive 9.38 million viewers, making it the second most- watched programme that day.
A month later it was then announced the film had reached 21.6 million people.
At the time the BBC said these Christmas Day figures haven’t been seen in 20 years, which also makes both programmes the UK’s biggest scripted and animated shows since modern records began in 2002.
‘These figures exceed all expectations, to reach over 20 million is an astonishing milestone in 2025. These two quintessentially British shows couldn’t be more different but what unites them is their undeniable quality and the fact they are best in class,’ BBC’s chief content officer Charlotte Moore said.
The Traitors is streaming on BBC iPlayer.