Verified Evidence: resolved · Fact Lock: locked · QA: pass
The BBC has rejected a report alleging that comedian James Acaster complained about teasing and “macho banter” from fellow contestants Rob Beckett and Romesh Ranganathan on The Celebrity Traitors, saying the claim was “categorically untrue.”

The denial was reported by Deadline, Variety and The Hollywood Reporter on October 19, 2026. The reports identify Acaster, Beckett and Ranganathan as contestants connected to the allegation, while the BBC disputes that Acaster made such a complaint.

According to a Mail on Sunday report cited by Deadline and Variety, Acaster allegedly raised concerns with producers about teasing and “macho banter” involving Beckett and Ranganathan. The original Mail on Sunday report was not included in the supplied source material.

Deadline reported that Studio Lambert was identified as the production company to which the alleged complaint was made. That detail remains part of the reported allegation and is not independent confirmation that a complaint occurred.

The available evidence therefore establishes the BBC’s denial, but not the underlying complaint. The supplied sources also do not establish where the programme was produced.

SOURCES

  1. Deadline‘The Celebrity Traitors’: BBC Says It’s “Categorically Untrue” James Acaster Made Complaint About Co-Stars’ “Macho Banter”
  2. VarietyBBC Denies ‘Celebrity Traitors’ Contender James Acaster Complained Over Competitors’ ‘Macho Banter’: ‘Categorically Untrue’
  3. The Hollywood ReporterBBC Says James Acaster Complaint Over “Macho Banter” on ‘Celebrity Traitors’ Is “Categorically Untrue”