Celia Imrie’s fart steals the show

Spoiler warning: This article reveals details from the third episode of The Celebrity Traitors

There were murders, betrayals… and a fart.

The third episode of The Celebrity Traitors has taken place, and veteran British actress Celia Imrie releasing wind at a tense point in the game was one of the moments that got viewers talking.

“What just happened?” presenter Claudia Winkleman demanded to know.

“I just farted, Claudia. It’s nerves, but I always own up,” responded Imrie, sparking howls of laughter.

Winkleman then had to tell the celebrities to settle down, before they launched into another tough challenge.

Fans online were left in hysterics, with one X user calling it “the TV highlight of the year”, while another said we’d “peaked as a nation”.

“Critically acclaimed thespian Celia Imrie farts like the rest of us folks,” noted showbiz reporter Catrina Rose.

But the latest episode wasn’t all fun and games.

Before long, two of the younger celebrities had been forced to leave the show.

First up, Youtube star Niko Omilana, who was thought to be a Traitor by celebrities including actor Sir Stephen Fry.

After his banishment, the 27-year-old revealed that he had, in fact, always been a faithful.

His departure sparked a backlash online by some fans, who were unhappy to see him go.

“They’ve all been cowards there,” wrote one X user, adding: “Niko has been voted because he’s an outsider and he’s not in their celebrity world. Nothing to do with the game.”

In a TikTok video posted later, Omilana seemed to address the speculation by showing him being shunned and spat on by groups of friends.

He captioned it: “POV: You try and make friends in the Traitors.”

“Niko being eliminated has sent shockwaves through social media,” said entertainment journalist Indigo Stafford.

“For many viewers, his elimination came out of nowhere. And now a new theory is spreading online about the real reason Niko was voted out… which is that the other contestants didn’t know him well,” she said.

“Since many of the celebs tend to move in the same circles, some fans are convinced that him being an outsider is what unnerved them.”

The episode also saw Olympic diver Tom Daley, 31, murdered by the traitors.

He said he was “gutted”, but TV presenter Jonathan Ross – a traitor – quipped, “gold medals don’t count as shields do they”.

Wednesday’s action-packed episode concluded with actress and comedian Tameka Empson being banished at the roundtable, following suspicions that she too could be a traitor (spoiler – she wasn’t).

Elsewhere, the third episode marked a shift in character for comedian – and Traitor – Alan Carr.

Gone was the nervously giggling Carr, who we were all a bit worried for. Instead, he seemed to be embracing being a Traitor.

In the turret, when plotting over who to murder next, he quipped: “I’ve got a taste for it now,” following his earlier murder of singer Paloma Faith.

Later on, at breakfast, he appeared to roll his eyes at the other celebrities’ reactions to Tom Daley’s death.

“People couldn’t believe it, ‘Where’s Tom? Why Tom?’ Well he’s been murdered. Deal with it.”

“Alan has happily become a killing machine,” observed Rose.

Once again, fans were left with a cliffhanger, as the Traitors weighed up whether to murder actress Ruth Codd, singer Charlotte Church, or historian David Olusoga.

But the episode ended on a lighter note, as Carr admitted to Imrie why he’d voted for her to be banished.

“Can I be honest with you?,” he said. “It was that fart in the hut.”

The Celebrity Traitors is on BBC One on Wednesdays and Thursdays at 21:00 BST and on BBC iPlayer. There will be nine episodes.