Romesh Ranganathan and Bash Croft Win Celebrity Traitors Series Two in Nail-Biting Final

On Friday night, around a fire pit, four people waited on a vote that would decide who walked away from The Celebrity Traitors with a share of £83,000. Comedian Romesh Ranganathan, Heartstopper actor Sebastian "Bash" Croft, singer James Blunt and YouTuber King Kenny had reached the endgame of the BBC One show's second series. Within the hour, Romesh and Bash were the winners, and the faithful had beaten the traitors.

The series began with 21 contestants, drawn from some of Britain's best-known names, and had been cut to seven by the final. Over four weeks the show drew more than 15 million viewers. The BBC's report says Friday's episode is likely to be the most-watched programme on British television this year.

The last traitors standing were Love Island host Maya Jama and Kenny. Kenny got himself to the endgame by turning on Maya at the final round table. Earlier in the episode, actor Michael Sheen had been murdered in the opening action. He said he was incredibly disappointed, gutted to have come so close to the end, but called the experience unforgettable. At the endgame, Little Mix singer Leigh-Anne Pinnock was banished swiftly after Kenny voted her out. She said she had thought she and Kenny had a mutual understanding and now felt stupid, though she left proud of what she had accomplished.

That left Romesh, Bash, James and Kenny at the fire pit. When James and Kenny tied in the vote on who was a traitor, Bash persuaded Romesh to banish Kenny rather than James, which secured the win for team faithful. Kenny was bitter about it. "Absolutely devastated. Almost scraped it," he said, adding that he had been so close he could smell victory. The BBC notes the show has made him a mainstream star regardless.

There was one more turn. James chose to hold another round of voting and was evicted himself, leaving Romesh and Bash as the last two. James had not known that Romesh and Bash had both chosen to end the game, which meant he could have been a winner too had he done the same. He was the only one of the final three to choose to banish. He looked back on the series fondly, saying he had loved trying to work it out, loved getting it wrong so often and loved the tiny moments when he got it right.

Bash, who is 24, cried as he said it might be the best day of his life. Romesh said he hoped his mum was proud, and added a message for his youngest son Charlie, who had wanted him to go on the show: dad won, so please show some respect. The pair will split the prize between two refugee charities, the Refugee Council and Choose Love.

The series was not without controversy. Two contestants gave away their traitor status and were quickly dispatched. Richard E Grant was so thrilled to be tapped on the shoulder that he blurted out his secret in episode two. Comedian James Acaster, described as the most reluctant traitor in the show's history, gave himself up under pressure at the round table in Thursday's penultimate episode. Reports say filming was paused and welfare staff checked on him after he became anxious. A BBC spokesperson said on Friday that participants' safety and welfare was the "highest priority" and that a dedicated welfare team closely monitors and supports players. Acaster did not appear on Friday's spin-off, Uncloaked.

Viewers also questioned the editing of that round table. A shot of Romesh looking shocked, apparently at Acaster's confession, seemed to come from a later moment, after Romesh had written Acaster's name on the blackboard. The episode showed the vote against Acaster as quick and straightforward, which left the reason for Romesh's reaction unexplained.

The Hollywood Reporter noted on Thursday that the show had record ratings, yet much of the social media consensus was that it felt a bit dull. Some viewers missed real back-stabbing and explosive rows, finding the cast chummier and savvier than last year's. The series also had no equivalent to Alan Carr, who lied and murdered his way to victory as a traitor in the first series. The final brought the drama back, and the question now is whether those ratings carry into a third series.