Mark Bonnar has said that his disappointing exit from The Celebrity Traitors has helped him enjoy watching the programme again.
The actor, best known for roles in Line of Duty, Dept Q and Shetland, was banished at the beginning of episode six on 23 October, after a tense round table that ended in a deadlock.
Bonnar and historian David Olusoga – both Faithfuls – received an equal number of votes from their fellow celebrities who suspected them of being Traitors. It meant the decision was left up to chance when Olusoga opened a wooden box containing a protective shield, meaning Bonnar’s time in the Traitors castle was up.
Bonnar, an avid fan of The Traitors before joining the celebrity edition of the show, said in a new interview that the silver lining is that he can enjoy watching the programme again now that he’s no longer in the competition.
“I was very disappointed at the time,” he said of his exit. “But with hindsight – first of all, I can start to enjoy watching it again.”
“If I was to go at any point, that was probably the way I would want to go,” he told BBC Radio Scotland's Lunchtime Live.
Bonnar, who has played several TV villains during his career, blamed fellow Faithful Joe Marler and Traitor Alan Carr for the narrative that he was a Traitor, which ultimately caused other contestants to vote for him.
“Joe Marler – bless him, he's a pal – but he'd been watching Line of Duty while we were in there,” Bonnar said.
“And I don't think anybody, with the best will in the world, would look at my face across that table and not have suspicions after watching Line of Duty.
“Of course, he was egged on by Alan and as we all know, Alan isn't a Faithful. Alan saw an opportunity and jumped on it.”
Asked what it was like to finally be able to watch it back, Bonnar said: “It's great actually.
“What's great is watching it with Lucy [his wife] and the kids because we're a fan of the show and we always watch it. It's such a great series.
“It's fascinating from a personal point of view to see all the conversations that were going on while I wasn't there. Who was talking about me? Who had suspicions about who? It's brilliant, a really great thing to be part of.”
During Thursday’s episode, Sir Stephen Fry was banished after players wrongly accused him of being a Traitor. Joe Wilkinson also left the programme after he was “murdered” overnight by the Traitors.
The episode ended on a cliffhanger with host Claudia Winkleman announcing that Kate Garraway, Nick Mohammed and Lucy Beaumont are all at risk of “murder” by the Traitors – and the final victim will meet them face-to-face.
The Celebrity Traitors continues on Wednesdays and Thursdays at 9pm on BBC One.
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