BBC urges viewers who know result not to spoil Celebrity Traitors final after overseas leak
The final of The Celebrity Traitors leaked online 24 hours before it was due to air on BBC One after it was uploaded in error by overseas broadcasters.
It is understood the final was seen by a few hundred people who subscribe to streaming service Crave in Canada. They were able to watch it for a couple of hours before the stream was removed.
One user had already posted a screen grab of the episode whilst many people told online forums that they had seen the show.
One X user said they had chanced upon the final on the Canadian stream but wrote: “I promise not to spoil it for you, Brits.”
A widespread leak of the final to the most-watched TV event of the year, would have been a disaster for the BBC.
The BBC urged those who believe they know the outcome of the show to “avoid sharing potential spoilers”.
The Sun reported that the Crave stream was available for 90 minutes and some fans detailed online exactly what took place in the final.
Viewers in New Zealand were also able to watch the finale early as it was streaming on ThreeNow, the streaming site for Channel 3, where the BBC show airs in New Zealand.
The BBC rushed out an urgent statement which said: ”We kindly ask anyone who thinks they know the outcome of The Celebrity Traitors to keep whatever they believe they know to themselves.”
“Please avoid sharing potential spoilers so that the millions of fans who have been faithfully following every twist and turn of the series can enjoy the final this evening.”
Asked on Wednesday by Radio 4’s Media Show if he was “terrified” of the result leaking, Celebrity Traitors producer Mike Cotton said: “There’s a small group of people who know the result and we rely on the trust of all the people who make this show to keep that secret.”
The Celebrity Traitors is currently the most-watched TV show of the year, with an average of 12.6m people across the first four episodes.
Fans will finally discover been whether traitors Cat Burns and Alan Carr will win the £100,000 prize for charity or if faithfuls Joe Marler, Nick Mohammed and David Olosuga emerge triumphant.
Thursday evening’s final episode is extended to 70 minutes on BBC One, with an extended edition of The Celebrity Traitors: Uncloaked set to air on BBC Two after the final.
