Richard Osman unleashes furious rant at Celebrity Traitors backlash

Richard Osman hits out at 'idiots' being 'pathetic' about the Celebrity Traitors final in an impassioned rant.

The BBC hit show came to an end last week.

Faithfuls Romesh Ranganathan and Sebastian 'Bash' Croft were crowned winners.

Each scooped £41,500 for their chosen charities.

Romesh chose Choose Love.

Bash chose the Refugee Council.

Choose Love supports gay and trans refugees.

The Refugee Council supports refugees fleeing their homes.

On the Rest Is Entertainment podcast, co-host Marina Hyde said critics accused the final of being a 'stitch-up.'

Critics also alleged 'some form of BBC bias.'

Osman responded strongly.

"It turns out a lot of those people are idiots," he said.

"Or it's possible that they're very clever and they have an agenda, because they ain't right."

"To accuse the BBC of bias in this shows, first of all, a fundamental misunderstanding of how you make a television programme."

"Even in a conspiracist culture, this is one too far."

"It's pathetic," he added.

"Do you know what? I'm done with it."

"It's genuinely so pathetic."

Osman pointed out the scale of the show's audience.

"15 million people watched" the latest season, he said.

Only around "a thousand people are being t***s about it."

He illustrated his point with a metaphor.

"That's like being in a championship football game with 15,000 people [where] 14,999 [are] cheering, and [there's] just one idiot who's not happy."

Osman argued that winners should be free to direct their prize money as they choose.

"Be incredibly popular and successful, then go on a hugely successful game show and then be the smartest player on that entire show, and show empathy and gameplay and intelligence."

"Then you can give money to whoever it is that you want to."

"And you don't have to be telling other people who to give money to."

"You don't know who Romesh and [Sebastian] give money to all year round."

He pointed to Romesh's long history of benefit appearances as evidence of good intentions.

Osman also pushed back on complaints about licence fee money being used.

"Stop wetting your pants about everything," he said.

"Stop saying, 'it all comes out of licence fee money' – you cannot be that stupid."

"You cannot be that stupid to not know that The Traitors makes a fortune for the BBC."

The show is produced by Studio Lambert.

It airs on BBC One in the UK.

The format originated in the Netherlands.

Celebrity Traitors is a spin-off of the main series.

The show features famous contestants playing as either Faithfuls or Traitors.

Faithfuls must identify and banish the Traitors.

Traitors must eliminate Faithfuls without being caught.

The final episode aired on BBC One last week.

Ranganathan is a comedian and TV presenter.

Croft is an actor known for his role in the TV series 'The Crown.'

Choose Love is a charity that supports refugees.

It has been criticized for its stance on the Israel-Gaza conflict.

The charity recently accused Israel of 'genocide' in its war on Hamas in Gaza.

The Refugee Council provides support to refugees in the UK.

Online backlash focused on the charities' political stances.

One X user posted: "With so many overlooked and deserving charities desperately needing support, why does the BBC keep pushing the same agenda?"

Another wrote: "Fixed from the beginning."

Osman's co-host on the podcast is Marina Hyde.

Hyde is a journalist and columnist for The Guardian.

The two have hosted Rest Is Entertainment since 2023.

The podcast covers TV, film, and media news.

Osman is also a bestselling author.

He wrote the Thursday Murder Club series.

He previously worked as a TV producer and presenter.

Osman was a producer on the quiz show Pointless.

He also co-created the show.

The Traitors has been a ratings success for the BBC.

The first season averaged over 5 million viewers.

The celebrity version also attracted strong ratings.

The show's format has been sold to multiple countries.

Versions air in the US, Australia, and Canada.

The US version is hosted by Alan Cumming.

It airs on Peacock.

The UK version is hosted by Claudia Winkleman.

The show has won multiple awards.

The backlash against the finale was not universal.

Many viewers praised the winners.

Some criticized the online reaction as overblown.

Osman's rant has divided opinion.

Some support his defense of the show.

Others argue the criticism is valid.

The BBC has not officially commented on the backlash.

The network typically does not respond to individual complaints.

Ranganathan and Croft have not publicly responded to the criticism.