Joe Lycett has revealed the shockingly strict rules set for the cast of Famous Traitors season two.
The stand-up comedian is among 21 famous faces taking part in the second series of the star-studded BBC spin-off, which features musicians, Hollywood stars and a host of comics.
Filming took place in the spring, the content of the series was kept secret; So much so that the cast is given clear guidelines on how to avoid questions about the show, Lycett has now revealed.
The Birmingham-based comedian shared these recommendations during an appearance on Joe Marler Will See You Now, a podcast hosted by fellow Celebrity Traitors star Marler.
Lycett read out an email listing what can—and can’t—be said about the upcoming series (Joe Marler See ya/YouTube)
“How was it?” asked Marler, who reached the final as Faithful but lost the money to traitor Alan Carr at the last minute, with co-host Jake Bhardwaj asking: “What can you say? Are you allowed to say anything?”
Lycett explained that he “signed NDAs (non-disclosure agreements) all over the place” so he was not allowed to discuss the show in detail.
“I’ll tell you what I’ll do,” he said, pulling his phone out of his pocket to reveal an email sent by the show’s publicists about what he could and couldn’t say in interviews about the show.
Reading from his phone, Lycett reiterated: “In an ideal world nothing would be said at all, but of course that may not be realistic given how much attention there will inevitably be.”
Celebrity Betrayal finalist Joe Marler was confused by the rules (Joe Marler Will See You Now/YouTube)
Joking that there was “arrogance” in the message, Lycett continued to read: “If the question cannot be avoided…”, asking Marler: “Is it possible to avoid the question?”
“The question is, how did you find the Traitors?” Marler repeated, and Lycett returned to the message: “The best answer would be short and simple. We’ve put together some suggestions for what to say below.”
The pair then “acted out” some of the suggested answers, and Marler asked him again how the Traitors were doing.
“Well, as you can imagine, I can’t say anything, but I’m excited,” Lycette replied. “I loved the first episode, so being in this castle is my dream.” This is what they sent me and I can say… “Glad to be involved. I can’t say anything more at this stage.”
Lycett is one of many comedians taking part in the second series (PA Wire).
Reading further, Lycett moved on to the “do not mention” portion of the letter, reporting that he was told not to “refer to the rest of the cast or other players, say whether you prefer to be Traitor or Loyal, describe how you will play the game, mention filming dates or locations, etc.”
“Are you allowed to wear a watch?” Marler asked, and Lycette stuttered before returning to the phone, saying, “As you can imagine, I can’t say anything, but I’m excited.”
“Did you do a good job?” asked Bhardwaj. “I loved the first episode,” Lycett said with a laugh.
The second series of Famous Traitors, once again hosted by Claudia Winkleman, will air later this year.