Celebrity Traitors winners Romesh Ranganathan and Sebastian Croft have responded to criticism over their decision to donate their prize money to refugee charities.
The 48-year-old comedian and 24-year-old actor each secured £41,500 for their chosen causes, Refugee Council and Choose Love.
Their victory sparked claims online that the final had been a “stitch-up” or evidence of alleged “BBC bias”, with some critics questioning where the prize money would be donated.
The Refugee Council helps people who have been forced to leave their homes and are seeking protection in the UK. Choose Love supports refugees, including gay and trans people, and has recently accused Israel of “genocide” during its war against Hamas in Gaza.
The charities’ involvement prompted a wave of backlash online, which The Rest Is Entertainment host Richard Osman dismissed as the work of “idiots being pathetic”.
Speaking on Sebastian’s podcast, The Sunday Scaries, the pair discussed their reaction to the criticism and the wider debate surrounding their donations.
Sebastian, who is known as Bash, described the donations to Choose Love and the Refugee Council as his “Slay Of The Week”. Both men also acknowledged that the controversy may have helped draw attention to the causes they support.
Celebrity Traitors winners Romesh Ranganathan and Sebastian Croft have spoken out after facing criticism for donating their prize money to refugee charities
Faithfuls Romesh and Sebastian won the series, securing £41,500 each for their selected charities, Choose Love and the Refugee Council
Romesh recalled a comment Bash had made, saying: “You texted it to me like it was such an interesting thing. You said, ‘If that’s how they feel about the donation, imagine how they talk about the actual people and imagine how they feel about the actual people.’”
He also revealed that his wife, Lisa, had been worried after seeing reports and social media posts about the backlash.
Romesh said: “Lisa, my wife, was slightly worried because she saw all these articles about it. She asked me, ‘Are you upset about it?’ And I said, ‘Actually, I think it’s kind of good. I feel good about it.’”
The comedian said some of the direct messages he received had been hostile, while others were supportive. He explained: “You get comments saying, ‘This is a disgrace,’ and that they were the real traitors all along and all that stuff.”
He added: “But I’ve also had lots of DMs from people saying, ‘It’s so cool that you did that,’ and sending much love to me and Bash for doing it.”
Romesh then joked about one critic who warned him that his career was at risk because of his choice of charity.
He said: “Somebody messaged me saying, ‘Read the room. Retract your donation immediately. Your career is in deep trouble.’ And I thought, ‘Okay, mate. Relax.’ I don’t think so. I’m on everything!”
He praised Bash for taking the criticism in his stride, saying: “I think it’s a really good thing. I feel like I’m patronising you by saying this, but for someone your age, your attitude is so good. Your immediate reaction was, ‘This is a great thing.’ I think you said it was ‘low-key a slay.’”
The comedian, 48, and actor, 24, defended their decision to donate £41,500 each to the Refugee Council and Choose Love
Romesh explained that he selected the Refugee Council because he had become frustrated with what he described as hostile rhetoric aimed at refugees.
He said: “I’d become so fed up with the rhetoric against refugees and the way these people are demonised. I understand that people have different opinions.”
He continued: “But I feel like refugees are being used as a distraction tactic, with people being directed towards them as someone to blame. That’s my personal opinion, so please don’t come at me any more than you already have.”
Romesh said it had been particularly meaningful that he and Bash had independently chosen charities supporting refugees, adding that the reaction had created an important conversation.
“It was so cool to see Richard Osman talking about it on The Rest Is Entertainment,” he said. “The angry voices have been amplified because that’s the fun angle, right?”
He added: “But lots of people have shown their support, and those objecting have almost galvanised the people who think it’s a lovely thing. That back and forth has actually been really positive.”
Bash said the pair had not discussed their preferred charities before the result because neither expected to win.
He said: “It was so funny when we reached the end and realised we had both chosen refugee charities. Nobody had really discussed it because we didn’t expect to win. It felt like such a lovely moment at the time.”
He added: “But seeing the reaction made me think: if that is how people respond to a game show donating money to vulnerable people, imagine how difficult it must be for those navigating that system.”
Richard Osman recently addressed the controversy on The Rest Is Entertainment, describing the critics of the Celebrity Traitors final as “idiots” who were being “pathetic”.
During the podcast, Osman’s co-host Marina Hyde noted that some viewers had branded the result a “stitch-up” and suggested it reflected “some form of BBC bias”.
The winners’ charity choices also drew criticism online. One user on X wrote: “With so many overlooked and deserving charities desperately needing support, why does the BBC keep pushing the same agenda?”
Another claimed: “Fixed from the beginning.”
The Refugee Council supports people forced to flee their homes and seek safety in the UK, while Choose Love supports refugees, including gay and trans people
Osman said: “It turns out a lot of those people are idiots. Or perhaps they are very clever and have an agenda, because they are not right.”
He argued that claims of BBC bias showed “a fundamental misunderstanding” of how television programmes are made, adding that even in a culture dominated by conspiracy theories, the accusation went too far.
“It’s pathetic. Do you know what? I’m done with it. It’s genuinely so pathetic.”
The author and broadcaster pointed out that around 15 million people had watched the latest series, while only “a thousand people” were behaving offensively online.
He compared the backlash to being at a football match attended by 15,000 people, with 14,999 cheering and just one person complaining.
Richard continued: “Be incredibly popular and successful, then go on a hugely successful game show, become the smartest player on it and demonstrate empathy, gameplay and intelligence. Then give your money to whoever you want.”
He added: “You don’t have to tell other people where to donate. You don’t know who Romesh and Sebastian support throughout the year.”
“Look at the benefits Romesh has taken part in all year and the different people he has supported. If he wants to give money to the Refugee Council, that is his decision.”
Osman also criticised those attacking a programme that had become a major hit, saying: “Don’t jump on the back of a show made by incredibly talented people that has been successful — something you have not managed to do in your lifetime.”
He continued: “The moment you do have a hit, things change. You can demand things and influence culture in the way you want. Until then, let more talented people do the work they want to do.”
“Let people be free and think freely. I’m sorry that two people who wanted to give money to refugees won the show, but that is the world you live in. Different people believe different things.”
Osman also rejected complaints that the prize money came directly from the licence fee.
He said: “Stop panicking about everything. Stop saying it all comes out of licence fee money. You cannot be that stupid. The Traitors makes a fortune for the BBC and brings huge amounts of money back to it. This show is not a drain on licence fee payers.”
Celebrity Traitors has delivered strong ratings for the BBC and operates under the broadcaster’s strict impartiality rules, which are set out in its charter.
The other finalists also played for a range of charities. Leigh-Anne Pinnock supported the British Red Cross Society, James Blunt chose the Blue Marine Foundation and King Kenny played for Rethink Mental Illness.
Discussing claims that the Celebrity Traitors final was a “stitch-up”, Richard Osman said accusing the BBC of bias showed a fundamental misunderstanding of television production
Other celebrities selected causes including Unicef, Astriid, Alzheimer’s Society, the Matt Palmer Trust, The King’s Trust and Longfield Community Hospice.
Choose Love is set to receive half of Croft’s £83,000 prize. The organisation has stated on its website that Palestinians “are still experiencing a genocide”.
Last year, Choose Love backed an open letter signed by celebrities including Gary Lineker, calling on the Government to stop arms sales to Israel and “end Gaza complicity”.
Explaining his choice, Croft said: “It’s an organisation I used to volunteer with. The money will support refugees and displaced people, particularly queer refugees and displaced people. They are simply the best organisation.”
However, Conservative MP Jack Rankin criticised the charity, saying: “When activists openly misuse charitable status to promote an extremist agenda, it should concern us all.”
He added: “It is doubly shocking that our licence fee, which we have no choice but to pay, is being directed towards causes opposed to the national interest.”
“The BBC is supposed to be impartial and should not be handing money to political activists.”
“If they had any backbone, they would refuse to let public funds bankroll pro-migrant crusades.”
Choose Love also funded a legal challenge against the former Conservative government’s policy of sending asylum seekers to Rwanda to have their claims processed.
The organisation confirmed that it covered staff costs for charity Asylum Aid, which brought — and lost — a High Court challenge against the policy. The scheme was ultimately ruled lawful.
