Celebrity Traitors fans think everyone missed Joe Lycett’s ‘total foot in mouth moment’

| Senior TV Reporter Published October 6, 2026 12:04pm Updated October 6, 2026 12:04pm To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video It’s the moment that Michael Sheen called out at the Celebrity Traitors roundtable. Yet still some BBC viewers think sufficient ink has not been spilled over Joe Lycett’s appraisal of Julie Hesmondhalgh’s acting ability. Enter this article. Lycett may not think the former Corrie star is a Traitor, but whether he believes she’s any good as an actress is another entirely matter, which was left open-ended. Speaking at the roundtable, he said: ‘Obviously I’m going to say this, I’m not a Traitor. But I also wrote down when I got back on the first night that if Julie is a Traitor she is – and I put in caps – a phenomenal actress. Because I just don’t believe that you are a Traitor.’ Well-acknowledged Phenomenal Actor Michael Sheen then quipped: ‘So you’re saying she’s not a phenomenal actress?’ Lycett had the good sense to look slightly embarrassed, but didn’t exactly mount a defence of Hesmondhalgh’s talents, for which she has nabbed a National Television Award and a British Soap Award. Joe Lycett had the good sense to look slightly embarrassed afterwards (Picture: BBC) Phenomenal Actor Michael Sheen quipped: ‘So you’re saying she’s not a phenomenal actress?’ (Picture: BBC) But Hesmondhalgh seemed to take it in her stride, replying with a quizzical ‘Thanks?!’ before she added: ‘I think that I would be playing a very bold if I was doing the amount of talking that I’ve been doing over the last couple of days and to be a Traitor.’ The moment was shared to the over-active Traitors UK Reddit thread, where @cwtches10 pointed out: ‘In all the Richard [E Grant] madness I feel we skimmed over Joe’s total foot in mouth moment.’ In the replies underneath @Automatic-Lock8728 wrote: ‘Michael was so quick with that,’ while @WumbleInTheJungle said they had been thinking of the exact same gag, adding: ‘Michael’s delivery still made me laugh.’ The suspicion around Hesmondhalgh arose from the chapel moment that kicked off the second series, in which they as a group elected her the most trustworthy person in the line-up. Julie Hesmondhalgh has come under suspicion after receiving the first shield of the series (Picture: BBC) Despite making the decision themselves, when Hesmondhalgh was subsequently given a shield by host Claudia Winkleman, the moment raised celeb eyebrows and left some wondering if it had more bearing on the game than they had initially anticipated. Defending herself at the roundtable, the soap star said of the shield: ‘I felt it came so easily and so quickly that I was ecstatic to receive it and then wondered whether it was a poisoned chalice.’ The roundtable ultimately ended on a cliffhanger, even though BBC viewers believe it’s clear exactly which celeb will be packing their bags (hint: it’s another Phenomenal Actor). Deals of the Day Kurt Geiger's new Notting Hill collection is a love letter to London's chaotic weather I’ve found the Hoover gadget that could make cleaning your floors so much easier I tried L'Oréal Paris's new PDRN serum and my skin looked glossier after one use This new Cricut gadget turns your favourite photos into stickers in minutes From kitchen hatches to burgundy walls – the biggest home trends for 2027 The Celebrity Traitors returns on BBC One and iPlayer on Thursday at 8pm. Arrow MORE: BBC Radio 4 presenter Justin Webb taken off air after ‘struggling with his throat’ Arrow MORE: If Richard E Grant exits Celebrity Traitors this lethal player could change the game Arrow MORE: Who was first star eliminated from Strictly Come Dancing 2026 in ‘heartbreaking’ result? TV Newsletter Sign up and tell us which TV shows you love to watch to get personalised updates every morning.