Celebrity Traitors: Former Today programme host Amol Rajan is the first star to be murdered as Richard E. Grant and Maya Jama recruit James Acaster to take the heat off actor after slip-up

He made no secret of wanting to be crowned the king of Ardross Castle after signing up to Celebrity Traitors to boost his career.But former Today programme host Amol Rajan fell at the first hurdle when he was murdered by Richard E. Grant and Maya Jama following a dramatic cliffhanger from Thursday's opening episode.Viewers were left waiting for 24 hours to see if he or podcaster James Acaster would win the battle to be chosen by Richard and Maya to be the third traitor, but on Friday, fans saw that it was Amol who lost out.Host Claudia Winkleman was seen pacing back and forth before slamming the coffin shut on the broadcaster, meaning he is the first player to be eliminated.'It's game over,' he told the camera. 'It is gutting to be the first out, but James is a fantastic player, and people aren't going to suspect him, and they might suspect me. 'Maybe I was a little bit foolish with Richard, but then again, I ended up in the chapel with a nearly 50/50 chance to join their club. Former Today programme host Amol Rajan fell at the first hurdle when he was murdered by Richard E Grant and Maya Jama following a dramatic cliffhanger from Thursday's launch Television's most deceitful game show returned – and yet again proved to be a smash hit with viewers as Maya and Richard were picked as Traitors 'But do you know what? Games are games. Just like there are winners, there has to be losers. I've loved the ride.'Television's most deceitful game show returned – and yet again proved to be a smash hit with viewers.Nominated as one of Claudia Winkleman's Traitors, Richard has already made the biggest slip-up in Celebrity Traitors history. As Richard mingled with Faithful Joe Lycett in the lounge area, the comedian jumped straight in with the question: 'What are you?''A Traitor,' Richard responded with a huge grin on his face. Viewers were left waiting for 24 hours to see if he or podcaster James Acaster would win the battle to be chosen by Richard and Maya to be the third traitor Host Claudia Winkleman was seen pacing back and forth before slamming the coffin shut on the broadcaster, meaning he is the first player to be eliminated The celebrity version is more popular than ever, as the second series launch episode attracted a record-breaking 9 million viewers on Thursday, surpassing all previous premieres Unsure what to believe, Joe said: 'I think you've just done something that has never happened in the game... bold strategy.'The surprise confession has left the rest of the celebrities in a tailspin, with the actor acknowledging he will face the heat at the first round table.But James, who was pushing forward the theory Richard is a Traitor, will now be working alongside them to throw the Faithfuls off the scent. The second series launch episode attracted a record-breaking 9 million viewers on Thursday, surpassing all previous premieres for The Traitors UK.Overnight figures show the first episode peaked at just over 9 million and averaged 8.9 million viewers - up almost three million from the first celebrity series, and 2.5 million from series four of The Traitors back in January.Last year's star-studded celebrity series, featuring the likes of winner Alan Carr, Jonathan Ross, Stephen Fry, Kate Garraway and Paloma Faith, launched with a peak audience of 6.5 million viewers, averaging 6.1 million across the episode.The last civilian series opener in January garnered 6.9 million peak viewers and averaged 6.4 million views.The total audience for the episode is expected to go even higher in the coming days, with viewers who streamed the show on iPlayer yet to be counted.It also beat ratings for Strictly Come Dancing's first live show, which have plummeted since Traitors presenter Claudia Winkleman and Tess Daly stepped away.Emma Willis, Josh Widdicombe, and dancer Johannes Radebe have since replaced the iconic duo.The episode, which aired on Saturday, had a peak of 5 million viewers, down from the 6.2 million who tuned in for the same stage of last year's competition.The celebrities are playing the game in Ardross Castle in the Highlands, with a cash prize of up to £100,000 for a charity of their choice up for grabs