Richard Osman launches into foul-mouthed rant following Celebrity Traitors backlash

Richard Osman addressed the right-wing backlash to Friday night’s finale, which was watched by many millions of people (Picture: Ken McKay/ITV/Shutterstock) Richard Osman has hit out at the response to the Celebrity Traitors finale, which saw Romesh Ranganathan and Sebastian Croft take it home for the Faithful. The Thursday Murder Club author, who is a self-professed megafan of the BBC parlour game show, addressed the right-wing backlash to Ranganathan and Croft’s chosen charities, both of which aid refugees. During their crowning moment on Friday night’s finale, the Heartstopper star said he had selected Choose Love, which supports refugees and displaced people, particularly those who are in the LGBTQ+ community, while the comedian chose the Refugee Council, which also supports those who have been forced to flee their home and are seeking safety in the UK. The less said about those voicing the backlash, the better, but Osman took a chunk of the latest episode of The Rest is Entertainment podcast to call out those who dubbed the result ‘BBC bias’ and a ‘stitch-up’. His co-host Marina Hyde said: ‘Even in a conspiracist culture, this is one too far,’ to which the author cut in and instead labelled it ‘pathetic’. He continued: ‘I’m done with it. It’s genuinely so pathetic. 15million people watched that. Let’s say 1,000 people are being t***s about it. That’s like being in a Championship football game, 15,000 people watching, 14,999 cheering, and just one idiot who’s not happy.’ Romesh Ranganathan and Sebastian Croft took it home for the Faithful (Picture: BBC/Studio Lambert/Paul Chappells) To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video He added: ‘I tell you what, be incredibly popular and successful and then go on a hugely successful game show and then be the smartest player on that entire show and show empathy and show gameplay and show intelligence. Then you can give money to whoever it is that you want to.’ Hyde had a similar opinion, chipping in to ask: ‘I would say to the people, what have you done?’ Osman agreed, then adding: ‘Don’t jump on the back of a show that’s made by incredibly talented people, that has been a hit, which is not something you’ve been able to do in your lifetime. ‘The second you do, you will find that things change for you and you will find that you can then demand things and you can find that you can change culture in the way you want to do it. Until that moment, you know what? Just let other more talented people do the thing that they want to do. ‘Let people be free. Let people think freely because that’s what you’re supposed to think about. And I’m really sorry that two people who wanted to give money to refugees won this show. But that’s the world that you are living in. Different people think different things to you.’ Osman lambasted the naysayers and pointed out they are a tiny minority of the viewership (Picture: The Rest Is Entertainment/Goalhanger) ‘I am so pleased to find you off your fence this Monday morning. I love it here,’ Hyde jokingly told him (Picture: The Rest Is Entertainment/Goalhanger) He went on to dispel the suggestion that the winnings should not be coming out of licence fee money if they are going to such causes, adding: ‘You cannot be that stupid to not know that Traitors makes a fortune for the BBC.’ Osman added: ‘This is giving huge amounts of money back to the BBC. This is not something that’s a drain on licence fee payers.’ He noted that the ‘absurdity’ of culture means that ‘we have to listen to these people’, before pointing out that the vast majority of BBC viewers will not have had the outraged reaction that came from certain quarters. ‘Stop co-opting the fact that other people have done extraordinary things and made something and made a series of correct decisions about what people want and have done it brilliantly,’ said Osman. ‘And suddenly it’s a hit. And all you can do is go,’ he then trailed off into a childish impersonation. He concluded the lengthy speech by saying: ‘I mean, f*** off. You know? But really, f*** off. His former Guardian columnist co-host was clearly shocked by his passionate delivery and jokingly replied: ‘I am so pleased to find you off your fence this Monday morning. I love it here.’ Deals of the Day QVC shoppers can save £159 on Elemis' biggest beauty gift set of the year This Hoover vacuum is a game-changer for pet owners and muddy homes The wellbeing brand behind everyone's favourite candles has launched its biggest sale yet See London's Christmas lights from an open-top double-decker bus this winter My skin always suffers when the heating goes on but this serum changed that Celebrity Traitors is available to stream on BBC iPlayer. Arrow MORE: Romesh Ranganathan admits he feels ‘really bad’ in grilling on Celebrity Traitors feud rumours Arrow MORE: James Acaster reveals Jerry Hall confrontation ‘cut’ from Celebrity Traitors Arrow MORE: Line of Duty season 7 launch date ‘revealed’ – and there isn’t long to wait TV Newsletter Sign up and tell us which TV shows you love to watch to get personalised updates every morning.