I'm a TV expert - here's why Celebrity Traitors made huge mistake casting Stephen Fry

When the line-up for BBC reality series Celebrity Traitors was originally announced earlier this year, I could barely believe what I was seeing. Sir Stephen Fry, actress Celia Imrie, comedian Alan Carr? Where were the Katie Prices, the Kerry Katonas? Missing too were the ex-Love Island contestants, the shamed politicians and the random DJs that speckle many an I'm A Celeb roster.

Sure, I could see Jonathan Ross eventually being desperate enough to sign up for a stint in the ITV jungle. And there were a few names who have popped up on the occasional celebrity spin-off or comedy panel show over the years - Tom Daley, Lucy Beaumont, Kate Garraway. But the mix of high-profile names, dare I say A-listers? It was totally unexpected.

And the more I watch of the new celeb version, the more I think the whole casting was a mistake.

For one thing, The Traitors is a whirlwind of cringe. Its cheesiness is one of the elements that draws fans to it year after year, and there's nothing wrong with that. But coupled with celebrities boasting net worths in the tens of millions (Fry is reportedly worth around £30million, while Alan Carr is said to be worth around £11million), pretending to be invested in the games like it truly is life or death... is actually rather agonising.

Jonathan Ross has already come forward and said he didn't enjoy his experience on the competition. He's even warned his other famous pals not to sign up for series two, admitting on the Reel Talk podcast: "I've had two celebrity friends of mine call me and say, 'I've been approached - is it good to do, is it bad to do?'

"So I'm giving them the benefit of my experience, which was I didn't enjoy it. I found the lying really wearing, it left me feeling increasingly uncomfortable."

Of course, they're competing for their chosen charities, which surely adds a frisson of high-stakes. But plenty of these people are rich enough to donate their own cash to good causes - plenty of them already do! There's really no reason for these famous people to be digging their own graves or lying in coffins just for TV.

Worse still is just how self-aware they all are. Most of the cast are telly veterans, and know exactly how to act in front of the cameras. It takes away the element of believability present in the non-celeb version, where audiences can really buy into the fact that the contestants have no idea what's coming next.

The contestants who are, let's say, slightly less famous also seem to know exactly where in the pecking order they lie. They constantly defer to Stephen for answers, and players have even suggested he couldn't be the first eliminated - likely because the BBC has done an excellent job getting him to sign up in the first place.

The biggest surprise of the series for me would be if Stephen is voted out within the first three roundtables. Alan Carr will likely hang on until the end, and I can't see Clare Balding or Celia Imrie being ditched any time soon simply because they're some of the biggest names ever secured for a reality gameshow.

So, BBC, bring back the Z-listers. At least we know where we stand with them.