Claudia Winkleman's 'Traitorous' S Club 7 Interview Resurfaces as 'Celebrity Traitors' Achieves Record Ratings
A resurfaced interview from 2003, where Claudia Winkleman questioned S Club 7 about their finances, has gained traction online as her show 'Celebrity Traitors' premieres to its highest ratings.
Claudia Winkleman has returned to television, with the latest installment of "Celebrity Traitors" drawing record-breaking ratings. As millions tune in to watch Winkleman host the competition, a notable moment from her past interview with the pop group S Club 7 in 2003 has resurfaced on social media, with fans dubbing it her most "traitorous" TV moment.
The resurfaced clip was shared on Instagram by Colin Patterson, Winkleman's former co-host on BBC's "Liquid News." In the interview, Winkleman questioned the S Club 7 members, including Jo O'Meara, Bradley McIntosh, Hannah Spearritt, Jon Lee, Rachel Stevens, Tina Barrett, and Paul Cattermole, about their manager Simon Fuller's finances and rumors that the group was unhappy about their earnings.
Winkleman asked, "Mr Simon Fuller has 90 million in the bank. There are rumours that you guys are grumpy because you guys haven't made mint..." When the group members attempted to deflect the question, Winkleman pressed further. The interview took a turn when the group's publicist entered the studio and demanded Winkleman stop asking the questions, leading to the group walking off set.
Winkleman defended her line of questioning at the time, stating that the information had been reported in the press and that she had not been given prior notice about topics to avoid. "Liquid News" aired the full interview, and Winkleman maintained that the band members had seemed amenable to the discussion.
Meanwhile, the premiere of "Celebrity Traitors" achieved its highest ratings to date, with overnight figures indicating a peak of just over nine million viewers and an average of 8.9 million. This figure surpasses the initial viewership of previous seasons, including the first "Celebrity Traitors" which averaged 6.1 million viewers, and the civilian series premiere which garnered 6.4 million.
The success of "The Traitors" with Winkleman at the helm stands in contrast to the ratings slump experienced by "Strictly Come Dancing" after its new hosting lineup was unveiled. "Celebrity Traitors" saw Winkleman select Maya Jama and Richard E. Grant as the season's traitors. Early in the season, Richard E. Grant made a significant misstep by revealing he was a traitor to contestant Joe Lycett, a move that surprised Lycett and was described as a bold strategy.
The first episode concluded on a cliffhanger, with the contestants debating Richard E. Grant's status as a traitor. As the round table discussion reached its peak, Winkleman announced the end of the talk, leaving viewers without seeing the final eliminations. The abrupt ending frustrated fans who had to wait until the next episode to discover the outcome. "Celebrity Traitors" airs on Thursday nights at 8 p.m. on BBC One.