As Miranda Hart prepares to step into the intrigue of Celebrity Traitors, Jemimah Wright explores why this beloved comedian’s lightness of spirit might be exactly what the show, and its viewers, need.
There are certain people who make me laugh easily, and actress, Miranda Hart is one of them. So I was excited about the recent news that she will be appearing on the next Celebrity Traitors. A programme built on tension, strategy and suspicion, will be now infused with her unmistakable warmth and self-effacing humour.
The announcement was made as part of the official cast reveal for the upcoming BBC series, with Miranda joining a star-studded line-up including Michael Sheen, Richard E. Grant, Maya Jama, Joe Lycett and Romesh Ranganathan.
For the uninitiated, Celebrity Traitors follows a group of well-known faces as they gather in a remote castle to play a psychological game of trust and betrayal. A handful are secretly chosen as “traitors,” while the rest remain “faithfuls.” The faithful must work together to identify and banish the traitors before they themselves are eliminated. It’s gripping, often intense viewing, alliances form, doubts creep in, and even the most confident players can find themselves second-guessing everything.
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Not known for her poker-face, it will be interesting to see how far Miranda gets in the show
Not known for her poker-face, it will be interesting to see how far Miranda gets in the show, but we will be cheering her on here at Woman Alive. In 2024 we wrote about her marriage at age 51, a beautiful reminder that hope and love are never off the table, no matter the season of life.
What makes Miranda so beloved isn’t just her comedic brilliance, but her willingness to be vulnerable. She has an extraordinary gift for making people feel at ease by laughing at herself first. And perhaps that’s why her presence on a show like Celebrity Traitors is so great. Because beyond the gameplay and intrigue, what she carries is a child-like, often slapstick, joy.
Joy is not a trivial thing. In fact, Scripture has a great deal to say about it. The Bible mentions joy hundreds of times, it is woven throughout the story of God’s relationship with his people. We are told that “the joy of the Lord is your strength” (Nehemiah 8:10), and in Galatians 5, joy is listed as a fruit of the Spirit. This is not fleeting happiness dependent on circumstances, but something deeper, more resilient.
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A few years ago I interviewed Samaa Habib about dying in a bomb, going to heaven and meeting Jesus. She said joy is the “currency of heaven.” We don’t often think of God as one who laughs, but the Bible gives us glimpses of divine delight, of a Creator who rejoices over his people with singing (Zephaniah 3:17). Joy, then, is not an optional extra in the Christian life, it is central. And that is why it matters that we laugh too.
In a format built on suspicion and strategy, Miranda’s instinctive joyfulness may well prove to be her greatest strength. Or perhaps her greatest vulnerability. Either way, it will be compelling to watch. Because while others may be calculating their next move, she may simply be reminding us, through a well-timed glance at the camera or an awkwardly brilliant moment, that not everything needs to be taken quite so seriously.
READ MORE: What The Devil Wears Prada teaches Christian women about female leadership in marriage
In the end, Celebrity Traitors will crown its winners and expose its deceivers. But for many of us, the real gift will be watching someone who embodies joy step into the midst of it all, and, quite possibly, change the atmosphere. And that is something worth tuning in for!
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