Culture 2 min read By Bethany Hadley
Romesh Ranganathan hits back at criticism over Celebrity Traitors charity donation
Romesh Ranganathan, who won the second series of the BBC game show Celebrity Traitors, has responded to public anger over the winners' donation to a refugee-related charity, calling a protest outside BBC premises insane.
Comedian Romesh Ranganathan has spoken out after a backlash over the decision by the winners of the BBC's Celebrity Traitors to give part of their prize money to a charity supporting refugees. Ranganathan, who took the title alongside actor Sebastian "Bash" Croft, has publicly responded to the criticism, which reportedly came from right-wing commentators and some viewers.
The donation followed the dramatic finale of the show's second series, in which the winners split the prize money. The decision to direct a share of it to a refugee-related charity was made by the winners themselves, and it was that choice that drew public anger. Ranganathan has since addressed the reaction directly, and described a protest held outside BBC premises as "insane".
The show airs on the BBC and sees contestants take on roles as either traitors or faithfuls. Its format places the winners in control of how the prize is allocated, which is why the donation sat at the centre of the debate rather than the result of the game itself. The reporting available does not establish how large the protest was, who organised it, or how long it lasted.
Several details remain unconfirmed. The full wording of Ranganathan's response has not been published in the sources reviewed, and it is unclear whether the BBC has issued any formal statement on the matter. The charity's own response has not been reported. What is clear is that a light-entertainment prize split has become a point of public argument over where charitable money should go, with the programme's winners at the centre of it.
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