Romesh Ranganathan and Sebastian Croft win The Celebrity Traitors, and their charity choices draw debate
Romesh Ranganathan and Sebastian Croft won the second series of The Celebrity Traitors and will split the £83,000 prize between two refugee charities, the Refugee Council and Choose Love. Their choice has drawn debate.
Left 0 · Centre-left 4 · Centre 1 · Centre-right 1 · Right 4
ContextSources by leanVideoDeep diveFollow the moneyMore coverage
How each side framed it
Left-leaning outlets
Left-rated outlets headline it: “Choose Love: Sebastian Croft’s chosen charity says star's Celebrity Traitors win will save lives” (The Independent); “Celebrity Traitors winner Romesh 'terrified' of co-star and predicts they will come for him” (Daily Mirror).
Centre outlets
Centre-rated outlets headline it: “'It's been killing me!' Celebrity Traitors winners relieved the secret is out” (BBC News).
Right-leaning outlets
Right-rated outlets headline it: “Sebastian Croft’s chosen charity ‘deeply grateful’ after Celebrity Traitors win” (Evening Standard); “Maya Jama reveals she donated her own fee to charity after failing to win Celebrity Traitors” (The Sun).
Context
The wider geopolitical and historical background, in our words, each point linked to the source it comes from. Background, not a verdict on today's story. How we write it.
The Celebrity Traitors is the BBC's celebrity version of The Traitors, in which 'Faithfuls' try to find hidden 'Traitors'.
- The Traitors is based on the Dutch format De Verraders. The Traitors (British TV series)
- Romesh Ranganathan is a British comedian and presenter. Romesh Ranganathan
Checked 2026-11-02. Links were opened and returned a page that day.
Search for more (live results, not checked by us): Wikipedia search · Explainers (Google News search) · Background and history (Google News search)
Sources by lean
Balanced: the same number of articles from the left, the centre and the right (up to 3 each). The bar above still counts every rated outlet we found. Bias and factual ratings come from Media Bias/Fact Check. How we balance · All ratings.
Left 1
Showing 1 from each side of 10 rated outlets (L 4 / C 1 / R 5). Capped at 1 because that is all we found on the thinnest side. More coverage
Video
News reports from outlets with a bias rating, balanced like the articles: the same number from the left, the centre and the right. A side with no matching video is named, never padded. Every video was checked to exist on YouTube on the day; titles are the publishers' own. Links open YouTube; nothing from YouTube loads on this page. How we pick.
Left 0
No left-rated outlet video found for this story. We don't fill the gap with an unrelated video.
Centre 0
No centre-rated outlet video found for this story. We don't fill the gap with an unrelated video.
Right 0
No right-rated outlet video found for this story. We don't fill the gap with an unrelated video.
No rated outlet video found yet.
YouTube searches (live results, not checked or balanced by us): News videos · Explainers · Podcasts
Deep dive
The two opposites side by side, seeking to understand rather than judge. These are possible readings of the coverage, built from the articles linked on this page; they are not claims about anyone's motives. How we write it.
Seen from the left
“Celebrity Traitors winner Romesh 'terrified' of co-star and predicts they will come for him” Daily Mirror
A possible reading: backing refugee charities is a generous use of the prize.
Seen from the right
A possible reading: the choice of charity is fair game for debate.
Open questions
- How was the prize money split?
Follow the money
Not yet researched. We haven't yet looked at who gains or loses financially from this story, or who funds the main voices on each side. When we do, we check company filings, the Electoral Commission donations register, lobbying registers, annual reports, InfluenceMap and OpenSecrets, and we apply the same checks to every side. How we follow the money.
Who owns or funds the outlets covering this story (10 outlets)
| Outlet | Lean | Ownership & funding (MBFC) |
|---|---|---|
| Daily Mirror | Centre-left | British Publishing Company Reach plc (formerly Trinity Mirror) owns The Daily Mirror. Revenue is generated through digital advertising, print ads, and subscription fees. source |
| The Herald (Scotland) | Centre-left | The Glasgow Herald is published by Herald & Times Group, which is owned by Newsquest Media Group Ltd. Newsquest is the second-largest publisher in the United Kingdom, publishing 205 brands including 165 newspapers. Further, Newsquest is owned by US-based Gannett which publishes USA Today. source |
| The Independent | Centre-left | The Independent is owned by Independent Print Limited, a company owned by the Lebedev family (Alexander Lebedev and his son Evgeny Lebedev). In 2017, Saudi Businessman Sultan Muhammad Abuljadayel bought a 30% stake in the Independent online newspaper. Advertising and subscription generate revenue for the paper..push({}); source |
| The National (Scotland) | Centre-left | The National is operated by Newsquest Media Group Ltd., a UK-based local media publisher. Newsquest is a wholly owned subsidiary of USA TODAY Co., Inc., the media company formerly known as Gannett Company, which also controls AZthe USA TODAY Network of national and local news outlets in the United States and regional titles in the United Kingdom. Revenue is generated from advertising and subscription sales source |
| BBC News | Centre | The BBC operates under a Royal Charter. Oversight is managed by the BBC Board, and regulatory authority rests with Ofcom. source |
| Evening Standard | Centre-right | The newspaper is majority-owned by Russian businessman and former KGB agent Alexander Lebedev and the Daily Mail and General Trust. Revenue is generated through advertising. source |
| Daily Mail | Right | The Daily Mail is published by Associated Newspapers Limited, part of Daily Mail and General Trust (DMGT). DMGT is controlled by the Rothermere family and is 100% owned by Rothermere Continuation Limited. Jonathan Harmsworth, 4th Viscount Rothermere, serves as Chairman..push({}); DMGT became privately owned after delisting from the London Stock Exchange in 2022. source |
| GB News | Right | GB News lacks transparency as they do not disclose ownership. A search reveals that London-based ALL Perspectives Ltd owns GB News. According to Reuters, the television channel “secured millions of dollars from investors such as Discovery Inc, Legatum and hedge fund manager Paul Marshall. source |
| The Sun | Right | The Sun is published by the News Group Newspapers division of News UK, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp. The paper generates revenue through advertising, newsstand sales, and subscriptions. source |
| The Telegraph | Right | Telegraph Media Group (TMG) owns The Telegraph, which is owned by Press Acquisitions Ltd., which in turn is owned by Sir David and Sir Frederick Barclay. In 2004, Twin Brothers Sir David and Sir Frederick Barclay acquired the Daily Telegraph and the Sunday Telegraph from the Canadian media company Hollinger Inc. for £665 million. For a complete list of Board members, see here. source |