A Deadline article has revealed that Kate Phillips, BBC Chief Content Officer, revealed a key aspect of The Traitors UK while talking to The Rest Is Entertainment hosts Marina Hyde and Richard Osman. She admitted that Alan Cumming, who hosts the US version of the show, was originally asked to host the UK version of The Traitors instead of the talented Claudia Winkleman. Unfortunately, the Scottish Actor couldn’t commit to the dates for the UK’s filming schedule and had to politely decline.
“Full disclosure, we did ask Alan if he would do it, but he couldn’t do our dates,” Phillips said while on The Rest Is Entertainment.
Some might have expected some juicy reason for why Alan Cumming refused to participate in the UK version of The Traitors, but it simply boils down to scheduling conflicts. Cumming is an incredibly popular actor and had a huge number of projects in 2022, including the US version of the reality show. The Scottish actor has noticeably been somewhat unyielding about his schedule, even delaying the filming of Avengers: Doomsday so that he can film his scenes for The Traitors US.
This admittance shouldn’t take away from his replacement, Claudia Winkleman’s performance in any way. She is most famous for co-hosting Strictly Come Dancing since 2004, but has had a variety of other hosting gigs and notable performances. Many would argue that Winkleman’s name is almost synonymous with British Reality Shows. Her takeover for Alan Cumming after he couldn’t make the dates is no downgrade whatsoever. In fact, her eye-catching outfits and enthusiastic performances have made the UK version of the show somewhat iconic, and she has even earned several BAFTAs for her work.
One of the main reasons that Alan Cumming was even considered in the first place is to increase the synergy between both versions of the show. Since he had already accepted a role in the US show, BBC showrunners believed that he would be a good fit for the UK version of the role. Unfortunately, Cumming couldn’t commit to the UK dates, and BBC went with the Iconic Claudia Winkleman.
Both Claudia Winkleman and Alan Cumming have brought interesting and unique aspects to their respective versions of the show. Each of their performances has undoubtedly launched the franchise into the mainstream. Yet, Kate Phillips’ announcement does cause many to consider what might’ve happened had Alan Cumming become the host of both versions of the entertaining reality show.
Related: The Traitors Just Swept the Emmys, Alan Cumming Stole the Show
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