Jonathan Bailey to play The Traitors’ Harry in Comic Relief film special
Jonathan Bailey will play The Traitors winner Harry in a Comic Relief film. (Getty/BBC)
Fellow Travelers actor Jonathan Bailey will star in a film version of beloved reality game show The Traitors for Comic Relief.
The 35-year-old out gay actor and Bridgerton star will take on the role of The Traitors UK season two trickster and winner, former British Army engineer Harry Clark.
He’ll be joined by Gentleman Jack and Vigil actress Suranne Jones, who will take on the lead role as campy host and roll-neck aficionado Claudia Winkleman.
Former Doctor Who assistant Catherine Tate will hilariously take on the joint role of season two contestants Evie and Charlie, who were often confused for each other by viewers at home as they looked similar.
Controversial comic David Walliams will play the season’s panto villain Paul, Miranda actress Sally Phillips will take on the role of fizzy Rosé guzzling icon and mother to the queer community Diane, and TV host Iain Stirling will play Diane’s secret son, Ross.
In another brilliant casting choice, hapless Harry devotee Mollie Pearce will play herself, meaning she’ll have to relive having the final prize fund swindled from her once again.
The Traitors: The Movie will air as a sketch for Comic Relief, aka Red Nose Day, which takes place on Friday 15 March on BBC One, from 7pm to 10pm GMT.
Throughout the show, the British public will be encourage to donate to Comic Relief, with all funds raised helping to address “urgent problems” in the UK and internationally. This could include providing food or shelter to disadvantaged communities, supporting baby banks, or offering “someone to talk to” for those in need.
Reflecting on his role in The Traitors: The Movie, Jonathan Bailey said that being part of Comic Relief was the “proudest moment” of his career.
“On top of that, The Traitors is my all-time favourite TV series – I would be star-struck if I met any one of them. I’m sure I am the first in a long line of actors who will play Harry in biopics. Actually, I want to take this moment to publicly apologise to Harry for what I’ve done.”
The Traitors UK became a national phenomenon when it premiered on BBC One in 2022. The show follows a group of strangers who are brought together in a castle. Several are assigned the role of “Traitor”, and all the others are “Faithful”.
Each episode, the group must convince each other that they are “Faithful” to avoid being banished from the castle. Meanwhile, every night, the “Traitors” get together to “murder” one of the “Faithfuls”.
If the group is whittled down to the final few and the “Traitors” haven’t been caught, they steal the entire prize fund – which is collected daily via challenges. If all the “Traitors” have been banished by this point, the “Faithfuls” split the money.
Unsurprisingly, the game of deception leads to lies, tears, hijinks and plenty of drama – plus one or two camp middle-aged women who are relentlessly stanned by the LGBTQ+ community. A big thanks to Diane for fulfilling that role in season two, which aired in the UK in January this year and became another certified hit.
The Traitors now has spin-offs in the US, Australia, Canada and New Zealand, as well as celebrity versions, with Drag Race contestants Peppermint and Miss Fiercalicious having both competed on the show.
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