The Traitors is a game built on three simple principles: secrecy, deception and keeping your mouth shut.

The celebrities appear to have mastered two of them.

Exhibit A: Richard E. Grant, who famously announced "I'm a Traitor" almost immediately after being chosen. Easily the biggest moment of the season.

And here's the delicious part. Technically, he hadn't even taken the Traitors' Oath yet. So he hadn't broken that particular promise.

He found a loophole before the game had properly started. Unfortunately, he also found the fastest route to banishment.

Richard, at least, has the small print on his side.

The rest of the cast? Not so much. Because while Richard was busy being technically innocent inside the castle, his fellow celebrities were busy breaking actual rules outside it.

Inside the castle, The Celebrity Traitors UK is delivering all the paranoia, backstabbing and dramatic cloak-swishing anyone could want. But some of the best drama this season is happening outside it, in group chats, on breakfast radio and on Instagram.

Contestants are discussing the winner on WhatsApp. Joe Lycett has been treating his confidentiality agreement like a loose suggestion. And James Blunt has been handed a reminder about BBC advertising rules, over a suit.

The producers seem to be playing an entirely different game.

And this time, Claudia Winkleman can't just banish the troublemakers.

THE GROUP CHAT — Julie Hesmondhalgh Had to Flee Her Own Castmates.

Imagine surviving the paranoia, suspicion and round table ambushes of The Traitors, only to have the ending ruined by your fellow contestants. On WhatsApp.

That's essentially what happened to Julie Hesmondhalgh.

On BBC Breakfast on October 12, the former Coronation Street star revealed that the celebrity cast had a group chat where some members were discussing who had won the competition.

Julie and a couple of others left, rather than have the result spoiled.

Let's appreciate that for a moment. The contestants were trying to avoid spoilers from other contestants. About the show they were on.

Julie, who was banished from the castle in Friday's episode, described the chat as chaotic. Turns out getting voted out doesn't mean you get to escape the drama. You just move it to your phone.

To be fair, discussing the winner privately isn't the same as leaking it publicly. But it does raise an obvious question: how long before someone tells the wrong person?

Especially when this particular cast doesn't exactly have a spotless track record with secrets.

JOE LYCETT — The NDA Was More of a Vibe.

If the BBC was hoping its celebrity contestants would treat confidentiality agreements with the seriousness of state secrets, Joe Lycett may not have been the ideal recruit.

Before his season began, the comedian admitted on Hits Radio Breakfast Show that he'd been remarkably relaxed about keeping his participation quiet.

Contestants had signed non-disclosure agreements. They weren't supposed to tell anyone they were taking part.

Joe's strategy? Tell practically everyone.

He admitted his WhatsApp messages were full of Traitors references, and that he had even told Uber drivers about his involvement.

Uber drivers.

Not exactly MI6 material, is he? The man would last about four minutes in a Bond film. Three, if there was a taxi involved.

He also revealed that he and fellow comedian Joanne McNally had worked out they were both on the show before filming even started. Which, to be fair, is the most successful bit of detective work anyone's managed in that castle.

In Joe's defence, he didn't give away the winner or any game twists. But admitting you've been telling strangers about a supposedly confidential TV appearance is certainly one way to give a production team grey hairs.

JAMES BLUNT — You're Beautiful. Your Suit Breaks BBC Rules.

And now, James Blunt.

While others were struggling with the basic concept of secrecy, Blunt found himself in trouble over something far more fashionable.

The singer shared a promotional image from The Celebrity Traitors showing himself in a very expensive tweed suit, reportedly worth £1,695. Alongside it, he included a link to the tailor, Barrington Ayre.

Sounds harmless enough.

Unfortunately, the image also carried BBC and Celebrity Traitors branding. And the BBC has strict rules about commercial promotion. Using its programme imagery to promote a business crossed the line.

The post was removed.

A BBC spokesperson confirmed the broadcaster takes its commercial guidelines seriously and that contestants had been reminded of the rules. The tailor has reportedly said there was no commercial arrangement requiring Blunt to wear the outfit.

So let's be clear about the scale of the scandal. James Blunt wasn't caught cheating. He didn't expose a Traitor. He didn't smuggle contraband into the castle.

He promoted a suit.

A very expensive suit, admittedly. A suit that costs more than some people's rent. But still, a suit.

Somewhere, a BBC compliance officer needed a very strong cup of tea and a lie-down.

THE RULEBOOK — What Are Celebrity Traitors Contestants Actually Forbidden From Doing?

Before anyone starts imagining James Blunt being dragged before a BBC disciplinary tribunal over a tweed suit, it's worth explaining what these rules actually mean.

Confidentiality agreements (NDAs). Contestants sign confidentiality agreements designed to protect the programme before and during its broadcast. That means keeping their participation secret until they're officially allowed to announce it, and not revealing confidential details about the game, the eliminations, the finalists or the winner.

That's where Joe Lycett's enthusiastic chats with Uber drivers become a problem. He admitted discussing his participation when he was supposed to be keeping it confidential.

BBC commercial guidelines. The BBC operates under strict rules designed to stop its programmes and branding from being used for unauthorised commercial promotion.

James Blunt's problem wasn't wearing a £1,695 suit. Contestants are allowed to wear expensive clothes. The issue was sharing BBC-branded promotional imagery alongside a link advertising the tailor.

Even without a paid sponsorship deal, that combination can create the impression that a BBC programme is being used to endorse a commercial business. And the BBC would very much like to stay the kind of broadcaster that doesn't come with a discount code.

The cast WhatsApp group. This is where it gets more complicated.

Contestants discussing the winner privately isn't automatically proof that they've breached their contracts. The exact confidentiality terms covering their private conversations haven't been made public.

But sharing sensitive information in a group chat certainly creates a risk, especially when some of the people in that chat don't want to know the outcome themselves.

And given how quickly screenshots escape into the wild, it's not hard to see why producers might be nervous. One forwarded message, one curious partner peeking at a phone, and the BBC's carefully guarded finale becomes a Reddit thread.

The bottom line? The BBC wants to protect its programme, its commercial independence and, above all, the suspense that keeps millions of viewers glued to the round table.

Unfortunately, keeping this particular group of celebrities quiet might take more than a few signatures on a contract.

THE REAL WORRY — It's Not the Suit. It's the Ending.

Joking aside, the BBC's real concern isn't James Blunt's wardrobe or Joe Lycett's chatty taxi rides.

It's the season's actual outcome becoming public before viewers get to see it.

Reports suggest information about the finalists has already been circulating in entertainment circles, raising fears of spoilers spreading online. The BBC has reportedly reminded contestants of their confidentiality obligations after several incidents.

It's easy to see why.

The Traitors lives and dies on suspense. Viewers spend weeks analysing suspicious glances, arguing over who's lying and trying to spot who's secretly plotting murder over the porridge.

Knowing the winner in advance rather ruins the point.

There's a big difference between revealing you're on a show and giving away how it ends. So far, the reported incidents don't establish that any contestant has publicly confirmed the winner.

But they do suggest that keeping this particular cast quiet is proving to be the hardest mission of the season.

THE IRONY — Professionals at Publicity. Amateurs at Secrets.

The irony is hard to miss.

These are people who have spent years in television, film, music and entertainment. They understand publicity. They understand embargoes. They understand why you don't spoil a programme before it airs.

And yet a reality competition built entirely around secrecy has managed to assemble a cast that apparently cannot resist a good natter.

Joe Lycett told Uber drivers.

James Blunt promoted his tailor.

And Julie Hesmondhalgh had to leave a group chat to avoid finding out who won the game she was playing.