Romesh Ranganathan's hay fever cleared his name – but it could be the death of him on The Celebrity Traitors

Romesh Ranganathan has been lined up for murder yet again – and this time, his biggest problem is that everyone has very good reason to believe he is a faithful.

For Crawley’s own comedian and TV presenter, episode seven delivered a particularly cruel twist: clearing his name has arguably put him in greater danger.

With banishment now looking a remote prospect, the traitors have little reason to keep him around and plenty of reasons to get rid of him. Being trusted is useful at the roundtable. Surviving the night is another matter.

And how did Romesh establish his innocence beyond reasonable doubt? Through the quietly heroic work of his own nose.

“I’ve exonerated myself from being a traitor in the most embarrassing way possible,” he said. “Sharon heard me sniffing the entire time. I’ve been saved by hay fever.”

There cannot be many television competitions in which an allergy becomes a character witness.

For a former maths teacher – who had also been unable to complete the puzzle challenge – it was an episode full of material he would probably prefer nobody remembered.

“They are going to hammer me for that,” he admitted.

He may have been thinking about the maths. By the time his sniffing was being discussed at the roundtable, there was rather more to work with.

“It’s a horrible way to have your innocence proven,” he said. “I would have preferred other ways.”

Naturally, Romesh still found time for a joke when joining the majority in voting for – and subsequently banishing – Jerry Hall. He suggested a suspected preference for murdered contestant Rob Beckett, over him, had influenced his decision.

But the closing traitors’ discussion made uncomfortable viewing for anyone backing the Crawley comedian.

Alongside Sebastian ‘Bash’ Croft and Miranda Hart, Romesh was once again considered for murder. And James Acaster’s assessment explained precisely why his position is so perilous.

“He brings a lot of good arguments to the table, a lot of people look to him,” James said, describing Romesh as ‘maybe the deputy head’ of the faithfuls.

A former teacher becoming deputy head ought to count as career progression. In this castle, it sounds more like a death sentence.

James also recognised the damage Romesh’s departure could do to morale, while King Kenny pointed out that murdering him would not link back to anyone.

That is a worrying combination: a trusted faithful, a useful contributor and a popular presence whose removal could leave the remaining contestants with few obvious clues.

We were left without confirmation of which of the three would go. For Romesh, though, the danger was clear.

Hay fever has helped clear his name. It may also have handed the traitors their strongest argument for writing it down.