What happened in the latest Traitors episode - and how did Crawley-born comedian Romesh Ranganathan fare? (Spoilers)

Comedian Rob Beckett was murdered, mathematician Hannah Fry was banished, and former boxer and social media personality King Kenny was recruited in Thursday night’s (October 15) episode of The Traitors. But for Crawley-born comedian Romesh Rangnathan, the loss of his best friend proved a more personal blow.

Last week’s tense cliffhanger continued as the traitors debated whether to murder Romesh, Ross Kemp, Rob Beckett or Leigh Anne-Pinnock after their murderous game of hide-and-seek.

Each celebrity at risk anxiously awaited their fate, with either Claudia arriving to confirm they were safe or the traitors – James Acaster, Hannah Fry and Maya Jama – revealing their identities and the game being over.

Leigh-Anne, who had received a shield, and Romesh were quickly revealed to be safe.

“I am so relieved, that was horrible,” Romesh said.

That left Ross Kemp and Rob Beckett, Romesh’s best friend, as the final two possibilities.

It was Rob, a choice that may have felt confusing or surprising for the faithfuls, who was murdered.

“It’s over, I’m a dead man,” Rob told the camera. “My boy Romesh Ranganathan will avenge my death.”

Despite joking at breakfast, Romesh admitted how disappointed he was not to be playing alongside his fellow comedian and best friend.

“I made a joke, but actually I felt like I’d let Rob Beckett down,” he said. “Rob is one of my best friends.”

The celebrities were then thrown into a new challenge, transporting two carts filled with £8,000 worth of gold through a series of gates. But the seemingly straightforward mission took a darker turn when hooded, masked figures descended.

Anyone caught by the ‘death parade’ would be locked up until the round table, unable to defend themselves against suspicions that could lead to banishment. At each gate, two celebrities had to sacrifice themselves to allow the others to pass.

At gate number one, Romesh and James Acaster stayed behind, cracking jokes as they were surrounded by the hooded figures and locked inside a prison wagon. Traitors Hannah and Maya were also sacrificed during the mission.

While imprisoned, Romesh challenged Hannah over her conflicting stories and asked her to convince him she was not a traitor. She managed to turn his suspicions towards James Blunt, suggesting that voting for someone random early on was a classic traitor tactic.

But would Hannah’s argument be enough to save her at the round table?

It was not. The celebrity mathematician received a majority of votes and was banished, despite Romesh remaining convinced by their conversation and voting for James Blunt.

“I think you need to be able to find out to move on,” Ross Kemp said as he held up a blackboard bearing Hannah’s name.

Elation swept through the room as Hannah revealed her identity as a traitor, although Maya was secretly disappointed to lose a fellow member of the trio.

With the traitors now down to two, James and Maya faced a choice: murder or recruit.

Choosing the latter, they sent a wax-sealed letter to King Kenny, the social media personality who has remained suspicious and uneasily fooled.

Referring to Kenny, James said: “You know when someone new starts at work, and they do all the jobs? And you can just hold a broom and look like you’re doing something.”

The recruitment marks a new era for the traitors, with King Kenny potentially set to shake up the game. Meanwhile, Romesh remains a key voice at the round table – but after losing his best friend and voting to save a traitor, could his own judgement come under scrutiny?

The Traitors will continue on Friday night (October 16) on BBC One at 8pm.