Miranda Hart on Celebrity Traitors: “I’m scarily good at lying”

Miranda Hart has talked up her “excellent” skills as both a purveyor and detector of lies ahead of her stint on The Celebrity Traitors.

A new series of the deception-based reality show begins next week on BBC One, with comedian Hart, 53, one of 21 celebs playing the game in Ardross Castle.

“When I watch Would I Lie to You?, about 90% of the time I get it right,” Hart boasted in an interview before filming began earlier this year. “I very much see myself as a psychological sleuth with no training whatsoever and nothing to back that claim up.

“I like to think that I could guess when people are lying. I don’t like lying in real life, but when it comes to playing games in the family or whatever, I’m scarily good at lying. Also, I’ve been nominated for seven BAFTAs, never won one, and we’ve got Michael Sheen in the building. But you know…”

Hart’s participation in the show marks her return to TV after several years battling a fatigue illness known as Myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME).

“I’m still living with elements of ME, and that brings fatigue and pain to manage, but I have come to a point where I feel well enough to step out, and that’s also partly why I’m doing this,” she said.

“The joy of mucking about on television again will hopefully outweigh some of the challenges. And I think it will be challenging on my body, so it’ll be interesting, and it’ll take some courage as this is a big next step.

“When you live with a chronic illness, it’s invisible, so people don’t know that you’re sitting there in pain. But then it reminds you that everybody’s got their thing. So, I’m also really looking forward to making friends and looking after each other and hopefully they can carry me up a hill or whatever we’re going to have to do!”

The Celebrity Traitors begins this Thursday, October 1 at 8pm on BBC One and iPlayer.