Ultimately, his aim is to shed light on the unwritten, forgotten stories of history. “I care deeply about people who were mistreated in the past. I care about the names on slave ledgers, I care about the bones of people in Africa, in mass graves in the First World War and in riverbeds in Namibia. I care about them,” he said. “I think about them when I read the letters, when I look at their photographs and their faces. No one gave a damn about them. That’s my job – to care about them. And I will be ruthless in fighting for them.”

He was awarded an OBE in 2019 for his services to history and to community integration, and he received his medal from King Charles III in 2023.

David Olusoga’s Celebrity Traitors journey so far

Needless to say, The Celebrity Traitors is a far cry from Olusoga’s work as an historian — it’s a little more silly and, I think it’s safe to say, a whole lot less important. Nevertheless, Olusoga is embracing his little break from academia.

“This show is not like anything else I’ve been asked to do,” he said before entering the castle. “So many people I know love this show. People who wouldn’t normally watch anything else like this love The Traitors. So, there’s something special about it.”

Olusoga was made a Faithful on the show — which is exactly what he had hoped for. “I would like to be a Faithful for the simple reason, I think I’d be a terrible Traitor,” he said. “That’s mainly because of my memory; my mind is always wandering off. I think there’s a terrible risk that I’d forget that I was in deep cover.”

PHOTOGRAPHER:,Euan Cherry

So far, Olusoga has kept a fairly low-profile. However, he was thrust into the spotlight in the third episode, when the Traitors threw his name in the ring as a potential victim. After all, they noted, he is certainly “intelligent,” “smart” and “perceptive”. Our final glimpse of Olusoga saw him ruminating in his private quarters and wringing his hands. We’ll have to wait and see if he makes it through the night.