Celebrity Traitors 2026: 9 Explosive Facts About Series 2

Last Updated: 5 October 2026

The celebrity traitors are back in the castle, and after just two episodes the new series is already the most talked-about programme on British television. Claudia Winkleman returned to BBC One on Thursday 1 October 2026 with 21 famous faces, a fresh set of secrets, and a game that wasted no time turning brutal. By Friday night, one star had been murdered, a third traitor had been recruited, and the first round table had ended on a cliffhanger that left millions of viewers guessing all weekend. If you missed the launch — or you simply want to know who to trust and who to suspect — this guide has everything in one place. Below you will find the full celebrity traitors cast list for series 2, the confirmed traitors so far, a step-by-step breakdown of how the game works, the complete episode schedule, and how to catch up on BBC iPlayer before Thursday’s episode.

What is The Celebrity Traitors? The Celebrity Traitors is a BBC One game show hosted by Claudia Winkleman. Twenty-one celebrities live in a Scottish castle, where a few are secretly chosen as “traitors”. The traitors “murder” co-stars without being caught, while the “faithful” try to unmask them at the round table. They play for up to £100,000 for charity.

What Is the Celebrity Traitors Format? A Simple Definition

Stripped to its basics, the celebrity traitors format is a televised game of deception. A group of famous contestants live together inside a Scottish castle. A few are secretly appointed as traitors, and everyone else — the faithful — must work out who is lying before they are picked off one by one.

Each day follows a set pattern. The players take on missions, which are physical or mental challenges that add money to the prize pot. Some missions also hand out shields, which protect the holder from being “murdered” that night. Then comes the round table, where every player votes for the person they suspect most. Whoever gets the most votes is banished and must reveal whether they were faithful or a traitor.

At night, the traitors meet in secret and choose one faithful to murder. That player leaves the game by the next morning — and unlike a banishment, a murdered player’s true role stays secret. At certain points the traitors may also recruit a faithful to join them. The game ends when the players left decide whether to keep banishing or share the pot: if any traitor survives to the end, the traitors take everything.

The celebrity version is played for charity rather than personal winnings, with up to £100,000 going to good causes (NME). That changes the flavour of the game: the stars are playing for pride, reputation and their chosen charities, which makes every lie feel oddly personal anyway.

Celebrity Traitors Series 2: Cast, Presenter and Air Dates

Claudia Winkleman is back to host celebrity traitors series 2, having presented every UK series of The Traitors since it launched in 2022. She personally selects the traitors each series — a process viewers got a rare glimpse of in the new behind-the-scenes special (more on that below).

The 21 celebrities taking part, revealed on 2 May 2026, are:

• Amol Rajan — journalist and broadcaster
• Bella Ramsey — actor
• James Acaster — comedian
• James Blunt — singer-songwriter
• Jerry Hall — model and actor
• Joanne McNally — comedian
• Joe Lycett — comedian
• Julie Hesmondhalgh — actor
• King Kenny — content creator
• Leigh-Anne Pinnock — singer
• Maya Jama — broadcaster
• Michael Sheen — actor
• Miranda Hart — actor and author
• Myha’la — actor
• Professor Hannah Fry — broadcaster and mathematician
• Richard E Grant — actor and author
• Rob Beckett — comedian
• Romesh Ranganathan — comedian
• Ross Kemp — actor and presenter
• Sebastian Croft — musician and actor
• Sharon Rooney — actor

The Guardian dubbed the line-up “one of the most high-profile casts ever assembled for a reality TV show”. There are some tasty pre-existing relationships too: comedians Rob Beckett and Romesh Ranganathan are close friends from Rob & Romesh Vs, Ranganathan and Julie Hesmondhalgh work together on The Weakest Link, while Jerry Hall and Richard E Grant are close friends and neighbours.

The series launched with an extra-long 75-minute opening episode on Thursday 1 October 2026 at 8pm on BBC One and BBC iPlayer (Radio Times). New episodes air twice a week on Thursdays and Fridays at 8pm, with 10 episodes in total — which puts the final on Friday 30 October 2026. The companion show The Celebrity Traitors: Uncloaked, hosted by Ed Gamble, follows straight after the main show with banished and murdered players debriefing the latest betrayals.

New for 2026 is a one-off special, Traitor or Faithful? Claudia Decides, released on BBC iPlayer from 9.15pm on launch night. It shows how Claudia gets to know the players and chooses her traitors, giving viewers a rare look at her decision-making before the game begins.

The Traitors in Celebrity Traitors 2026: Who Holds the Daggers?

Warning: spoilers for episodes 1 and 2 follow. In Thursday’s opening episode, Claudia Winkleman chose broadcaster Maya Jama and actor Richard E Grant as the first two traitors of celebrity traitors series 2 (PA Media, 3 October 2026).

Grant then made one of the most astonishing blunders the show has ever seen: shortly after learning his secret role, he accidentally told multiple fellow contestants that he was a traitor. In a game built entirely around hiding that information, the slip instantly painted a target on his back — and left Maya Jama with the near-impossible job of managing suspicion around her fellow traitor. For the full story of the actor’s chaotic start, read our Richard E Grant: 9 Shocking Facts After Traitors Blunder.

Friday’s episode brought the first murder and the first recruitment. James Acaster and Amol Rajan — who had both grown suspicious of Grant — were summoned to plead their case to the traitors: join them, or be murdered. Jama and Grant chose to recruit comedian James Acaster as the third traitor, while journalist Amol Rajan was murdered, becoming the first player to leave the competition.

Rajan took the exit with good grace. “It’s game over. It’s gutting to be the first out but James is a fantastic player and I guess people aren’t going to suspect him, and they might suspect me,” he said. Acaster was far less thrilled about his new role: “I can’t believe I’m a traitor. I’m gutted to not be faithful any more, I don’t like lying, but if I don’t join, then they kill me.”

Back at the castle, the remaining players are already sniffing around the new recruit. Former Coronation Street star Julie Hesmondhalgh said she suspected someone had been recruited and named Acaster as a possible choice, while Jerry Hall said she suspected him too. With Grant already under heavy fire at the round table, the traitors’ tower is looking shaky — and comedian Joe Lycett, still in the game, is watching it all unfold.

How the Celebrity Traitors Game Works in 7 Steps

New to the show? Here is exactly how a series of celebrity traitors plays out, from the first handshake to the final firepit.

1. Arrival at the castle. The 21 celebrities meet for the first time and move into the castle in the Scottish Highlands, where the whole series is filmed.
2. Claudia chooses the traitors. In the opening episode, Winkleman secretly taps a small number of players on the shoulder. Nobody else knows who they are — only the traitors know each other.
3. Missions build the prize pot. Each day the group completes physical and mental challenges together. Success adds money to the shared pot, which can reach up to £100,000 for charity.
4. Shields offer protection. Some missions award shields, which protect the holder from being murdered that night — a lifeline for any faithful who feels like a target.
5. The round table. Every episode ends with the group sitting down to debate and vote. The player with the most votes is banished and must reveal on the spot whether they were faithful or a traitor.
6. The night murder. After banishment, the traitors meet in the turret and choose one player to murder. The victim is gone by breakfast — and unlike a banishment, their true role is never revealed.
7. Recruitment and the endgame. When traitor numbers fall, the survivors may recruit a faithful to their side. If any traitor makes it to the final, the traitors take the whole pot; the faithful win only if every traitor is banished.

Traitors vs Faithfuls: The Rules at a Glance

The whole tension of celebrity traitors comes from one simple imbalance: a few players know everything, and everyone else knows nothing. Here is how the two sides compare.

	Traitors	Faithfuls
Goal	Survive to the end and take the prize pot	Banish every single traitor
Knowledge	Know exactly who the other traitors are	Have no idea who the traitors are
Eliminate by	“Murdering” one player most nights	Voting to “banish” at the round table
On exit	A banished traitor’s identity is revealed	A murdered player’s role stays secret
Recruitment	Can recruit a faithful when numbers drop	Can only watch and guess
Win condition	Any traitor left at the end takes everything	Win only if all traitors are banished

Celebrity Traitors Episodes: What Has Happened So Far

Episode 1 — Thursday 1 October. The 21 celebrities arrived at the castle and Claudia selected Maya Jama and Richard E Grant as her traitors. Grant’s accidental confession to multiple players set the tone for a chaotic series, and the extended 75-minute opener ended with the group heading into their first full day of missions.

Episode 2 — Friday 2 October. The traitors faced their first big decision: James Acaster and Amol Rajan were brought before them to plead for their lives. Jama and Grant recruited Acaster as the third traitor and murdered Rajan, the University Challenge host, making him the first star out of the castle. Scientist Hannah Fry and Jerry Hall were both in danger of murder that night following the events of Friday’s mission (PA Media, 3 October 2026).

The episode ended on a cliffhanger: Grant attracted the most attention at the round table after his earlier slip, but viewers were left not knowing who had actually been banished. That result — and the fallout from Acaster’s secret recruitment — will be revealed when the show returns. We will update this guide as soon as the next episodes air, so bookmark this page.

Next episodes: Thursday 8 October and Friday 9 October at 8pm on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.

How to Watch Celebrity Traitors in the UK

Watching celebrity traitors could not be simpler. The show airs on BBC One on Thursdays and Fridays at 8pm, and every episode is available to stream on BBC iPlayer — so you can catch up on episodes 1 and 2 right now, free with a TV licence. The launch schedule and full cast details were confirmed by the Radio Times ahead of the 1 October premiere.

After each main episode, stay tuned for The Celebrity Traitors: Uncloaked with Ed Gamble on BBC One, BBC iPlayer and BBC Sounds, where eliminated players spill the beans on the latest betrayals. And do not miss the bonus special Traitor or Faithful? Claudia Decides, streaming now on iPlayer, which reveals exactly how Claudia picked this year’s traitors.

Outside the UK, the series streams on Peacock in the US, Crave in Canada, and Channel 10 and 10 Play in Australia.

Why Celebrity Traitors Is Breaking Records in 2026

The numbers behind celebrity traitors series 2 are staggering. The 1 October premiere pulled in 8.8 million viewers, peaking at 9 million — one of the biggest launches on UK television this year, and roughly 3 million more than the first celebrity series opener (Variety, via Primetimer, 3 October 2026). Those are overnight figures too, so the true total once iPlayer catch-up is counted will be higher still.

It follows a debut series that became a genuine cultural event. Comedian Alan Carr won the first Celebrity Traitors in 2025 as the last remaining traitor, taking £87,500 for his chosen charity, Neuroblastoma UK. The finale drew around 15 million viewers, making it the most-watched UK programme of 2025 (Wikipedia). A National Rail survey of 2,000 adults even ranked Carr’s win among Britain’s most unifying cultural moments of the past 25 years.

Search interest tells the same story. UK Google Trends data for early October 2026 shows enormous appetite for the show, with Richard E Grant drawing over a million searches after his traitor blunder and co-stars Bella Ramsey and Sebastian Croft each pulling hundreds of thousands. The full account of the dramatic first week — including the cliffhanger round table — was reported by PA Media on 3 October 2026.

With eight episodes still to go, a rattled traitor trio, and a banishment result still under wraps, series 2 looks set to go even bigger. The castle doors are barely closed — and the knives are already out.

Celebrity traitors has only just begun, and if the first two episodes are anything to go by, this series will be talked about for weeks. From Richard E Grant’s jaw-dropping slip to Amol Rajan’s emotional exit and James Acaster’s reluctant recruitment, the game is already deliciously messy. Catch up on episodes 1 and 2 on BBC iPlayer now, and come back here after Thursday’s episode for our updated guide to who is thriving, who is suspect, and who might be next out of the castle.