The Celebrity Traitors: Your ultimate guide to series 2
We are HOOKED already!
It's fair to say The Celebrity Traitors is one of the most-talked about TV shows around at the moment! Following the spectacular first series last year, which saw Traitor Alan Carr crowned the winner, series two officially landed on Thursday 1st October - with a brand new celeb cast!
As Claudia Winkleman has now picked her Traitors for the new series, fans are glued to their screens! Here's all the facts and gossip about The Celebrity Traitors 2026... Oh and if you hadn't guessed, spoilers ahead...
When is The Celebrity Traitors on TV?
The second series of The Celebrity Traitors kicked off at 8pm on Thursday 1st October. The 2026 series will air twice a week on Thursday and Friday evenings at 8pm.
You can catch up episodes on the BBC iPlayer.
Which celebs are on the show?
Following months of rumours swirling as to who would be taking part in the second series, the line-up was announced on Saturday 2nd May 2026 on social media. A short video was shared showing an airport arrivals, with people waiting to pick up the celebrities, with their names written on blackboards.
21 celebs are taking part in total, including:
Amol Rajan – Journalist and Broadcaster
Bella Ramsey – Actor
James Acaster – Comedian and Podcaster
James Blunt – Singer/Songwriter
Jerry Hall – Model and Actress
Joanne McNally – Comedian
Joe Lycett – Comedian
Julie Hesmondhalgh – Actor
King Kenny – Content Creator
Leigh-Anne Pinnock – Singer/Songwriter
Maya Jama – Broadcaster and Entrepreneur
Michael Sheen – Actor and Presenter
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
Who is a Traitor?
During the opening episode of series two, host Claudia chose Love Island host Maya Jama and actor Richard E. Grant as her Traitors.
In hilarious scenes, just moments after discovering his identity as a Traitor, 69-year-old Richard revealed during a public conversation with Joe Lycett that he was in fact a Traitor - messing with the minds of the cast.
After Maya and Richard met in the turret for the first time, they were joined by Claudia, who informed the pair they would have to choose two celebrities to meet them in person, to argue why they should stay, with the winner joining them as a third Traitor and the loser becoming the show's first murder victim.
Richard and Maya chose James Acaster and Amol Rajan, after the pair both put pressure on Richard about his true identity. Fans will find out the outcome on Friday 2nd October.
Where is it filmed?
The Celebrity Traitors returned to Ardross Castle in the Scottish Highlands for series two.
When was filming?
Celebs started to arrive on Sunday 3rd May, with filming take place over a three-week period.
What channel is it on?
The Celebrity Traitors airs on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.
When was the second series announced?
BBC bosses confirmed the amazing news on Monday 10th November 2025, revealing the show would return in 2026.
Kalpna Patel-Knight, Head of Entertainment at the BBC, said at the time: “Studio Lambert have done an outstanding job as The Celebrity Traitors has well and truly captivated the nation, becoming a bona fide highlight of the year bringing record numbers of people together to enjoy every twist and turn. In 2026 the doors of the castle will be opened again to welcome celebrity players to the game to see who can charm, who can scheme and ultimately who can survive in series two which promises to be just as unmissable as the first. Plus with Uncloaked returning and today’s news of the positive contribution The Traitors brand has made to Scotland’s economy, there is plenty to celebrate.”
Hayley Valentine, Director BBC Scotland said: “The Traitors is an immense TV success story and it’s fantastic to have multiple versions of it filmed in Scotland. We welcome and celebrate it. This report highlights the many ways that Scotland is seeing a direct economic benefit from The Traitors filming here and, working together with our partners, we will use this success to promote sustainable growth within Scotland’s creative industry.”
On Thursday 27th August, the BBC released the first look teaser for series two, starring host Claudia asking for a moment of silence for the celebrities.
Check it out below:
The official trailer then dropped on Tuesday 15th September, along with the start date of Thursday 1st October 2026.
Watch the official trailer below:
The Celebrity Traitors Series 1
Kicking off on Wednesday 8th October 2025, host Claudia welcomed 19 celebrities into Ardross Castle in Scotland, including the likes of Paloma Faith, Clare Balding, Stephen Fry and Celia Imrie.
After picking Alan, Cat and Jonathan as her Traitors, the trio managed to carry out a large number of murders and banishments, before Jonathan was successfully caught.
Despite the entire nation thinking Alan was making it incredibly obvious that he was a Traitor, he managed to use his humour to mask his true identity, making it to the final alongside Cat.
During the final, after Cat was banished, Alan somehow managed to persuade Nick and David to banish Joe, leaving him victorious.
For the first series, all 19 celebs received a fee of £40,000 for taking part, with the winning money going to charity.
The record-breaking first series of The Celebrity Traitors is available to watch on BBC iPlayer now.
Author: Amy Shephard
Amy Shephard is an SEO Writer for Rayo brands, including Hits Radio, KISS, Magic Radio and Greatest Hits Radio. Starting her media career in 2011, she joined Bauer Media in 2023 as a reporter before moving over to entertainment news. She specialises in movies and TV dramas, and enjoys a range of music across all decades and genres.
Additional content by: Alex Ross