The second series of The Celebrity Traitors launched on Thursday and became the most watched debut episode of any series of the programme in the UK, with an average of 8.9 million viewers.
The BBC gameshow episode ended on a cliff-hanger with comedian James Acaster and broadcaster Amol Rajan fighting for their lives. According to the broadcaster, the episode recorded an average audience of 8.9 million viewers, with the number peaking at 9.1 million at one point. The episode also brought in an audience share of 54.9%.
Format and previous success
Hosted by Claudia Winkleman, the hit series sees 21 celebrity contestants try to seek out the traitors among them who “kill off” players in the middle of the night. The first series of the celebrity spin-off debuted last autumn and was a ratings winner for the BBC, with its nail-biting finale hitting a peak of 15.4 million viewers – the biggest TV audience of 2025.
The civilian edition of The Traitors, which launched in 2022, is also highly successful and its recent series finale in January became the most watched in the history of that version after bringing in a peak audience of 9.6 million.
Premiere twists and contestants
The Celebrity Traitors premiere introduced the latest batch of contestants, including actor Richard E Grant and Love Island host Maya Jama – both of whom were selected as the first two traitors. The pair were later told they had a chance to recruit and could kill another contestant at the same time.
They selected comedian Acaster, 41, and University Challenge presenter Rajan, 43, who had to meet the two traitors face to face and were challenged with pleading their case. Both said they could help deflect attention for Grant after he accidentally revealed to multiple people he was a traitor, with the episode ending before the traitors selected who to save.
Cast and next episode
This season features a star-studded cast including actor Bella Ramsey, singer James Blunt, actor Julie Hesmondhalgh, content creator King Kenny and Little Mix’s Leigh-Anne Pinnock. Six comedians are also taking part – Acaster, Joanne McNally, Joe Lycett, Miranda Hart, Rob Beckett and Romesh Ranganathan.
Rounding out the cast are actors Michael Sheen and Myha’la, broadcaster and mathematician Professor Hannah Fry, actor and presenter Ross Kemp, musician and actor Sebastian Croft and actor Sharon Rooney. The celebrities are playing the game in Ardross Castle in the Highlands, with a cash prize of up to £100,000 for a charity of their choice up for grabs.
The launch episode also saw the stars challenged with a treasure hunt as they won £15,000 for their prize pool. Hesmondhalgh and Lycett received shields granting them immunity from the first murder. The Celebrity Traitors continues on Friday at 8pm on BBC One.
