The BBC's hit reality gameshow The Celebrity Traitors returns for a second series on Thursday 1 October at 8pm on BBC One, with an expanded cast of 21 famous faces competing in a Scottish castle. The new run promises extra episodes, shock twists and a starrier lineup than the debut series, which averaged 14.9 million viewers and peaked at 15.4 million for its final.
The star-studded lineup
This year's contest has grown from 19 to 21 contestants, described as "one of the most high-profile casts ever assembled for a reality show". Filming took place from late May to early June at Ardross Castle in the Scottish Highlands, with the cast staying 30 miles away at Inverness Airport's Courtyard by Marriott hotel.
The headline names – "Big Dogs" in Traitors parlance – include actors Richard E Grant and Michael Sheen, supermodel Jerry Hall, and comedian Miranda Hart, making a TV comeback after years away due to chronic illness. They are joined by singers James Blunt and Leigh-Anne Pinnock, formerly of Little Mix, alongside Ross Kemp and Julie Hesmondhalgh.
The cast also features mathematician Prof Hannah Fry, University Challenge quizmaster Amol Rajan, actors Bella Ramsey, Myha'la, Sebastian Croft and Sharon Rooney, Love Island presenter Maya Jama, content creator King Kenny, and comedians Joanne McNally, Rob Beckett, Romesh Ranganathan, Joe Lycett and James Acaster.
What to expect from the new series
Host Claudia Winkleman returns with her trademark fringe, admitting the fashion "goes a little Artful Dodger for this series". She also confessed to corpsing regularly, adding: "Rob Beckett said something that made me hide in a bush until I composed myself."
The series will air two nights each week, on Thursday and Friday, with 10 episodes – one more than last year. Each will be followed by spin-off show Celebrity Traitors: Uncloaked, hosted by comedian Ed Gamble. There is also a one-off bonus show, Traitor or Faithful? Claudia Decides, exclusive to BBC iPlayer.
Bookies' favourites and filming buzz
McNally and Ramsey are bookies' favourites to win, followed by Blunt and Sheen. Ramsey is predicted to be a strategic player, having played a similar board game for 12 years. Jama and Acaster are also hotly tipped, while King Kenny is the rank outsider.
From filming, Fry said she used statistical analysis and Alan Turing's codebreaking strategies to gain an edge, while Kemp emerged as "the Daddy" in early stages. Grant admitted surprise at the game's "cruelty", and Lycett confessed he spent his castle stint "trying not to fart".
Gossip, theories and the big questions
A rumour suggests a third of contestants – seven – end up as Traitors. Gamble promises a "wildly different game", while Ed Havard, the BBC's director of entertainment, says: "Things happen that you didn't think could happen on Traitors and have never seen before."
Celebrities have complained about their official headshots, with Beckett writing on Instagram: "I think there's a Traitor in the Photoshop department. What the fuck has happened to my face?" Jama replied: "They did us all dirty tbh."
Fans speculate whether producers might favour the Faithful after Traitors won the last two UK series – Carr in the celebrity spin-off, and Stephen Libby and Rachel Duffy in the civilian edition. The comedians have grumbled about the "Alan Carr factor" making them automatically mistrusted. However, McNally let slip on her podcast that she knows who wins, hinting she is among the finalists. The Celebrity Traitors airs on BBC One on 1 October.
