Michael Sheen may find it difficult to keep fellow contestants from becoming suspicious of him in The Celebrity Traitors, according to body language expert Judi James. The Welsh actor is among the famous faces taking part in the second series of the hit BBC show, which returns following the success of its celebrity debut with Claudia Winkleman at the helm.
Expert analysis of the line-up
Paddy Power Bingo asked Judi James to review this year's line-up and share her thoughts on which stars could make convincing Traitors and who might struggle when pressure builds around the Round Table.
Speaking about Michael, Judi described him as a "guaranteed Big Beast" of the series, highlighting his intelligence, acting ability and reputation for throwing himself into roles. However, she believes those qualities could make the game harder for him.
Why intelligence and acting may backfire
She said: "A guaranteed 'Big Beast' of this series, he's known to be intellectual; a great actor who speaks his mind, and he is of course famous for immersing himself brilliantly into different character roles to the point where he can look more like the famous name he is portraying than they do themselves."
Judi added: "All of which will probably make him do very poorly as a Traitor though. Big brains fail spectacularly as they overthink, and great acting isn't convincing when you're living close with people 24/7. He could struggle in the style of Stephen Fry."
Star-studded cast heads to the Highlands
Michael, known for roles in Good Omens and Passengers among others, will be joined by Richard E Grant, Bella Ramsey, Miranda Hart, James Acaster, Joe Lycett, Maya Jama and Ross Kemp. The contestants will head to the Scottish Highlands, competing for a potential £100,000 prize for charity while trying to identify which fellow contestants have been secretly chosen as Traitors.
The return follows the success of the first celebrity series, which became one of the biggest TV hits of 2025. The first series attracted an average audience of 14.9 million viewers, with the final episode peaking at 15.4 million. Comedian Alan Carr won the first celebrity series as a Traitor, deceiving his fellow contestants to reach the end. The first series also featured Stephen Fry, Celia Imrie and Jonathan Ross. Celebrity Traitors premieres on Thursday, October 1, 2026, at 8:00 PM on BBC One.
