The BBC has confirmed that Return to Paradise will replace Celebrity Traitors in the TV schedule as the series concludes tonight with one star crowned winner.
The news comes after last night's semi-final, in which James Acaster confirmed he was a Traitor, a revelation that shocked the nation. Reflecting on his exit, Acaster issued a statement saying: "I feel pretty good getting to episode nine, and now we've got a proper final on our hands. With three Traitors, it would have been a foregone conclusion that we were going to win."
He added: "Don't get me wrong, I thought it was hilarious at one point that we were just going to walk our way to the final and win the whole thing, but this is much better, isn't it?"
James Acaster's Traitor Admission
Acaster continued: "The idea of doing that got me through the whole experience because you feel as a Traitor sometimes, when you see people have real life reactions that are bigger than the game, you feel bad, and I would have to remind myself they don't have a game without you, literally, if no one's doing this stuff, they can't play, and they all want to play."
He concluded: "So you are doing an important job here, so they all have something to do, and when they catch you, they'll be really happy, and they'll like it, and it will feel good to just tell them and see that reaction."
Bookmakers' Final Predictions
Ahead of the final, bookmakers have shared their predictions on whether a Faithful or a Traitor will win the 2026 series. Alex Apati of Ladbrokes said: "Thursday night's episode will go down as one of the strangest ever... the Traitors' decision to murder Sharon couldn't have been a worse one in hindsight. Couple that with James Acaster's bizarre admission and it makes it advantage Faithfuls heading into tonight's finale."
Next Friday, the BBC will air the first and second episodes of the third series of Return to Paradise, the Death in Paradise spin-off. The first instalment will air at 7.30pm, with the second following at 8.30pm.
What to Expect in Return to Paradise
The synopsis for the first episode teases: "Resident wedding ruiner Mackenzie Clarke is paying the price for Glenn's absence. With Phil offside and a disastrous first impression made with new pathologist Leo, she's not winning any popularity contests in Dolphin Cove."
It continues: "So when an artist dies on stage in front of an audience during an avant-garde performance piece for the local art fair, Mackenzie is dismayed to find that their main suspect, the victim's muse, has a surprising and complicated connection to her."
The synopsis for the second episode reads: "Solitary Mackenzie Clarke reckons with the arrival of her uninhibited house guest. When a happy-go-lucky builder dies after falling from the roof of a construction site, she is immediately on the case. Mack knows a bodged-up job when she sees it."
It adds: "This was no accident, this was murder. The further Mack digs, the more she uncovers: a history of debt blackmail, illicit trysts and buried secrets."
The entire series of Celebrity Traitors is available to watch on BBC iPlayer.
