The new series of The Celebrity Traitors has begun, with Richard E Grant and Maya Jama already revealed as the first two Traitors. The BBC murder mystery, hosted by Claudia Winkleman, features 21 famous faces competing in the Scottish Highlands.
Two Traitors selected in opening episode
In the opening episode, Claudia selected two Traitors, with a third set to be revealed on Friday, 2 October, following a dramatic cliffhanger. Richard E Grant and Maya Jama now have the power to recruit or murder the Faithful, as they work to avoid being caught and banished.
Earlier this year, it was confirmed that Amol Rajan, Bella Ramsey, James Acaster, James Blunt, Jerry Hall, and Joanne McNally would be taking part. They are joined by Joe Lycett, Julie Hesmondhalgh, King Kenny, Leigh-Anne Pinnock, Maya Jama, Michael Sheen, Miranda Hart, Myha'la, Professor Hannah Fry, Richard E. Grant, Rob Beckett, Romesh Ranganathan, Ross Kemp, Sebastian Croft, and Sharon Rooney.
Contestants share their motivations
Before the series aired, Richard outlined his motivation for participating. He said: "Because I think it's the most brilliant game, where even Stephen Fry's encyclopedic knowledge of Sherlock Holmes couldn't solve the mystery. You can't have any clue."
He added: "The Traitors are decided by a team of people and Claudia Winkleman, so there's nothing to go on. Pack mentality prevails, where suspicion turns into accusation."
Richard also revealed he would "love" to be a Traitor, saying: "You have no control in real life over anything. Any chance for that would be welcome. And a little bit of mischief is always welcome."
Meanwhile, Love Island presenter Maya said: "I love the show. I watched the last celebrity series, and I've always wanted to do some kind of challenge game show, but there's never really been the right one."
She added, "I'd love to play someone who's the complete opposite of me, a proper villain or someone really evil. Maybe this is my chance to test that out."
When is Celebrity Traitors next on?
The second instalment of The Celebrity Traitors continues on Friday at 8pm. Weekly episodes will air on Thursdays and Fridays across 10 episodes in total, one more than the previous series.
The Celebrity Traitors is available to watch on BBC iPlayer, with the next episode airing on BBC One on Friday at 8pm.
