Celebrity Traitors reaches its finale tonight, but BBC viewers already have another series to look forward to. Death in Paradise spin-off Return to Paradise will take over in the schedule next Friday.
The announcement follows a dramatic penultimate episode in which comedian James Acaster revealed he had been playing as a Traitor.
James Acaster reflects on his exit
Speaking after his departure, James said he was pleased to have reached episode nine and believed his exit had made the final more competitive. Had all three Traitors remained, he felt their victory would have been almost guaranteed.
Although he had initially found the prospect of the Traitors cruising to victory amusing, he acknowledged that the new situation would make for a better finale.
James also explained that seeing other contestants react emotionally could leave him feeling guilty about his role. To get through those moments, he reminded himself that the deception was essential to the game everyone had signed up to play.
He added that being caught gave the other players a moment to celebrate, and that revealing his identity and watching their reactions could be rewarding in its own way.
Bookmakers' predictions for the finale
With the finale fast approaching, bookmakers have been weighing in with their predictions on whether a Faithful or a Traitor will ultimately claim victory in the 2026 series.
There remains a possibility that the Faithfuls suspect Leigh-Anne Pinnock is Maya Jama's accomplice, potentially allowing King Kenny to quietly escape detection. 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."
Return to Paradise schedule change
The schedule change is welcome news for Death in Paradise enthusiasts. Next Friday, the BBC will broadcast the opening and second episodes of the third series of Return to Paradise. The first instalment of the Death in Paradise spin-off will air at 7.30pm, while the second follows at 8.30pm.
The synopsis for the opening 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."
"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."
"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.
