The Traitors Series 5: What Do We Know?

And so it’s over for another series, with the finale of The Traitors series 4 airing tonight on BBC One at 8.30pm. If you haven’t tuned in to the series just yet, fear not: no spoilers here. But if you have, are you thinking what we’re thinking? Will we all reconvene next year, same place, same time, for another round?

Here’s everything we know so far about The Traitors series 5 – plus how to throw your own hat in the turret.

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The Traitors series 4 players. (© BBC/Studio Lambert/Euan Cherry)

The Traitors Series 5: Everything We Know So Far

It’s safe to say the BBC is 100 percent faithful to The Traitors. Since it debuted in 2022 – with players like Wilf, Meryl and Aaron capturing our hearts – the series has grown its following with every outing, reaching a zenith with The Celebrity Traitors at the end of 2025. That star-studded instalment became the BBC’s most successful unscripted title ever. Add a raft of awards to the pile – including two BAFTAs and a National Television Award – and you’ve got a firmly sealed deal.

Unsurprisingly The Celebrity Traitors will be returning for a second series, likely in autumn 2026, announced just days after Alan Carr bagged the £87,500 cash prize for his chosen charity Neuroblastoma UK. While the first series featured plenty of so-called ‘big dogs’ – think Stephen Fry, Celia Imrie, Claire Balding, Jonathan Ross and more – the rumour mill is already working overtime for series 2. Whispered names include Danny Dyer (who reportedly turned down a spot in series 1), Alison Hammond, Daisy May Cooper (possibly alongside her brother and fellow comedian Charlie Cooper), Ruth Jones and the Night Manager himself Tom Hiddleston.

Alan Carr beat out a stellar cast of celebs to win the inaugural series of The Celebrity Traitors. (© BBC/Studio Lambert/Paul Chappells)

But in September 2025, the British broadcaster also revealed a fifth cohort of civilian players would flock to the Scottish Highlands in summer 2026 for The Traitors series 5. It is expected that The Celebrity Traitors series 2 and The Traitors series 5 will be filmed in quick succession at Ardross Castle, the now-cemented home of The Traitors. In 2025, the celebrity version was filmed in April and May, swiftly followed by the civilian version in June.

Series 4 of The Traitors US, presented by Alan Cumming, was also filmed at Ardross Castle in June 2025, utilising the same challenges as the British version. In fact it is this alliance between the BBC and NBCUniversal in the US that makes the whole operation viable. As Hayley Valentine, BBC Scotland’s director, put it in an economic impact report: ‘Without that collaboration, it’s unlikely the US series would have been based [in Scotland], and the UK series may not have progressed at all. The budget would have been prohibitive without the economies of scale achieved by filming both series back-to-back.’

The ‘Secret Traitor’ was a twist introduced in series 4, but will it return in The Traitors series 5? (© BBC/Studio Lambert/Euan Cherry)

How To Apply

When the BBC gave The Traitors series 5 the greenlight in September, applications were also officially opened. Brits still have until 31 May 2026 to enter. All the BBC asks is that you are ‘fun, smart and strategic’ and prepared for a bit of ‘trickery, betrayal and backstabbing’, as well as being at least 18 years old, having the right to reside in the UK and having up to four weeks spare in summer or autumn 2026 for filming.

Applicants are asked to submit a one minute video plus answer a series of written questions, including ‘Have you watched The Traitors? If so, what did you think of previous players’ games?’, ‘What is the best lie you have ever told? Did you get away with it?’ and of course ‘If given the choice, would you choose to be a “Traitor” or a “Faithful”?’

If you think you’ve got what it takes, you can enter here.

Do you have what it takes to enter The Traitors? (© BBC/Studio Lambert/Euan Cherry

Release Date

No official confirmation from the BBC just yet, but we expect The Traitors series 5 to air in January 2027, following The Celebrity Traitors series 2 in autumn 2026.

All episodes of The Traitors and The Celebrity Traitors are available to stream on BBC iPlayer.

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