Will There Be Another Series Of The Celebrity Traitors?
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1 hour ago
We’re two episodes in, but we already want more
Tonight we are heading back to Ardross Castle for the third episode of the inaugural series of The Celebrity Traitors. Just like the uber successful civilian version, the high-stakes series sees a group of innocent people dropped in a castle, challenged to mind-bending tasks and tasked with wheedling out the traitorous murderers among them.
It’s a format that has proved a huge hit for the BBC, with the ordinary version of the show, The Traitors, being the most successful unscripted series on television right now. This time around, the faces are just a bit more familiar, with everyone from comedians Jonathan Ross and Alan Carr to acting legends Celia Imrie, Stephen Fry and Mark Bonnar starring. And it’s already a standout success, with a 525 percent increase in Google searches since the series began – though the BBC hasn’t been able to reveal any viewing figures to the public just yet.
But it doesn’t seem like the BBC needs viewing figures to concoct new plans…
Our celebrities gather at the roundtable for the selection of this year’s Traitors. (© BBC/Studio Lambert/Euan Cherry)
The Celebrity Traitors Series 2: Everything We Know So Far
It seems the BBC already has plans to roundup a new batch of celebrities and whisk them up to the Scottish Highlands for a second round of The Celebrity Traitors before the inaugural series has even concluded.
The news follows the latest episode of Traitor Jonathan Ross’ podcast Reel Talk which he shares with his daughter Honey. Discussing The Celebrity Traitors – now he is actually allowed to talk about being selected by whimsically gothic-dressed Claudia Winkleman to be a Traitor – Ross revealed he found the whole experience incredibly ‘uncomfortable’ and stressful.
But the tidbit we are interested in is Ross’ recent conversations with fellow celebrities – new celebrities who are being approached by the BBC to star in a second round of the star-studded series.
‘I know they’re already planning a second celebrity version,’ Ross said on Reel Talk. ‘I know because I’ve had two celebrity friends of mine call me and say, “I’ve been approached – is it good to do, is it bad to do?” So I’m giving them the benefit of my experience, which was I didn’t enjoy it.’ Meanwhile Honey added she was conscious that her father found the experience ‘really difficult and really challenging’.
‘Now you know I’m a Traitor, that’s why,’ Ross said on the podcast. ‘I found the lying really wearing. It left me feeling increasingly uncomfortable.
‘That’s the thing: we were lying all the time,’ the TV talk show host added. ‘Because you’re sharing a car with people in the morning, and even though we’re not supposed to be talking about the game obviously some people do, so you’re lying then.’
Before the uproar, don’t worry: it wasn’t all doom and gloom. Ross later clarified on X that he is ‘pleased’ he took part, describing his time in Ardross Castle as ‘an extraordinary experience’. ‘But I did not enjoy the duplicity as the game progressed,’ he continued. ‘It’s a tougher psychological challenge than I expected, is all. But I would never try to talk anyone out of it – just trying to give them a sense of what to expect.’
(© BBC/Studio Lambert/Euan Cherry)
Who Will Star?
As for who will star in The Celebrity Traitors series 2, we can only go off rumours right now. Because Jonathan Ross is a well-connected talk show host, almost anyone from tinsel town could be calling him up for advice – so nothing has been narrowed down just yet.
That said, in an interview with Metro, the series’ executive producer Sarah Fay put her finger on exactly who the team are vying for: comedian Bob Mortimer. ‘If Bob wanted to do it next year, we would absolutely love it,’ she said.
An enduring figure in the comedy circuit, Mortimer is perhaps best known for his double act with Vic Reeves – though he also has a cult following for his legendary appearances on the BBC’s panel show Would I Lie To You?, presented by Rob Brydon and starring team captains David Mitchell and Lee Mack. Racking up 13 appearances on the blue-hued show, Mortimer is the show’s most recurrent guest – with The Traitors’ own Claudia Winkleman trailing closely behind with eight appearances.
Mortimer has distinguished himself on the show for his eccentric stories from his past, with his fellow panellists always struggling to separate his unflinching lies from the often-ludicrous truth – which we think would make him a perfect Traitor.
Other stars previously rumoured to appear in the first rendition of The Celebrity Traitors who ultimately didn’t make it to the castle included Friends star Courteney Cox (a friend of presenter Claudia Winkleman), Rylan Clark, Kathy Burke, Krishnan Guru-Murthy, Alison Hammond, Jason Manford, Victoria Coren Mitchell, Liz Truss and EastEnders star Adam Woodyatt who wrote on Instagram during series 2, ‘If they ever do a celeb version of #traitors I would walk to Scotland to be part of it!!’.
(© BBC/Studio Lambert/Euan Cherry)
Release Date
Is a new TV schedule in the works? If The Traitors series 4 airs in January 2026 like we expect, we think filming for the second celebrity edition and the fifth civilian version will take place back-to-back at Ardross Castle in summer 2026. This means The Celebrity Traitors will most likely air in October 2026.
The Celebrity Traitors airs Wednesday and Thursday nights at 9pm on BBC One. Catch up on iPlayer.
