The Celebrity Traitors UK is back in 2026 for its second series, bringing another group of famous faces to the Scottish Highlands for a game of deception, strategy and betrayal. Hosted by Claudia Winkleman, the celebrity edition follows the same basic format as the original The Traitors, with contestants secretly divided into Traitors and Faithfuls while competing for money for charity.
The second series features 21 celebrities, two more than the previous season, and consists of 10 episodes. The show began on Thursday, October 1, with new episodes scheduled for Thursday and Friday nights at 8pm on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.
Is Celebrity Traitors on Tonight?
For viewers following the 2026 series, the next scheduled episode is Thursday, October 8 at 8pm on BBC One and BBC iPlayer. The programme has moved to a Thursday-and-Friday schedule this year, rather than the Wednesday-and-Thursday pattern used for the previous celebrity series.
Episode 3 is scheduled to follow the first two episodes, which introduced the celebrities to the castle and established the initial Traitors. The companion programme, The Celebrity Traitors: Uncloaked, follows the main show, giving viewers additional discussion and behind-the-scenes material.
Celebrity Traitors 2026 Contestants
The 2026 cast features a particularly broad mixture of actors, comedians, broadcasters, musicians, internet personalities and television stars. Among the biggest names are Michael Sheen, Maya Jama, Richard E Grant, Miranda Hart, James Acaster, James Blunt and Bella Ramsey.
The complete 21-person cast is Amol Rajan, Bella Ramsey, James Acaster, James Blunt, Jerry Hall, Joanne McNally, Joe Lycett, Julie Hesmondhalgh, King Kenny, Leigh-Anne Pinnock, Maya Jama, Michael Sheen, Miranda The lineup also features Hart, Myha’la, Professor Hannah Fry, Richard E. Grant, Rob Beckett, Romesh Ranganathan, Ross Kemp, Sebastian Croft, and Sharon Rooney.
The combination of personalities is one of the main attractions of this year’s edition. The cast includes established Hollywood and British actors alongside comedians, presenters, musicians and online creators, creating plenty of potential for alliances and clashes inside the castle.
Who Is Hosting Celebrity Traitors?
Claudia Winkleman is back at the helm, hosting the show’s second celebrity edition. Her distinctive presentation style has become one of the defining features of the wider Traitors franchise in the UK.
Winkleman oversees the missions, Round Tables and dramatic revelations while maintaining the deliberately mysterious atmosphere surrounding the identities of the Traitors. The celebrities must ultimately decide who they can trust, knowing that a wrong accusation could eliminate an innocent Faithful.
The 2026 series is once again filmed at Ardross Castle in the Scottish Highlands, which provides the atmospheric setting for the competition. The castle and surrounding landscape remain an important part of the show’s visual identity.
Who Are the Celebrity Traitors?
One of the biggest questions surrounding the 2026 series is which celebrities have been secretly selected as Traitors. Unlike ordinary cast information, the Traitor identities are part of the show’s central mystery and can change as the game develops.
The opening episode revealed Richard E Grant and Maya Jama as the initial Traitors, while the first episode ended with the possibility of recruiting another celebrity into the Traitors’ ranks. The second episode continued that storyline and moved the game toward its first major elimination decisions.
Because the programme depends heavily on secrecy, viewers who are watching on a delayed schedule should be careful when searching for cast updates online. Social media discussions and headlines can quickly reveal eliminations and role changes before an episode has been watched.
Celebrity Traitors 2026 Schedule
The second series contains 10 episodes, making it slightly longer than the first celebrity edition, which had nine. The episodes are being broadcast twice a week throughout October.
The current schedule begins with Episode 1 on Thursday, October 1, followed by Episode 2 on Friday, October 2. Episode 3 is scheduled for Thursday, October 8, with Episode 4 following on Friday, October 9.
The remaining episodes are scheduled across October, with the finale set for Friday, October 30. Unless the BBC changes the timetable, the main episodes will continue to occupy the 8pm slot on Thursdays and Fridays.
Celebrity Traitors 2026 Episode Guide
The planned broadcast pattern is straightforward, with two episodes arriving each week. This gives viewers a much faster progression through the game than a traditional once-weekly reality series.
Episode 1: Thursday, October 1 at 8pm
Episode 2: Friday, October 2 at 8pm
Episode 3: Thursday, October 8 at 8pm
Episode 4: Friday, October 9 at 8pm
Episode 5: Thursday, October 15 at 8pm
Episode 6: Friday, October 16 at 8pm
Episode 7: Thursday, October 22 at 8pm
Episode 8: Friday, October 23 at 8pm
Episode 9: Thursday, October 29 at 8pm
Episode 10: Friday, October 30 at 8pm
The schedule means that each Thursday episode can create a cliffhanger leading directly into Friday’s instalment. That format is particularly effective for The Traitors, where a single revelation can change the entire balance of the game.
Where to Watch Celebrity Traitors UK 2026
In the UK, The Celebrity Traitors airs on BBC One and is available to stream through BBC iPlayer. New episodes are scheduled for 8pm, with the iPlayer release accompanying the television broadcast.
The companion show The Celebrity Traitors: Uncloaked, hosted by Ed Gamble, follows the main programme and provides additional commentary and material. There is also a special iPlayer programme titled Traitor or Faithful? Claudia Decides, which offers additional insight into the selection of the Traitors.
International availability varies. Current reports indicate that the series is being made available through BritBox in the United States, while other international territories have separate streaming arrangements. Viewers should check their local listings because release dates can differ outside the UK.
What Is the Prize on Celebrity Traitors?
The celebrities are competing to win up to £100,000 for a charity of their choice. The prize adds an important charitable element to the competition while leaving the central focus on trust, deception and strategy.
The Faithfuls must identify and eliminate the Traitors through discussions and Round Table votes. Meanwhile, the Traitors attempt to remain hidden while secretly removing Faithful contestants from the game. The eventual winner or winners can take the prize for their selected charity.
What Happened in the Opening Episodes?
The opening episode immediately established the unpredictable nature of the celebrity edition. Richard E Grant and Maya Jama were selected as the initial Traitors, while the rest of the cast began their attempt to work out which contestants could be trusted.
Richard E Grant attracted particular attention because of his unusual behavior and an apparent revelation about his Traitor status, creating confusion among the other contestants. The episode also introduced the first major mission and established the strategic tensions that will shape the rest of the series.
By Episode 2, the Traitors were completing their line-up and the Faithfuls were beginning to face the consequences of the hidden-role format. The first Round Table became a crucial test of whether the celebrities could distinguish genuine suspicion from deliberate manipulation.
Why Celebrity Traitors 2026 Is Generating Attention
The celebrity version has become one of the BBC’s most closely watched reality formats because it combines the familiarity of celebrity television with the psychological mechanics of a social-deduction game. Viewers are not simply watching celebrities compete in physical challenges; they are watching them lie, form alliances and attempt to read one another.
The second series has also benefited from a particularly recognizable cast. Michael Sheen, Maya Jama, Miranda Hart, James Acaster, James Blunt, Bella Ramsey, Ross Kemp and Richard E Grant each bring a very different public persona to the game, making it difficult to predict who will thrive in an environment built around secrecy.
The opening episode reportedly attracted an overnight audience of around 8.9 million viewers, significantly above the first celebrity series’ opening overnight figure. That early performance demonstrates the continuing popularity of the format and the strength of the BBC’s celebrity version.
Final Verdict
Celebrity Traitors UK 2026 is shaping up to be another major reality-TV event, with 21 celebrities, 10 episodes and a twice-weekly BBC One schedule. Claudia Winkleman remains at the center of the format, while the combination of actors, comedians, broadcasters, musicians and internet stars gives the second series plenty of potential for unexpected alliances and betrayals.
The key dates for viewers are Thursday and Friday at 8pm on BBC One and BBC iPlayer, with the 2026 series running through its scheduled October finale on October 30.
With Richard E Grant and Maya Jama established as the opening Traitors and the remaining contestants attempting to identify them, the central question for the coming episodes is simple: who can lie convincingly enough to survive, and who can spot the deception before it is too late?
