Just when we thought The Traitors couldn’t get any better, last year, BBC shook up the formula and gifted the nation Celebrity Traitors. We got to see Alan Carr squeal and dangle from trees in challenges; Stephen Fry hang out with YouTuber Niko; and national treasure Celia Imrie fart on screen. Hosted by Claudia Winkleman, it really was the best of British television, bringing together a stellar cast of our greatest celebs for some good old fashioned treachery.
The question is, of course, how could season two of Celebrity Traitors ever top its predecessor? Well, the BBC has a few tricks up its sleeve – and they mostly involve recruiting an even more impressive cast that last time. While appearing on The One Show earlier this week, Winkleman revealed that the cast for Celebrity Traitors 2026 has officially been locked. And by the sounds of it, we should all prepare to be gagged by this year’s recruits.
“The people who make it are extraordinary and they had to repeat the people twice to me because I was like, ‘Huh, are you joking? Come again,’” she said. “We’re incredibly lucky.” The prestige of last year’s cast was impressive enough, with contestants like Jonathan Ross and Stephen Fry being nicknamed the “big dogs” by Joe Marler, a nod to their cultural stature. And guess what? We might see even more “big dogs” in series two. “We’re so grateful that people want to come and play the game,” she continued. “And the people who said yes for series one, I still can’t believe it. I was shaking when you see Stephen Fry walking around the castle and Alan Carr, Ruth Codd, all of these people I was obsessed by. I’m very excited.”
Last year, filming took place from late April onwards and the series was aired in autumn, so we’ll likely have to wait a couple of month before BBC releases any official info about the cast. Until then, there’s plenty of speculation about who we might get to see don that signature Traitors cloak. If even one of these rumours are true, we’re in for a treat.
Hugh Grant
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You read that right. The nation’s ultimate romcom hero keeps popping up in conversations about casting rumours. Apparently, the BBC bosses reckon Hugh Grant would be a natural follow up to guests like Stephen Fry and Celia Imrie from series one, and the ‘90s heartthrob has been high up their hit list. As an inside source said in February, “They know landing Hugh would be a huge coup but think he would be a brilliant addition. [They’re] determined not to get the same tired reality stars who sign up to every series going.” Fingers crossed.