The full line-up for the second series of The Celebrity Traitors has been confirmed, with 21 famous faces preparing to enter Claudia Winkleman's castle for another game of deception, suspicion and spectacularly awkward round-table votes.
The BBC has assembled a cast spanning acting, comedy, music, broadcasting, modelling and online entertainment, with Michael Sheen, Bella Ramsey, Maya Jama, James Blunt, Miranda Hart and Richard E. Grant among the biggest names taking part.
The new series will once again be filmed around Ardross Castle in the Scottish Highlands, with the celebrities competing to win a prize of up to £100,000 for a charity of their choice.
Jerry Hall & Ross Kemp
An exact transmission date has not yet been announced by the BBC. The broadcaster has confirmed that series two will arrive on BBC One and BBC iPlayer in autumn 2026, with ten episodes expected. Current reports point towards an October return, but a specific launch date should still be treated as unconfirmed until the BBC publishes its schedule.
Who is in Celebrity Traitors 2026?
The 21 celebrities confirmed for the second series are:
- Amol Rajan — journalist and broadcaster, best known for presenting University Challenge and BBC Radio 4's Today programme.
- Bella Ramsey — actor whose major television roles include The Last of Us and Game of Thrones.
- James Acaster — comedian and podcaster, known for his stand-up work and the hugely popular Off Menu podcast.
- James Blunt — singer-songwriter whose international hits include You're Beautiful.
- Jerry Hall — model and actor who became one of the most recognisable figures in fashion during the 1970s and 1980s.
- Joanne McNally — Irish comedian and co-host of the My Therapist Ghosted Me podcast.
- Joe Lycett — comedian and television presenter known for combining comedy with consumer campaigns and elaborate public stunts.
- Julie Hesmondhalgh — actor known to millions of viewers for Coronation Street and more recently Mr Bates vs The Post Office.
- King Kenny — content creator and boxer who built a large online following through YouTube and social media.
- Leigh-Anne Pinnock — singer-songwriter who rose to fame as a member of Little Mix before launching a solo career.
- Maya Jama — broadcaster and entrepreneur, widely known as the presenter of Love Island.
- Michael Sheen — acclaimed Welsh actor whose credits include Good Omens, Frost/Nixon and The Queen.
- Miranda Hart — comedian, actor and author best known for the BBC sitcom Miranda and her role in Call the Midwife.
- Myha'la — actor known for starring in the drama series Industry and films including Leave the World Behind.
- Professor Hannah Fry — mathematician, author and broadcaster known for making science and mathematics accessible to television and radio audiences.
- Richard E. Grant — actor and author whose long screen career includes Withnail and I and the Oscar-nominated Can You Ever Forgive Me?.
- Rob Beckett — comedian and presenter, and one half of the long-running Parenting Hell podcast.
- Romesh Ranganathan — comedian and television presenter whose programmes include The Weakest Link and Rob & Romesh Vs.
- Ross Kemp — actor and documentary presenter, famous for playing Grant Mitchell in EastEnders before moving into factual television.
- Sebastian Croft — actor and musician known for roles including Ben Hope in Heartstopper.
- Sharon Rooney — Scottish actor known for My Mad Fat Diary, Barbie and a range of television and film roles.
When does Celebrity Traitors series two start?
The BBC has so far confirmed only that the second series will be shown in autumn 2026 on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.
No official premiere date has been announced as of 27 August. Several publications expect the programme to return in October, mirroring the first celebrity series, which launched on 8 October 2025, but that remains an expectation rather than a confirmed BBC transmission date.
The new run is expected to contain ten episodes, giving the celebrity version one more instalment than its first series.
Julie Hesmondhalgh & Martin Sheen
Claudia Winkleman returns to host
Claudia Winkleman will return as host and will once again choose which of the celebrities begin the game as Traitors.
The remaining players become Faithfuls and must identify the secret Traitors before they are either 'murdered' overnight or banished at the round table.
The Traitors, meanwhile, must avoid detection while quietly eliminating their opponents and attempting to reach the end of the game.
Unlike the civilian edition, the celebrities are competing for charities rather than taking the prize money home themselves.
Second series follows huge success of first Celebrity Traitors
The BBC commissioned another celebrity run after the first series became one of the biggest television hits of 2025.
The broadcaster said the first celebrity finale reached a peak audience of 15.4 million viewers, demonstrating that the already successful format could attract an even larger audience with a famous cast.
The first series was ultimately won by comedian Alan Carr, whose performance helped make the celebrity spin-off a major talking point throughout its run.
Series two now brings together an unusually broad group of personalities, from experienced interviewers and comedians to actors accustomed to playing complex characters — a mixture likely to generate plenty of speculation over who Claudia has chosen as her Traitors.
First teaser points to another theatrical series
A new teaser released ahead of the series has offered viewers an early glimpse of the 2026 cast together, including Ross Kemp, Maya Jama and Rob Beckett in a characteristically dramatic funeral setting.
The BBC has not revealed which contestants are Traitors, how far any of the celebrities progress or who eventually wins.
With filming completed and the full cast now public, the biggest remaining piece of information is the exact start date. For now, viewers can expect The Celebrity Traitors to return to BBC One and BBC iPlayer this autumn, with October looking likely but not yet officially confirmed.