A second season of The Celebrity Traitors has been announced by the BBC following the massive success of season one.
The season came to a conclusion last week, with Alan Carr being crowned the winner of the first celeb focused spin-off from The Traitors.
Whilst many had concerns about how adding celebrities would change the game, the TV show was a massive success for the BBC, becoming one of the most watched series on British television this year.
The celebrity season one finale, which saw Joe Marler, Nick Mohammed, and David Olusoga bested by Alan Carr, was viewed by an average of 11.1 million people, with a huge peak of 12 million.
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This made for the biggest single episode of TV since the Gavin and Stacey Christmas special, and is likely to break records once the 28 day watching period is accounted for.
In this announcement, the BBC have revealed that the first episode has received 14,800,000 views so far, making it the most watched episode of TV this year, per TV critic Scott Bryan.
The second season of the show will debut in 2026.
Many names have already been discussed for season two, with Bob Mortimer still many viewer's dream contestant on the show, having been the only named in initial reports of the lineup to not make the final cut.
Season two is likely to be just as star-studded as season one, perhaps even more so, despite the fact that contestants receive a fraction of the payout that those on I'm A Celeb receive.
Being paid £40,000 to appear on the show may pale in comparison to other shows, but celebrities are sure to flock to the series after seeing the rewards that the stand-out stars of the series receive.
Alan Carr, the winner of the show, has been reported to be being lined up for a BBC chat show in the style of Graham Norton, whilst Joe Marler is also reportedly being eyed up for major presenting jobs.
Within their season two announcement, the BBC also announced that The Traitors has boosted the Scottish economy by £21,800,000.
Kalpna Patel-Knight, Head of Entertainment at the BBC, said: “Studio Lambert have done an outstanding job as The Celebrity Traitors has well and truly captivated the nation, becoming a bona fide highlight of the year bringing record numbers of people together to enjoy every twist and turn.
"In 2026 the doors of the castle will be opened again to welcome celebrity players to the game to see who can charm, who can scheme and ultimately who can survive in series two which promises to be just as unmissable as the first.
"Plus with Uncloaked returning and today’s news of the positive contribution The Traitors brand has made to Scotland’s economy, there is plenty to celebrate.”
Hayley Valentine, Director BBC Scotland said: “The Traitors is an immense TV success story and it’s fantastic to have multiple versions of it filmed in Scotland. We welcome and celebrate it.
"This report highlights the many ways that Scotland is seeing a direct economic benefit from The Traitors filming here and, working together with our partners, we will use this success to promote sustainable growth within Scotland’s creative industry.”
Topics: The Traitors, BBC, Entertainment, TV and Film, TV
Michael Slavin