Celebrity Traitors 2026: Season 2 cast, start date, full schedule, and favourite to win

There's just a couple of weeks to wait until the Celebrity Traitors returns for its second season, and here's everything you need to know before it officially kicks off.

Claudia Winkleman will return to the Scottish castle alongside 21 celebrity guests, who will be attempting to follow in the footsteps of Alan Carr after he shocked the nation to win as the solo traitor in the first celebrity version of the hugely popular show.

Excitement is building across the UK after we got the official confirmation of the start date, while a new trailer has also given us an idea of what life is going to be like in the castle.

When does Celebrity Traitors season 2 start and at what time?

Spooky season will start with a bang as it's Thursday October 1 that you'll need to make note of in your diaries for the first episode, which will air on BBC One and BBC iPlayer at 8pm.

This is a whole week earlier than last season, which saw Carr outwit the likes of Stephen Fry and Nick Mohammed on his way to a victory which many will describe as one of the best TV moments from 2025.

Full Celebrity Traitors season 2 episode schedule

• Thankfully you won't have long to wait for the second episode when the opener inevitably ends on a cliffhanger, as it will air the following night at 8pm again.
• But it's just two nights a week which will be filled with Traitor action, meaning a rather long week from Friday night to next Thursday.
• It's not clear yet exactly how many episodes there will be in this second season, although season one had nine episodes in total over a five-week period.

What is ‘Traitor or Faithful? Claudia Decides’ that’s coming to BBC iPlayer?

Traitors fans will also be delighted to learn that the action won't end when the episodes finish, as apart from the usual Uncloaked programme with Ed Gamble which airs straight after, we also have a new addition for this series.

Alan Carr burst into tears after winning the first season (BBC)

Traitor or Faithful? Claudia Decides will take a closer look at exactly how Claudia, along with the production team, make their selections for traitors and faithfuls on the show, with the BBC promising 'new information' in the bonus episode which is also released onto iPlayer at 9.15pm on 1 October.

Celebrity Traitors season 2 cast in full

James Acaster will be hoping to avoid a second breakdown live on BBC, although this time he thankfully won't have to bake anything.

Joining the comedian in the castle are 20 other celebrities, including the likes of Leigh-Anne Pinnock, Professor Hannah Fry and Romesh Ranganathan, all of whom will be looking to win a huge sum for their selected charity.

Love Island host Maya Jama, legendary actor Richard E. Grant and University Challenge quizmaster Amol Rajan will also be battling it out in the cast.

The full cast can be seen below:

• Amol Rajan – Journalist and Broadcaster
• Bella Ramsey – Actor
• James Acaster – Comedian and Podcaster
• James Blunt – Singer/Songwriter
• Jerry Hall – Model and Actress
• Joanne McNally – Comedian
• Joe Lycett – Comedian
• Julie Hesmondhalgh – Actor
• King Kenny – Content Creator
• Leigh-Anne Pinnock – Singer/Songwriter
• Maya Jama – Broadcaster and Entrepreneur
• Michael Sheen – Actor and Presenter
• Miranda Hart – Actor and Author
• Myha’la – Actor
• Professor Hannah Fry – Broadcaster and Mathematician
• Richard E. Grant – Actor and Author
• Rob Beckett – Comedian
• Romesh Ranganathan – Comedian
• Ross Kemp – Actor and Presenter
• Sebastian Croft – Musician and Actor
• Sharon Rooney – Actor

As far as we know, there won't be any secret late additions to the show, even if we're all still wishing that David Mitchell would agree to go on, but there's sure to be lots of twists and turns in October, especially if we get another secret traitor as we did with Fiona in season four of the non-celebrity version.

Where is Celebrity Traitors season 2 filmed?

Ardross Castle will be once again be the home for the celebrity traitors in the Scottish highlands, but as you might guess, they don't actually sleep in the castle at night.

A first look at the celebrities in the second season (BBC)

Although we get the cut scenes of the celebrities doing a nighttime puzzle or reading a book in bed, they're actually staying in a hotel close to the airport in Inverness.

That's why we get the scenes in the morning where they are driven in by car, with the identities of those inside kept secret until they walk into breakfast, and the BBC production team even swap the orders around so that while we might think that they could deduce who the faithfuls are, the reality is certainly not that simple.

Celebrity Traitors season 2: favourites to win

While the odds will undoubtedly change when the traitors and faithfuls are officially announced, those that are offering prices seem to think that actor Bella Ramsey is among the early favourites, and she certainly has experience of battling against the odds thanks to her role on The Last of Us.

We often see some of the smartest players booted out early unless they can prove themselves as faithful, which might well put Amol Rajan and Professor Hannah Fry in some trouble, while we're almost certain to see Rob Beckett's friendship with Romesh Ranganathan put to the test.

Is there a Celebrity Traitors trailer?

In case you haven't already seen the celebrity traitors trailer, then you can expect to see some intense round tables, crazy missions and terrifying moments for the celebrities, who famously had to dig their own graves in season one.

You can watch it below:

This article will be updated after each episode once the series kicks off on 1 October.