BBC Confirms Celebrity Traitors Series Two Cast at Ardross Castle With Claudia Winkleman

The BBC has confirmed the star-studded lineup for the second series of The Celebrity Traitors, with filming set to take place at Ardross Castle in the Scottish Highlands.

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BBC

Deadline reports that “The Celebrity Traitors, the highest-rated show on British TV last year, is back for a second season,” and says the cast is assembling “over the summer” as filming gets underway at the castle.

BBC

BBC also frames the announcement as a full lineup reveal, saying “A total of 21 presenters, comedians, actors and musicians will try their hand at being good traitors and faithfuls in the show, which will air this autumn.”

The BBC’s list includes Claudia Winkleman returning as host, alongside contestants such as Amol Rajan, Bella Ramsey, Michael Sheen, Richard E. Grant, Jerry Hall, and Miranda Hart.

Radio Times similarly says “Claudia Winkelman will return to host the hit show,” and adds that the 21 celebrities will “battle it out to win a share of a £100,000 cash prize for their chosen charity.”

Across outlets, the same core cast names recur, including Maya Jama, Leigh-Anne Pinnock, Myha’la, Professor Hannah Fry, and Joe Lycett.

Bristol Live adds that “Filming begins next week” and says contestants are “expected to arrive today,” while OK! Magazine says “Filming commences next week” and that celebrities are “expected to begin arriving today.”

The confirmed cast is built around a mix of broadcasters, comedians, actors, and musicians heading to the Scottish Highlands, with Ardross Castle repeatedly named as the filming location.

BBC says the show’s second celebrity version “will consist of ten hour-long episodes,” and lists contestants including Amol Rajan, Maya Jama, Professor Hannah Fry, and Ross Kemp, alongside actors Bella Ramsey, Myha’la, Michael Sheen, Jerry Hall, Sharon Rooney, and Julie Hesmondhalgh.

BreakingNews.ie

The Independent also confirms key competitors such as “The Last of Us’s Bella Ramsey,” “The Damned United’s Michael Sheen,” and “Withnail and I’s Richard E Grant,” while adding that “Comedians Romesh Ranganathan and Rob Beckett” are set to compete.

Digital Spy describes the lineup as “an eclectic mix,” and says “Claudia Winkleman is welcoming an even bigger cast for season 2,” while noting that “They’ll all be playing for £100,000 for a charity of their choice.”

BreakingNews.ie similarly says the BBC reality game show will see “21 stars head to the infamous Scottish castle in the Highlands,” and describes the premise as “the murderous traitors among them, who kill off players in the middle of the night.”

Several outlets also emphasize the host’s role in dividing the group, with The Independent explaining that contestants are “secretly divided into ‘Faithfuls’ and ‘Traitors’,” and that the Traitors “must convince the rest of the group they are Faithfuls.”

Radio Times and The Mirror both tie the gameplay to the turret and the “greed hooded cloaks,” with The Mirror saying the 21 players will be “separated into Traitors and Faithfuls” and then “discover which of them are paying nightly visits to the turret wearing the greed hooded cloaks.”

The Celebrity Traitors season two is positioned as a charity-focused competition, with multiple outlets stating that the prize money will be directed to charities chosen by the contestants.

“Celebrity Traitors series two full line-up revealed including Love Island's Maya Jama The BBC has confirmed the full cast of 21 stars for Celebrity The Traitors series two with Maya Jama, Leigh-Ann Pinnock and Michael Sheen taking part The BBC has revealed the full lineup of 21 celebrities participating in the second series of Celebrity Traitors”

Bristol Live

Radio Times says the 21 celebrities will “battle it out to win a share of a £100,000 cash prize for their chosen charity,” and Deadline similarly notes the show is hosted by Claudia Winkleman while the cast enters the “wink murder-style game.”

Digital Spy spells out the same charity framing, stating “They’ll all be playing for £100,000 for a charity of their choice,” and describing the show’s structure as a mix of “banishment” votes and tense deception.

Bristol Live adds that “Instead of pocketing any prize money for themselves, the celebrity contestants will once again be channelling all proceeds to their selected charities,” while The Mirror says “Rather than take any winnings themselves, the celebrity players will again be donating any takings from the jackpot fund to their chosen charities.”

The Independent also describes the mechanics of the game, saying the Traitors “must convince the rest of the group they are Faithfuls, while making it through a series of tense ‘banishment’ votes.”

Several outlets also highlight the host’s return, with BBC confirming “A return for popular host Claudia Winkleman has also been confirmed,” and Deadline stating the show is “Hosted by Claudia Winkleman.”

The Mirror and OK! Magazine both connect the host’s questioning to the division into Traitors and Faithfuls, with The Mirror saying “following lengthy interviews with presenter Claudia Winkleman and members of the production team.”

The second series announcement is repeatedly linked to the performance and finale of the first season, which several outlets describe using specific audience figures and a named winner.

Deadline says Season 1 “debuted on BBC iPlayer and BBC One in October 2025” and was watched by “an average audience of 14.9M, with a peak of 15.4M for the finale,” while also stating that “Comedian Alan Carr emerged victorious” in a game that “featured Stephen Fry and Celia Imrie.”

Deadline

BBC similarly says the successful first series saw “15.4m people watch Alan Carr emerge victorious in the finale,” and adds that the next instalment “will see broadcasters Amol Rajan, Maya Jama and Professor Hannah Fry enter the castle.”

Radio Times also ties the show’s momentum to the first season’s viewership, saying it “kicked off in October 2025” and “amassed an average audience of 14.9 million across its run, peaking at 15.4m for the finale.”

The Mirror and Bristol Live both describe the finale moment in detail, with The Mirror saying Alan “unmasked himself as a Traitor in the final moments, before collapsing in tears with the strain of it all,” and Bristol Live saying Alan “emerged victorious, revealing himself as a Traitor in the final moments before breaking down in tears.”

Multiple outlets also connect that finale to awards recognition, with Bristol Live stating the finale “has since earned a nomination for the TV Moment of the Year award at next weekend's BAFTAs,” and The Mirror saying “That end scene has now been nominated for the TV Moment of the Year gong at the BAFTAs next weekend.”

Deadline adds production and commissioning details, stating the show “will be produced by Studio Lambert Scotland for BBC One and iPlayer” and that it has been “commissioned by Kalpna Patel-Knight, Head of Entertainment Commissioning for the BBC.”

While the lineup is the headline, Digital Spy also points to a specific format element that will not be repeated, quoting show boss Stephen Lambert about the “Secret Traitor twist.”

“The cast of Celebrity Traitors season 2 has been officially confirmed, and it's safe to say that it's a really eclectic mix, combining rumoured names with some curveballs”

Digital Spy

Digital Spy says, “One thing we do know is that the Secret Traitor twist won't be repeated,” and then quotes Lambert: “[It was] different, but it wasn't something we wanted to keep going with because it was a clever way of signalling we were doing something different, but I think the pleasure of the show is [that] the audience know who the Traitors are.”

Digital Spy

Digital Spy also adds that “Michael Sheen will be taking over as the host of another major BBC competition show later this year,” and says he will front “House of Games,” which had been hosted by Richard Osman.

BBC’s announcement, meanwhile, confirms the show’s structure in a different way by stating “The second celebrity version of the show will consist of ten hour-long episodes,” and it reiterates that the series will air “this autumn.”

Several outlets also describe the broadcast timing as later in 2026, including The Independent saying “the series will launch on BBC One later in 2026,” and OK! Magazine and Liverpool Echo both saying “later in 2026.”

Bristol Live and The Mirror both say the series is “not anticipated to broadcast on BBC1 until autumn,” mirroring last year’s schedule, and they both connect that timing to the previous cast including Sir Stephen Fry and Alan Carr.

Looking ahead, Deadline provides production leadership details, listing executive producers and commissioning editors, including “Mike Cotton, Sarah Fay, Lewis Thurlow and Katy Fox” and commissioning editors “Neil McCallum and Michael Jochnowitz.”