The Celebrity Traitors returns to BBC One and BBC iPlayer on October 1. A new official trailer puts Claudia Winkleman back at the castle with a 21-person lineup drawn from acting, music, comedy, television and digital media.

Series two will contain ten hour-long episodes. The BBC has not announced an international streaming schedule with the trailer, so the confirmed October date currently applies to its UK channels and service.

When The Celebrity Traitors series two starts

The new season begins Thursday, October 1, on BBC One and BBC iPlayer. The official trailer was released on September 15, giving viewers a first extended look at the returning format and its new players.

The announcement replaces earlier speculation about a September start. Viewers outside the UK should wait for a local broadcaster or streaming platform to confirm its own availability rather than assume the BBC date applies worldwide.

  • UK premiere: October 1, 2026.
  • Where to watch: BBC One and BBC iPlayer.
  • Season length: Ten 60-minute episodes.

Bella Ramsey, Maya Jama and Michael Sheen lead the cast

Bella Ramsey, Maya Jama, Michael Sheen, Richard E. Grant, Miranda Hart and Myha’la are among the actors and presenters entering the game. The lineup also includes James Acaster, Joanne McNally, Joe Lycett, Rob Beckett and Romesh Ranganathan.

Music is represented by James Blunt and Leigh-Anne Pinnock, while Jerry Hall, Ross Kemp, Amol Rajan, Professor Hannah Fry, Julie Hesmondhalgh, King Kenny, Sebastian Croft and Sharon Rooney complete the announced group. Winkleman returns as host.

The trailer keeps the Traitors hidden

The footage shows the celebrities arriving, meeting at the round table and reacting to the first stages of the game. It deliberately avoids identifying which players have been selected as Traitors, preserving the central reveal for the episodes.

There are glimpses of challenges, tense conversations and Winkleman addressing the group, but no complete elimination or result is shown. The preview is designed around personalities and suspicion rather than a plot summary.

How the celebrity version works

The group is divided secretly between Faithfuls and Traitors. Faithfuls try to identify and banish the hidden Traitors, while the Traitors remove players under cover of darkness and attempt to reach the end without being exposed.

The celebrity edition uses the same detection and deception structure as the main UK series. This season’s ten-episode order gives the expanded cast room for alliances, challenges and round-table votes without changing the core rules described by the producers.

Studio Lambert Scotland produces the season

Studio Lambert Scotland is producing the ten episodes for BBC One and BBC iPlayer. Mike Cotton, Sarah Fay, Lewis Thurlow and Katy Fox are executive producers, with Lynette Woods-Reynolds, Gemma Scholes and Faye Donaldson serving as production executives.

The format was created by IDTV with RTL Creative Unit. All3Media International, which sits within Banijay Entertainment, distributes the format internationally.

Where to follow the new season

The official BBC trailer is available now. Pixel Twelve’s TV hub collects current series coverage, the News hub tracks new announcements, and the The Celebrity Traitors search page will gather related stories as they are published.