Let the Celebrity Traitors countdown begin! With season 2 one day away here’s what you need to know

If you're hungry for deceit, betrayal and murder at the hands of ruthlessly ambitious celebs then you're in luck. BBC's The Celebrity Traitors is making its way back to the small screens tomorrow (October 1) and promises to be a frightfully good watch.

As with the regular seasons of The Traitors, and last year's first celebrity special, the action once again takes place at Ardross Castle in the Scottish Highlands with this new batch of celebs vying for that cash prize up to £100,000 for their chosen charity.

Ushering them through the experience will be the "iconic" Claudia Winkleman. By now the Traitors host has surely dusted off her best tweeds and witchy woollens in preparation for her return.

The BBC's Director of Entertainment Ed Havard promises that the new season will be everything fans want, and more starting with a deeper look into the games with a new accompanying show.

In the spin-off series, called, Traitor or Faithful? Claudia Decides, the audience will learn how Winkleman chooses who will don the Traitor's hood and who will be a Faithful.

Excited yet? You're not the only ones. In a BBC press release Winkleman revealed that she was thrilled with this year's line up. "I couldn't get over it," said the host. "My bosses had to repeat the names at least three times. We're so lucky they said yes."

With Celebrity Traitors but one day away now is the perfect time to refresh your mind on who will make the Traitors' castle their place of residence in the second celebrity season of TV's most addictively back-stabbing game.

Who makes up the cast of season 2 of Celebrity Traitors?

Amol Rajan

Former editor of The Independent, journalist and presenter Amol is best known as the host of BBC Two quiz show University Challenge, which he has fronted since taking over from Jeremy Paxman in 2023.

Bella Ramsey

At 22 years old, Bella is the youngest Celebrity Traitors competitor this year. Best known as Lyanna Mormont in Game of Thrones and Ellie in The Last Of Us, they will next be seen alongside Daisy Haggard in the Channel 4 drama series Maya.

James Acaster

Comedian James Acaster is a TV regular, having appeared on shows including Mock the Week, Taskmaster, and Celebrity Hunted, where he attempted to evade the hunters with his Off Menu podcast co-host Ed Gamble.

James Blunt

Ex-army captain turned singer-songwriter James Blunt scored a breakout hit with ‘You’re Beautiful’ in 2005, but in recent years has become better known for his self-deprecating and pretty hilarious retorts on social media.

Jerry Hall

American star Jerry Hall was one of the most famous and sought after models of the 1970s, and has also worked as an actress, most notably alongside Jack Nicholson in 1989’s Batman. Jerry has four children with her former partner, Rolling Stones’ singer Mick Jagger.

Joanne McNally

Irish stand up comedian and writer Joanne is best known for her one-woman shows and the podcast My Therapist Ghosted Me, which she co-presents with Vogue Williams.

Joe Lycett

Comedian and TV presenter Joe Lycett has been a regular face on TV since 2010, on shows ranging from Countdown and Taskmaster to The Great British Sewing Bee, which he presented for three seasons. He’s currently hosting The Lycett Arms on Channel 4.

Julie Hesmondhalgh

A Coronation Street legend (she played Hayley Cropper on the soap for 16 years), actor Julie has more recently won praise for her performances in Broadchurch and Mr Bates vs The Post Office.

King Kenny

Retired boxer Kenny is social media star who posts a mix of pranks, challenges and comedy videos as part of the British YouTube collective group Beta Squad.

Leigh-Anne Pinnock

Singer Leigh-Anne rose to fame as part of the X-Factor winning pop band Little Mix. She launched her solo career in 2023 and won praise for her BBC documentary Leigh-Anne: Race, Pop and Power in 2021.

Maya Jama

Love Island host Maya is having a busy year – as well as presenting the dating show, she is also a judge on The Masked Singer and made her acting debut in the second season of Netflix’s The Gentlemen.

Michael Sheen

Welsh actor Michael Sheen’s impressive career has seen him playing real-life figures Tony Blair, David Frost, Chris Tarrant and football manager Brian Clough. He’s also well known for his role in Good Omens, alongside pal David Tennant, who also appears with him in the comedy series Staged.

Miranda Hart

After appearing in comedies including The Vicar of Dibley and Not Going Out, Miranda found fame playing a fictionalised version of herself in the sitcom Miranda. She’s also known as ‘Chummy’ in Call the Midwife, a role which won her a National Television Award.

Myha'la

American actress Myha’la plays Harper Stern in BBC’s Industry, and is also known for her roles in Black Mirror, Bodies Bodies Bodies and They Will Kill You.

Professor Hannah Fry

Hannah Fry is an author and professor of mathematics who has presented TV shows including The Secret Genius of Modern Life. Her academic work has included studies of patterns of human behaviour, which may come in useful on The Traitors.

Richard E Grant

Actor and presenter Richard has recently appeared in The Other Bennet Sister, but his acting career stretches back more than 40 years and includes memorable roles in Withnail & I, Gosford Park, Saltburn and even the Spice Girls movie Spice World.

Rob Beckett

Comedian Rob Beckett often appears on TV with pal Romesh Ranganathan, and the Celebrity Traitors is no exception. The pair have also co-hosted the TV BAFTAs.

Romesh Ranganathan

The other half of Rob & Romesh Vs is joining friend Rob Beckett in the castle this year. Romesh is also known as a regular panellist on A League of Their Own and the travel series The Misadventures of Romesh Ranganathan, for which he won a BAFTA.

Ross Kemp

Otherwise known as EastEnders’ original hardman Grant Mitchell, Ross Kemp has had a varied TV career that also includes presenting a series of documentaries and hosting the teatime quiz show Bridge of Lies.

Sebastian Croft

Former child actor Sebastian Croft got his big break as a young Ned Stark in Game of Thrones, and has since appeared as Ben in Heartstopper and as Archie in the movie How to Date Billy Walsh.

Sharon Rooney

Sharon’s breakthrough role was the lead in TV comedy series My Big Fat Diary in 2013, and the Scottish actress has since appeared as Sophie in Two Doors Down, Lawyer Barbie in Barbie and Yas in the crime thriller series Nightsleeper.

The Celebrity Traitors returns later this month on BBC One and BBC iPlayer. Season 1 is streaming now on BBC iPlayer.

Freelance film & TV writer, Digital Spy
Critic and writer Jo Berry has been writing about TV and movies since she began her career at Time Out aged 18. A regular on BBC Radio, Jo has written for titles including Empire, Maxim, Radio Times, OK!, The Guardian and Grazia, is the author of books including Chick Flicks and The Parents’ Guide to Kids’ Movies. 

She is also the editor of website Movies4Kids. In her career, Jo has interviewed well-known names including Beyonce, Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks, Kiefer Sutherland, Tom Cruise and all the Avengers, spent many an hour crushed in the press areas of award show red carpets. Jo is also a self-proclaimed expert on Outlander and Brassic, and completely agrees that Die Hard is a Christmas movie.

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TV writer, Digital Spy Janet completed her Masters degree in Magazine Journalism in 2013 and has continued to grow professionally within the industry ever since.  For six years she honed her analytical reviewing skills at the Good Housekeeping institute eventually becoming Acting Head of Food testing.  She also freelanced in the field of film and TV journalism from 2013-2020, when she interviewed A-List stars such as Samuel L Jackson, Colin Firth and Scarlett Johansson. In 2021 she joined Digital Spy as TV writer where she gets to delve into more of what she loves, watching copious amounts of telly all in the name of work. Since taking on the role she has conducted red carpet interviews with the cast of Bridgerton, covered the BAFTAs and been interviewed by BBC Radio and London Live. In her spare time she also moonlights as a published author, the book Gothic Angel.