Celebrity Traitors star's TV blow as his show 'gets axed' hours before season 2 of BBC smash

A Celebrity Traitors season 2 star has seen one of his shows axed ahead of his big debut on the Claudia Winkleman hit series.

Comedian Joe Lycett is one of the famous faces relocating to the Scottish Highlands castle for round two of the backstabbing game. Once again, a host of Faithfuls and Traitors will engage in a subtle battle for a chance to win money for a charity of their choice.

Not long before Lycett makes his grand entrance on the starry Traitors series, the comedian has had his travel show, Travel Man, cancelled.

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The Sun reports that Channel 4 has reportedly pulled the plug on the series previously hosted by Richard Ayoade.

Lycett took over the series back in 2021, with the comedian travelling to a beautiful destination accompanied by a different celebrity each episode. He hosted a total of four seasons, debuting with an episode filmed in Iceland in 2021 and bowing out with one exploring Malmö, in Southern Sweden, in early 2025.

Among the guests appearing on Travel Man were Rivals star Katherine Parkinson, Bill Bailey, Aisling Bea and James Acaster, with the latter reuniting with Lycett on the new season of Celebrity Traitors.

Digital Spy has reached out to Channel 4 for comment.

Meanwhile, Acaster has raised some concerns about the number of comedians partaking in this second series of Celebrity Traitors, worrying that it might be a disadvantage.

"There will be suspicions that it's going to be at least one of these guys, that we might form an alliance if we're not broken apart," Acaster said before the show's premiere. "I think we're going to be the first ones under the magnifying glass being looked at."

This season's line-up also features comedian Romesh Ranganathan, Rob Beckett, Joanne McNally, and Miranda Hart. Rounding out the cast are Amol Rajan, Professor Hannah Fry, Michael Sheen, James Blunt, Jerry Hall, Julie Hesmondhalgh, King Kenny, Leigh-Anne Pinnock, Myha'la, Ross Kemp, Sebastian Croft, Sharon Rooney, Richard E Grant, Maya Jama, and Bella Ramsey.

Celebrity Traitors season 2 premieres on BBC One on 1 October.

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Reporter, Digital Spy

Stefania is a freelance writer specialising in TV and movies. After graduating from City University, London, she covered LGBTQ+ news and pursued a career in entertainment journalism, with her work appearing in outlets including Little White Lies, The Skinny, Radio Times and Digital Spy. 

Her beats are horror films and period dramas, especially if fronted by queer women. She can argue why Scream is the best slasher in four languages (and a half).