'The Celebrity Traitors Season 2' Cast: Meet all 21 players

'The Celebrity Traitors Season 2' cast: Meet the ‘big dogs’, dark horses and under-the-radar stars(Image Credit: Instagram)

‘The Celebrity Traitors’ is back for another round of secret murders, suspicious friendships and celebrities trying very hard to work out who is lying to them.Claudia Winkleman will once again welcome 21 famous faces to the castle when Season 2 premieres on Thursday, October 1, 2026, on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.

The new cast includes actors, comedians, singers, broadcasters, a mathematician, a supermodel and even a YouTube star.Last year's celebrity edition gave viewers one of the show's most memorable endings when Alan Carr managed to bluff his way through the game as a Traitor and take the win. So, who could follow him this year?Some contestants are obvious “big dogs,” while others could quietly make it much further than expected.

‘The Celebrity Traitors Season 2’: Meet the comedy troupe

If Alan Carr proved anything last season, it is that comedians can be surprisingly good at this game. This year's cast has no shortage of them.Joe Lycett, 38, is one of the most obvious candidates to bring some chaos to the castle. Known for his sharp humour, colourful outfits and elaborate stunts, Lycett has already asked Carr for advice on spotting a “rotten little traitor”. Carr's advice? Look for someone who is “sweating and giggling”.

Then there is James Acaster, 41. The comedian and ‘Off Menu’ podcast co-host has been a fan of ‘The Traitors’ since the original civilian series began in 2022. He has said he would rather be a Faithful because he is not particularly good at lying, although that is exactly the sort of thing a Traitor might say.Romesh Ranganathan, 48, is another one to watch. The comedian, presenter and former maths teacher has plenty of experience keeping a straight face, whether he is hosting ‘The Weakest Link’ or interviewing someone.

He has admitted that his youngest son was “desperate” for him to take part in the show.His friendship with fellow comedian Rob Beckett, 40, may not mean much once the game starts. Ranganathan has joked that Beckett could just as easily be on his side as “twist the knife in my back”.Miranda Hart, 53, brings another very different comedy style to the castle. Her warm and self-deprecating persona could make her appear harmless, although she is also an experienced actress who knows exactly how to play a character.

After a period away from television because of ill health, Hart said she hopes the “joy of mucking about on television again” will outweigh some of the challenges.Irish comedian Joanne McNally, 43, rounds out the comedy-heavy group. Her podcast ‘My Therapist Ghosted Me’ is known for its gossip, oversharing and brutally honest conversations, but being honest is not necessarily an advantage in the Traitors castle.

‘The Celebrity Traitors Season 2’: All about the ‘big dogs’

Last year, Joe Marler came up with what became known as the “Big Dog Theory”. His thinking was simple: the biggest celebrities in the castle would be obvious choices for the Traitors because nobody would immediately suspect them.He wondered whether Sir Stephen Fry or Jonathan Ross could be the big-name Traitor. Jonathan Ross turned out to be exactly that. This year's cast has several names who could easily fit the same description.Michael Sheen, 57, is probably one of the biggest names entering the castle. The Welsh actor has played everyone from Tony Blair to Brian Clough and has built a career on disappearing into different personalities. Whether the real Michael Sheen will be as easy to read is another question.Richard E. Grant, 69, is another major Hollywood name, while Jerry Hall, 70, arrives with decades of experience in modelling, acting and the celebrity spotlight.

Hall has four children with Mick Jagger and was also married to media mogul Rupert Murdoch.Maya Jama, 32, is already one of Britain's most recognisable television presenters thanks to ‘Love Island’, while Amol Rajan, 43, brings years of experience interviewing politicians and other public figures.Rajan has already said he does not want to come across as the detective of the group on the first night. “I don't want to go in there and at round table number one be Mr Forensic Investigator!” he said.

But his interviewing background could still prove useful.“I do interview politicians for a living, and I really have to pursue answers to questions.” He plans to make friends first and avoid putting “a target” on his back too early.Ross Kemp, 62, could also become a useful player when the challenges get physical. The former ‘EastEnders’ star has since built a second career as a hard-hitting documentary presenter.And then there is James Blunt, 52. Whether the castle gets the emotional singer behind ‘You're Beautiful,’ or the famously sarcastic social media personality is anyone's guess.

The dark horses of ‘The Celebrity Traitors Season 2’

Not every strong player needs to be the loudest person in the room.Leigh-Anne Pinnock, 34, may be one of the biggest names in pop as a former Little Mix member, but she could still enter the castle without immediately looking like a major threat.

She has plenty of experience dealing with intense public scrutiny and complicated relationships, which could help once the alliances start forming.Bella Ramsey, 22, could be another fascinating contestant. The ‘The Last of Us’ star and former ‘Game of Thrones’ actor is the youngest person in this year's cast. But Ramsey has apparently been playing their own version of ‘The Traitors’ since they were around 10, even hosting games at home.They plan to be “instinctive, measured, and perceptive” and said: “I will be keeping my opinions to myself until I feel it's absolutely the right time to share them.” That could be a useful strategy in a castle full of people who want to talk.King Kenny, 29, is another wildcard. The Beta Squad YouTuber is known for pranks, videos and more recently boxing. His presence also brings another online creator into a format where influencers have not always had an easy time.

His Beta Squad colleague Niko Omilana was the first contestant banished from the castle last year.Hannah Fry, 42, could fill the role of the show's resident intellectual. The mathematician and broadcaster, known for ‘The Rest Is Science’, has already joked that she is “here to fulfil the nerd quota”. But Fry is aware that being perceived as clever could make her a target.“I would say people tend to think I'm smarter than I actually am, bluntly, and I don't think that's going to serve me particularly well as I may be seen as a bit of a threat,” she said.

The under-the-radar contenders of ‘The Celebrity Traitors Season 2’

Then there are the contestants who may not attract immediate suspicion.Myha'la, 30, known for playing Harper Stern in ‘Industry’, could be one of them. She has described herself as more of a “kill them with kindness kind of girl” rather than a “blatantly bullish bulldog”. But she has already admitted that she wants to be a Traitor. The actress has also deliberately planned her appearance for the show so viewers see her as herself rather than her ruthless ‘Industry’ character.Julie Hesmondhalgh, 56, is another familiar face, particularly for ‘Coronation Street’ viewers who remember her as Hayley Cropper. She has also appeared in ‘Broadchurch’ and ‘Mr Bates vs the Post Office’. Her warm personality could make her easy to trust, but she is also an experienced actress. That combination could make her more difficult to read than expected.Sharon Rooney, 37, best known for ‘My Mad Fat Diary’ and her appearance in ‘Barbie’, could similarly stay out of the spotlight for a while.

The question is how long she can remain unnoticed before the castle starts wondering why she is so quiet.And finally, there is Sebastian Croft, 24, who younger viewers will know from ‘Heartstopper’. He is another of the younger contestants entering a game dominated by much bigger and more established names. That may actually work in his favour.The first celebrity season showed that fame does not necessarily decide who survives. Alan Carr, Cat Burns, David Olusoga and Nick Mohammed all demonstrated in different ways that the loudest or most recognisable contestant is not automatically the one controlling the game.Now, with ‘The Celebrity Traitors Season 2' arriving on Thursday, October 1, 2026, the real question is who will manage to look innocent while everyone else is busy pointing fingers.