The BBC Has Given a Major Update on The Celebrity Traitors

Claudia Winkleman The Traitors
(Image credit: BBC/Studio Lambert/LLARA PLAZA)

The Traitors continues to make headlines in 2025. And with its third season drawing in over 10 million viewers earlier this year, it's no surprise that the popular reality show is coming back to our screens, and soon.

In a major update this week, the BBC confirmed that the next instalment, its first ever spin-off celebrity version, would be released in October this year.

And with filming at the infamous Ardross Castle in the Scottish Highlands already complete, and iconic host Claudia Winkleman returning to the helm, the exciting news has gone viral.

The premise of The Celebrity Traitors will remain the same as the original - seeing 19 contestants go head to head, with two secret teams ('Faithfuls' and 'Traitors') working against each other to eliminate players for the £100,000 prize pot.

However, the line-up of contestants will this time be star-studded, seeing major celebrity names from Stephen Fry, Paloma Faith and Alan Carr, to Kate Garraway, Charlotte Church and Tom Daley take part. And instead of taking home the cash prize, the winning celebrities will be able to donate it to a charity of their choice.

The Celebrity Traitors show creators spoke out about the upcoming instalment during a recent appearance at the Edinburgh TV Festival. And according to them, the series is "well worth the wait."

"It was a real pleasure to cast this series," explained Syeda Irtizaali, the BBC's unscripted director. "We wanted to have a really broad range of people, but we also wanted people that were real fans of the show, that really understood it.

"I'm not going to say it was easy," she added. "Roz, who put the cast together, did an amazing job - but we were pushing on a bit of an open door with most of them.

"They really play the game and some of the things that you'll see them doing is extraordinary, that's all I'm going to say," she continued. "It's well worth the wait."

This update comes after reports that The Celebrity Traitors has already been renewed for a second season.

“They haven’t seen the viewer reaction yet but bosses have watched early edits of the first series now that filming has wrapped and it’s exceeded all their wildest expectations,” a source reported to The Sun earlier this year. “They are thrilled with it and hastily commissioned another run."

The producers are looking for "even bigger A-listers than the first series," the source went on to add. "They have their work cut out for them but stars are clamouring to head to the castle, so it shouldn’t be too difficult. This is the show they all want to be on."

The Celebrity Traitors is expected to air on BBC in October 2025.

We will continue to update this story.

Jenny Proudfoot
Contributing Features Editor

Jenny Proudfoot is an award-winning journalist, specialising in lifestyle, culture, entertainment, international development and politics. After working at Marie Claire UK for seven years - rising from intern to Features Editor - she is now a freelance contributor to the News and Features section.

In 2021, Jenny was named as a winner on the PPA's '30 under 30' list, and was also listed as a rising star in journalism.