Celebrity Traitors 2026 Line-up: Meet All 15 Contestants Competing in Series Two

Key Points

• The BBC’s second series of The Celebrity Traitors features 15 celebrities from television, film, music, comedy, journalism and fashion.
• Claudia Winkleman returns as host, bringing another group of famous contestants to the Scottish castle for the psychological reality competition.
• The announced line-up includes Michael Sheen, Maya Jama, Ross Kemp, Julie Hesmondhalgh, Rob Beckett, Romesh Ranganathan, Jerry Hall, Joe Lycett, James Blunt, Bella Ramsey, Richard E Grant, Leigh-Anne Pinnock, James Acaster, Miranda Hart, Amol Rajan and Joanne McNally.
• Contestants will compete as either Faithfuls or Traitors, with deception, suspicion, alliances and strategic decisions central to the format.
• The winning contestant or contestants can secure up to £100,000 for a charity of their choice.
• Comedians form a prominent part of the cast, with Rob Beckett, Romesh Ranganathan, Joe Lycett, James Acaster and Joanne McNally among the participants.
• The contestants bring a wide range of professional backgrounds, from award-winning acting and chart-topping music to broadcast journalism, modelling and stand-up comedy.
• James Acaster has expressed concern that Alan Carr’s success in the previous series could make this year’s comedians more closely scrutinised by their fellow contestants.

The most important development is the confirmed celebrity line-up and the competition’s charitable prize, followed by the contestants’ professional backgrounds, previous television experience and potential relevance to the programme’s central game of deception.

Britain Today News (BTN) October 9, 2026 – The BBC’s The Celebrity Traitors has brought together a 21-strong celebrity cast for its second series, with actors, comedians, musicians, broadcasters and public figures competing in a game built around deception and deduction. Hosted by Claudia Winkleman, the programme offers a charitable prize of up to £100,000. The contestants must identify the hidden Traitors while protecting their own positions in the game. The line-up includes established television performers and entertainers whose careers span several decades.

The Independent

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Who is competing in The Celebrity Traitors 2026?

The BBC’s second series of The Celebrity Traitors features 21 contestants, according to the full line-up reported by Rachel McGrath for The Independent and confirmed in coverage by ITV News. The names include Michael Sheen, Maya Jama, Ross Kemp, Julie Hesmondhalgh, Rob Beckett, Romesh Ranganathan, Jerry Hall, Joe Lycett, James Blunt, Bella Ramsey, Richard E Grant, Leigh-Anne Pinnock, James Acaster, Miranda Hart, Amol Rajan, Joanne McNally, Sharon Rooney, King Kenny, Professor Hannah Fry, Sebastian Croft and Myha’la.

The Independent

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The breadth of the cast is central to the programme’s format. Actors accustomed to performing scripted roles will compete alongside comedians whose careers depend on quick thinking, musicians familiar with public scrutiny and broadcasters experienced in questioning others.

However, professional experience does not necessarily provide an advantage in a game where contestants must judge whether other participants are being truthful. The central challenge is to distinguish genuine behaviour from deliberate misdirection without exposing one’s own strategy.

The prize also gives the competition a charitable dimension. Rather than simply competing for personal winnings, the celebrities are playing for the opportunity to direct up to £100,000 to a charity of their choice.

The Independent

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Why has Claudia Winkleman returned to host the programme?

Claudia Winkleman returns as presenter after the success of the first celebrity edition in 2025. Her role is to guide contestants and viewers through the changing alliances, missions, round-table discussions and eliminations that define the format.

The original The Traitors format centres on a group of participants divided into two broad roles. The Faithfuls attempt to identify those secretly working against them, while the Traitors seek to eliminate opponents and remain undetected.

The celebrity edition applies that structure to familiar public figures, adding a further layer of interest for viewers who already recognise the contestants from other programmes.

The first celebrity series attracted a substantial audience. Reporting on the programme’s return, The Independent and ITV News cited the previous series’ strong viewing figures, including a reported peak of 15.4 million for its finale. The success helped establish the celebrity spin-off as a significant part of the BBC’s entertainment offering.

The Independent

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The second series therefore brings together a cast intended to appeal to audiences with different television, comedy and music interests. Its progress will depend not only on the personalities involved but also on how successfully contestants conceal their intentions and interpret the behaviour of others.

Who are the actors taking part in The Celebrity Traitors?

Michael Sheen

Welsh actor Michael Sheen has built a career across theatre, film and television. His early stage work earned Laurence Olivier Award nominations in 1998 and 1999 for Amadeus and Look Back in Anger.

He subsequently became known for portraying former British prime minister Tony Blair in productions written by Peter Morgan. His film credits include Frost/Nixon, The Damned United and Midnight in Paris.

His television work has included Good Omens, Quiz and A Very Royal Scandal. Sheen has also undertaken charitable and documentary projects, including Michael Sheen’s Secret Million Pound Giveaway and Buried with Michael Sheen.

His career combines dramatic performance with public-facing work, although the demands of the castle game differ considerably from a scripted production.

Julie Hesmondhalgh

Julie Hesmondhalgh is widely recognised for playing Hayley Cropper in ITV’s Coronation Street. The character, who arrived in Weatherfield in 1998, became a significant figure in British soap history as its first regular transgender character.

Hesmondhalgh left the programme in 2014. Since then, she has appeared in television dramas including Cucumber, Happy Valley and Broadchurch, while continuing her work in theatre.

She won an Olivier Award for her performance in James Graham’s play Punch. She also portrayed Suzanne Sercombe, the wife of former sub-postmaster Alan Bates, in ITV’s Mr Bates vs The Post Office.

Her experience of emotionally demanding roles gives her a varied background in performance, but the competition requires contestants to respond to unscripted social situations rather than follow a written narrative.

Ross Kemp

Ross Kemp became widely known for playing Grant Mitchell in EastEnders, a role he first held from 1990 to 1999 and later reprised.

Beyond acting, Kemp has developed a career in documentary journalism and television presenting. His projects include the BAFTA-winning Ross Kemp on Gangs, Ross Kemp in Afghanistan and the Extreme World series.

He has also presented the BBC quiz show Bridge of Lies since 2022.

His experience interviewing people and presenting factual programmes is distinct from his soap-opera work. In The Celebrity Traitors, however, every conversation may carry strategic significance, and apparent confidence alone cannot establish whether another contestant is being truthful.

Bella Ramsey

Bella Ramsey began acting as a child, playing Lyanna Mormont in Game of Thrones. The character became known for her authority and determination despite her young age.

Ramsey subsequently appeared in The Worst Witch, His Dark Materials and other television productions before taking a leading role as Ellie in HBO’s The Last of Us, alongside Pedro Pascal.

The performance brought Ramsey further international recognition and major award nominations. The series has become one of the most prominent entries in their screen career.

Their participation brings a younger generation of television viewers into the programme’s audience, while placing a performer associated with scripted drama in a competition where reactions and relationships develop in real time.

Richard E Grant

Richard E Grant made his film debut in the title role of Withnail and I in 1987. His subsequent credits include Gosford Park, The Iron Lady, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker and Saltburn.

He received an Academy Award nomination for his performance in Can You Ever Forgive Me?, the 2018 film about American writer Lee Israel.

Grant has also appeared in television productions including Doctor Who, Frasier, A Series of Unfortunate Events and Game of Thrones. His memoir, A Pocketful of Happiness, published in 2022, reflected on his life and his marriage to dialect coach Joan Washington, who died in 2021.

His career spans comedy, drama and character acting, making him one of the programme’s most recognisable theatrical and screen performers.

Miranda Hart

Miranda Hart is best known for the BBC sitcom Miranda, which earned nominations and awards during its run. She also played Chummy in Call the Midwife and appeared opposite Melissa McCarthy in the film Spy.

Hart has published several books, including Is It Just Me? and The Girl with the Lost Smile. Her 2024 memoir, I Haven’t Been Entirely Honest with You, discussed personal experiences, including her previously undisclosed marriage and her long-term health difficulties.

Her established public persona has been built around observational humour and physical comedy. The castle competition presents a different setting, where humour may help establish relationships but does not necessarily prevent other contestants from becoming suspicious.

Sharon Rooney, Myha’la and Sebastian Croft

The wider cast also includes actors Sharon Rooney, Myha’la and Sebastian Croft.

Rooney is known for television comedy-drama My Mad Fat Diary and the Scottish sitcom Two Doors Down. Myha’la has gained recognition through the television series Industry, while Croft has appeared in productions including Heartstopper and Game of Thrones.

Their inclusion broadens the cast beyond established household names and gives the series performers with experience in different genres and audiences. The BBC’s line-up announcement identified all three among the 21 contestants.

The Independent

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Which comedians are competing in the castle?

Five comedians named in the supplied Independent feature are Rob Beckett, Romesh Ranganathan, Joe Lycett, James Acaster and Joanne McNally. Miranda Hart also brings a substantial comedy background to the cast.

The Independent

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Rob Beckett

Rob Beckett became established on the British stand-up circuit in 2009 before appearing on panel shows such as Mock the Week and 8 Out of 10 Cats. He won the third series of Taskmaster in 2017.

His television work includes hosting the I’m a Celebrity spin-off and providing voice-over narration for Celebs Go Dating. He also co-hosts the podcast Parenting Hell with fellow comedian Josh Widdicombe.

Beckett’s partnership with Romesh Ranganathan has extended to the Sky series Rob and Romesh Vs…. The pair also co-hosted the television BAFTA awards in 2023 and 2024.

His established screen persona is often energetic and approachable. In the castle, maintaining a friendly atmosphere could help build relationships, but contestants must still decide whether their interactions reflect genuine trust or calculated strategy.

Romesh Ranganathan

Ranganathan worked as a mathematics teacher before establishing himself as a comedian. His career gained momentum after an appearance on the BBC’s Live at the Apollo in 2013.

He has since appeared on Taskmaster, Would I Lie to You?, Have I Got News for You and QI. His presenting credits include A League of Their Own and the BBC revival of The Weakest Link.

Ranganathan also hosts the Radio 2 programme For the Love of Hip-Hop. His collaborations with Beckett have established a successful partnership built around contrasting comic styles.

His experience with quiz shows and panel programmes means he is accustomed to answering questions under pressure. The challenge in The Celebrity Traitors, however, is not simply to give the correct answer: it is to work out which questions matter and whether another contestant’s explanation can be trusted.

Joe Lycett

Birmingham-based comedian Joe Lycett is known for surreal humour, television presenting and consumer-focused comedy. His programmes include Joe Lycett’s Got Your Back, Travel Man and The Great British Sewing Bee.

He launched Late Night Lycett in 2023, extending his work into live variety entertainment.

Lycett has also used public stunts as part of his comedy. One widely reported example involved legally changing his name to Hugo Boss to draw attention to the fashion company’s use of cease-and-desist letters against small businesses.

His combination of humour, public performance and improvisation makes him a distinctive addition to the group. Nevertheless, the programme’s format requires participants to evaluate not just what someone says but why they might choose to say it.

James Acaster

James Acaster has built a career through stand-up, television appearances, writing and podcasting. He has taken several comedy shows to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, and his Repertoire collection was released on Netflix.

He co-hosts the food-focused podcast Off Menu with fellow comedian Ed Gamble and has written books including Classic Scrapes and Perfect Sound Whatever.

Before the series, Acaster told the BBC that he was concerned Alan Carr’s success in the previous celebrity edition could leave comedians under greater scrutiny.

He said the comedians could be among the first contestants examined closely, particularly at the beginning when other players had little evidence on which to base their judgements.

The concern reflects a specific challenge for this year’s cast: comedians are accustomed to exaggeration, irony and deliberately misleading audiences for entertainment. In a social-deduction competition, those same habits may be interpreted as suspicious behaviour.

Joanne McNally

Irish comedian Joanne McNally completes the five-comedian group highlighted in the original feature.

Her work includes the one-woman show Bite Me, which addressed her experiences with bulimia and was performed at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 2017.

Her subsequent Prosecco Express tour became a major live success, including a series of sold-out performances at Dublin’s Vicar Street venue. She later launched the Pinotphile tour in 2025.

McNally has also appeared on Taskmaster and The Big Fat Quiz of Everything. She co-hosts the podcast My Therapist Ghosted Me with Vogue Williams.

Her experience of live audiences and unscripted entertainment is relevant to a programme driven by conversations and changing group dynamics. As with the other contestants, however, success in comedy does not guarantee an ability to detect deception.

Which musicians and entertainment figures are taking part?

James Blunt

James Blunt moved from a career as a British Army officer into music, becoming an international star with the 2005 single You’re Beautiful. The song helped propel his debut album, Back to Bedlam, to the top of the charts.

His subsequent releases included Goodbye My Lover and the 2007 album All the Lost Souls. Blunt won two BRIT Awards in 2006, including British Male Solo Artist.

His later career has included further albums and a public persona shaped partly by sarcastic, self-deprecating posts on social media. The supplied feature also reported that his album Airplane Mode was scheduled for release in November 2026.

Blunt’s musical success has given him considerable public recognition, but the competition does not reward chart performance. Instead, participants must assess their fellow players while deciding how much information to disclose about themselves.

Leigh-Anne Pinnock

Leigh-Anne Pinnock became famous as a member of Little Mix, the group that won The X Factor in 2011 alongside Jade Thirlwall, Perrie Edwards and Jesy Nelson.

Little Mix became one of the United Kingdom’s most successful girl groups of the following decade, releasing songs including Black Magic, Shout Out to My Ex, Power and D.N.A.

After Nelson left in 2020, the remaining members continued as a trio until the group announced an indefinite hiatus in 2022.

Pinnock subsequently pursued a solo career. Her album My Ego Told Me To was released in February 2026, according to the supplied feature.

She and her husband, footballer Andre Gray, have twin daughters and announced in May 2026 that they were expecting a third child.

Her career has involved performing within a group, working independently and managing a public profile. The castle presents a different environment in which alliances can shift quickly and even close relationships may become part of the strategic game.

Jerry Hall

Jerry Hall rose to prominence as a model in the 1970s and became associated with the era’s fashion and music scenes. She appeared on the cover of Roxy Music’s album Siren and featured in publications including Vogue, Cosmopolitan and Interview.

Hall was associated with New York’s Studio 54 scene and became known for her relationship with Rolling Stones frontman Mick Jagger. They had four children during their relationship, which ended in 1999.

She also developed an acting career, appearing in Tim Burton’s Batman, the television series Cluedo and a Broadway production of The Graduate.

In 2016, Hall married media executive Rupert Murdoch in London. She filed for divorce in 2022, citing irreconcilable differences.

Her inclusion introduces a public figure whose career spans fashion, entertainment and high-profile relationships. Her experience of public attention does not necessarily translate into an advantage in the competition, where the main challenge is navigating the relationships within the castle.

Maya Jama

Maya Jama, best known as the presenter of Love Island, is among the most recognisable contemporary television personalities in the line-up.

Born in Bristol, Jama moved to London in 2012 to pursue acting before concentrating on presenting. She joined MTV as a presenter in 2014 and later worked on Channel 4’s The Circle, ITV’s Cannonball and BBC Three’s Glow Up: Britain’s Next Make-Up Star.

Her other presenting credits include the MOBO Awards and the BRIT Awards. She also presented a twice-weekly Radio 1 show between 2018 and 2020.

Jama’s transition from presenting a dating reality programme to participating in a social-deduction game changes her position from host to contestant. Instead of guiding viewers through other people’s decisions, she must make her own choices while assessing the motives of those around her.

The distinction is central to the format: contestants cannot rely on the information available to viewers, and must make decisions using what they observe within the game.

Who are the broadcaster and journalist contestants?

Amol Rajan

Amol Rajan brings a background in journalism and broadcasting to the programme. He began his journalism career at The Independent in 2007 and later became the newspaper’s editor, serving from 2013 to 2016.

After leaving the editorship, he became the BBC’s first media editor before joining the presenting team on Today in 2021. He has also hosted University Challenge since 2023 and appeared on programmes including The One Show, Have I Got News for You and House of Games.

Rajan’s career has involved interviewing public figures, examining arguments and presenting complex information to audiences.

Those skills could be relevant when evaluating other contestants’ explanations. However, the game involves incomplete information, and even a skilled interviewer cannot know whether another participant is concealing a role.

Professor Hannah Fry

Professor Hannah Fry, a mathematician and broadcaster, is another member of the 21-person cast, although her biography is not included in the supplied feature’s main contestant descriptions.

Fry is known for communicating mathematical ideas and examining patterns in human behaviour, data and decision-making. Her participation brings an academic and analytical background into a competition in which contestants must draw conclusions from limited evidence.

The presence of a mathematician offers a contrast with the performers and presenters in the cast. Yet the game is not a straightforward mathematical problem: the available evidence may be deliberately misleading, and human decisions can change as alliances develop.

King Kenny

King Kenny, a content creator, represents the social-media generation within the cast. His inclusion extends the programme’s reach beyond traditional television, film, music and comedy audiences.

Content creators often build public recognition through online video and direct interaction with followers. The competition, however, is structured around private conversations and collective decisions rather than the usual relationship between creator and audience.

What makes the full line-up distinctive?

The cast combines several forms of public recognition. Some contestants are associated with long-running television roles, others with comedy tours, chart success, journalism or online entertainment.

That range creates opportunities for different approaches to the game. Some participants may rely on close observation, while others may use humour or social confidence to build relationships. A contestant’s established public identity may also influence how others interpret their behaviour.

The programme does not provide a reliable basis for predicting success from career background alone. A familiar face may attract trust, but it may also become a focus of suspicion. Similarly, analytical ability or experience in improvisation cannot guarantee that a contestant will identify the hidden Traitors.

What is the prize for winning The Celebrity Traitors?

The winning contestant or contestants can secure up to £100,000 for a charity of their choice. The charitable prize is an important part of the competition because it gives the contestants an objective beyond personal recognition.

As reported by Rachel McGrath in The Independent, the celebrities compete as Faithfuls or Traitors while attempting to navigate a game of deception.

The Independent

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The Faithfuls must identify the contestants secretly assigned to the Traitor role. Those playing as Traitors must conceal their identities and avoid being removed from the competition.

The format relies on conversations, accusations, group discussions and decisions about whom to trust. Each participant must consider how their actions might influence the wider group, including whether openly accusing someone could make them appear suspicious themselves.

The charity element adds a practical outcome to the competition. The final result can benefit an organisation selected by the winner, although the size of the prize ultimately depends on the outcome of the game.

When did the second series of The Celebrity Traitors begin?

The second series premiered on BBC One and BBC iPlayer on 1 October 2026, according to TechRadar. Its scheduled broadcasts were Thursday and Friday evenings, with the series filmed at Ardross Castle in Scotland.

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The setting is an important feature of the format. The castle provides a contained environment in which contestants interact repeatedly, while the competition’s rules create incentives to conceal information and question other players.

The programme also has a companion show, Celebrity Traitors: Uncloaked, which offers additional discussion around the main series.

The second edition follows the first celebrity series, which attracted a substantial audience and concluded with comedian Alan Carr winning as a Traitor. That outcome became relevant to the new cast because it demonstrated that contestants known primarily for entertainment could succeed in a game built around concealment and persuasion.

The Independent

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Background: How did The Celebrity Traitors become a major BBC entertainment programme?

The Celebrity Traitors is a celebrity version of the BBC’s wider The Traitors format, which combines reality television, social deduction and competition.

The central premise divides participants into opposing roles. Faithfuls attempt to identify the Traitors, while the Traitors work covertly to reduce the number of remaining opponents. Contestants must rely on discussions and observations because they do not all have access to the same information.

The celebrity spin-off introduces an additional element: viewers arrive with prior knowledge of the participants. Familiar television characters, comedians’ public personas and musicians’ established reputations can influence how audiences interpret events.

The first celebrity edition featured figures from television, comedy, music and broadcasting, including Alan Carr, who won as a Traitor. Its audience figures helped establish the spin-off as a prominent part of the BBC’s entertainment schedule.

The Independent

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The 2026 line-up builds on that approach by bringing together people with different ages, careers and levels of public exposure. It includes actors Michael Sheen and Bella Ramsey, presenters Maya Jama and Amol Rajan, comedians James Acaster and Rob Beckett, musician James Blunt and model Jerry Hall.

The cast also includes Professor Hannah Fry, content creator King Kenny and actor Sebastian Croft, among others. The result is a mixture of established entertainment figures and personalities whose audiences may come from different platforms.

The competition’s central rules remain more important than those individual backgrounds. Contestants must decide whom to trust while recognising that friendships, humour, confidence and apparent honesty can all be used to influence the group.

Prediction: How could the 2026 series affect viewers and the BBC?

The second series is likely to remain relevant to viewers interested in reality television, celebrity culture and competitive entertainment. Its varied cast gives the BBC opportunities to attract audiences across different age groups and interests, from established drama viewers to fans of contemporary music and online entertainment.

For viewers, the main point of interest will be how contestants’ public identities compare with their behaviour inside the castle. A comedian known for sarcasm may be interpreted differently from a journalist accustomed to asking questions, while an actor’s experience of portraying fictional characters may lead others to scrutinise their reactions. These are possible audience interpretations rather than reliable predictors of performance.

For the BBC, the series offers an opportunity to build on the previous edition’s audience success and encourage viewers to follow episodes across the broadcast run. The charitable prize also provides a clear purpose for the competition beyond the celebrities’ individual profiles.

The programme may generate further discussion through social media, podcasts and companion coverage, particularly when contestants make unexpected decisions or change their alliances. However, the extent of its longer-term audience impact will depend on viewing figures, audience response and the programme’s ability to maintain interest throughout the series.

For charities, the potential benefit is direct but conditional: the winning contestant or contestants can direct up to £100,000 to a chosen organisation. The final outcome will determine which charity benefits.

Ultimately, the series’ appeal rests on the interaction between familiar personalities and an unpredictable competition. The cast’s professional achievements provide context, but the decisive factors remain the choices contestants make, the trust they establish and their ability to interpret incomplete or misleading information.