The Celebrity Traitors UK Season 2 — Full Cast Guide

The Celebrity Traitors UK is back, and this time the BBC has assembled one of the most star-studded reality casts ever put together in Britain. Season 2 (or “series 2,” if you’re going by the UK’s own numbering) premieres October 1 on BBC One, with new episodes airing every Thursday and Friday.

Host Claudia Winkleman returns to the Highlands to watch 21 celebrities scheme, deceive, and try to out-think one another for a shot at winning up to £100,000 for their chosen charity.

Season 1 wasn’t just a hit — its finale became the most-watched television broadcast in the UK in 2025, averaging 11.1 million viewers and peaking at 12 million. That’s a lot of pressure on this new cast to deliver.

Here’s everything you need to know: the full cast list, early odds, how the game works, and who almost made the cut but didn’t.

Quick Facts

• Premiere date: October 1, 2026
• Network: BBC One / BBC iPlayer (UK); Peacock (US, after the full season concludes)
• Schedule: New episodes every Thursday and Friday
• Episode count: 10 episodes
• Host: Claudia Winkleman
• Companion show: The Celebrity Traitors: Uncloaked, hosted by Ed Gamble
• Filming location: Ardross Castle, Scottish Highlands
• Number of contestants: 21
• Prize: Up to £100,000 for the winners’ chosen charities
• Production company: Studio Lambert

Full Cast List (21 Contestants)

Odds are early bookmaker prices and will move as the series progresses — treat them as a snapshot, not a guarantee.

Meet the Cast

Michael Sheen

The Port Talbot-born actor and early bookmakers’ favourite, Sheen brings serious dramatic pedigree from roles like Good Omens and Masters of Sex. His reputation for playing calculating, controlled characters has fans wondering whether he’ll bring the same energy to the Round Table.

Maya Jama

The Love Island UK host is used to reading people under pressure — arguably good training for a game built entirely on deception and social judgment.

Joe Lycett

Known for sharp, quick-witted comedy and stunts that blur the line between prank and protest, Lycett’s unpredictability makes him a wildcard both as a Traitor and a Faithful.

Joanne McNally

The stand-up comedian and co-host of My Therapist Ghosted Me has built a career on razor-sharp observation — a skill that translates well to spotting liars.

Bella Ramsey

At 22, Ramsey is the youngest player in this season’s cast. Best known for The Last of Us and Game of Thrones, she’s also appeared in The Sheep Detectives and Sunny Dancer.

James Blunt

The singer-songwriter is known off-stage for his dry, self-deprecating humour on social media — a personality that could make him either a brilliant liar or an easy read.

Leigh-Anne Pinnock

The former Little Mix singer joins a cast with relatively few pop stars this season, adding a different kind of star power to the mix.

Richard E. Grant

The Oscar-nominated Saltburn actor called on Season 1 star Celia Imrie for advice before filming — advice he later said turned out to be “accurate.” At 69, he’s one of two of the oldest players this season.

James Acaster

A veteran of British comedy panel shows, Acaster previously appeared on The Great Celebrity Bake Off, where a memorably chaotic moment in the tent became one of the show’s most quoted lines.

Julie Hesmondhalgh

The Coronation Street actress brings decades of soap-drama instincts to a game that’s essentially built on plot twists and betrayal.

Miranda Hart

The actress and comedian saw her odds shorten notably as filming wrapped, becoming a post-filming favourite among bookmakers and fans alike.

Jerry Hall

The model and actress — and former long-term partner of Mick Jagger — is, alongside Richard E. Grant, one of the oldest and most recognisable faces in this year’s line-up.

Romesh Ranganathan

Ranganathan enters the castle with a close real-life friendship with fellow cast member Rob Beckett, built through their travel series Rob & Romesh Vs. That pre-existing bond could be either a strategic alliance or a liability once the lying starts.

Ross Kemp

Best known for EastEnders and years of hard-hitting documentary work, Kemp’s serious public image makes him an intriguing wildcard for a game built on theatrics.

Rob Beckett

The comedian and podcaster’s real friendship with Romesh Ranganathan going into the game is one of the most talked-about pre-season dynamics.

Myha’la

The Industry actress is used to playing calculating, high-stakes characters on screen — skills that could carry over directly into the Round Table.

Sharon Rooney

Known for My Mad Fat Diary and roles in Barbie and Dumbo, Rooney enters as one of the longer-odds picks, but longer odds haven’t stopped past players from going deep in the game.

Amol Rajan

The journalist and broadcaster left BBC Radio 4’s Today programme earlier this year and has hosted University Challenge since 2023 — a background in asking hard questions that could serve him well as a Faithful.

Hannah Fry

The mathematician, author, and broadcaster is used to breaking down probability and patterns for a living, which makes her one of the most fascinating “analytical mind” wildcards in the cast.

Sebastian Croft

Best known for Heartstopper, Croft is one of the youngest and freshest faces in the cast, alongside Bella Ramsey.

King Kenny

The social media personality enters as the outright outsider in early betting, but reality competitions have a long history of underestimated players going the distance.

Who’s the Favourite to Win Celebrity Traitors 2?

When the cast was first announced, Michael Sheen opened as the early favourite at 6/1, narrowly ahead of Maya Jama at 7/1, with Joe Lycett and Joanne McNally rounding out the early top tier.

As filming wrapped and more details emerged, the market shifted — Miranda Hart moved up as a fan favourite, and odds across several other names tightened as bookmakers reacted to on-set rumours.

At the long end of the market, King Kenny, Amol Rajan, and Sharon Rooney currently sit as the outsiders — though it’s worth remembering that Season 1 winner Alan Carr wasn’t the pre-season favourite either.

This section will be updated as odds shift closer to and during the broadcast.

Traitors vs Faithfuls — What We Know So Far

For anyone new to the format: on Day 1, the 21 celebrities are split into two groups. A small handful are secretly made Traitors, tasked with “murdering” other players in the game each night without getting caught. Everyone else is a Faithful, trying to identify and banish the Traitors before the money runs out.

One detail already generating buzz ahead of the premiere: insiders suggest this season’s Traitors took an unusually aggressive approach to recruiting new members into their ranks — a sharp contrast to Season 1, when winning Traitor Alan Carr and his fellow cloaks Jonathan Ross and Cat Burns stuck together as a trio for the entire run without recruiting anyone.

If accurate, a season built around recruitment could make for a much more volatile, faster-moving game than last year’s.

Celebrities Who Almost Joined the Cast

Not everyone linked to Season 2 made the final line-up. Names reportedly interested in or approached for a spot included Amanda Holden, Tom Hiddleston, and Danny Dyer — the latter having also turned down a spot on Season 1 before reportedly warming to the idea after watching how much fun last year’s cast had. None of the three ended up in the final 21.

Some commentators have also noted a lighter presence of sports stars this year compared to Season 1, which featured names like Tom Daley, Clare Balding, and eventual finalist Joe Marler.

How to Watch

• UK: BBC One and BBC iPlayer, new episodes Thursdays and Fridays starting October 1
• US: Peacock, with the full season expected to be available once the UK broadcast concludes
• Companion show: The Celebrity Traitors: Uncloaked, hosted by Ed Gamble, airs alongside the main series for extra reactions and interviews

Season 1 Recap

Season 1 aired from October 8 to November 6, 2025, and became a genuine cultural moment in the UK, with its finale drawing the country’s largest television audience of the year. Comedian Alan Carr won as a Traitor, having stayed loyal to fellow cloaks Jonathan Ross and Cat Burns for most of the series, with David Olusoga and Nick Mohammed finishing as runners-up.

Traitor Reveals — Updated Weekly

This section will be updated as each episode airs, tracking who’s been recruited as a Traitor, who’s been banished, and who’s still in the game. Check back after every Thursday/Friday broadcast.