The Celebrity Traitors series two confirmed for 2026

The BBC has confirmed that The Celebrity Traitors will return for series two in 2026, with Claudia Winkleman set to be the show’s host once again.

The broadcaster confirmed that the show will return to screens next year following on from the hugely successful debut series, which broke records.

The debut episode of the series, which aired in early October, has become the biggest single episode of television in the UK this year, amassing a staggering 14.8 million combined viewers, including those who watched the episode live and those who have since streamed it on BBC iPlayer.

During Thursday night’s finale (6 November), an average on 11.1 million viewers tuned in live, with a peak of 12 million viewers. It makes it the biggest overnight audience for a single episode of TV since the Gavin & Stacey Christmas special in 2024.

The Celebrity Traitors has also become the biggest unscripted show on TV since 2021.

The first season of The Celebrity Traitors was buoyed by the casting of gay comedian Alan Carr, who cemented his reputation as a national treasure in episode one after being selected as a Traitor.

He was joined as a Traitor by queer musician Cat Burns and TV host Jonathan Ross.

While initially being deemed as the least likely Traitor to succeed due to his propensity for sweating and inability to stifle laughter, Carr proved his detractors wrong by winning the show in the shocking finale.

The series also led to an abundance of social media memes which undoubtedly helped to boost its status as one of the year’s most talked about shows.

Former Olympic diver Tom Daley giving journalist Kate Garraway ‘gay side-eye’, actress Celia Imrie shrieking into a well, and former rugby player Joe Marler clocking Carr and Burns as the Traitors were all moments that went viral online.

The BBC also revealed that The Celebrity Traitors – plus the civilian series The Traitors and the American series The Traitors US – have all helped to boost the Scottish economy, due to the fact that they are filmed at Ardross Castle, 25 miles from Inverness.

The shows have delivered a £21.8 million boost to the economy since season one of The Traitors began filming in 2022.

In addition to The Celebrity Traitors, the BBC confirmed last week that The Traitors series four would begin airing in early 2026.

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