Celebrity Traitors line-up rumours including stars from Strictly and The One Show (original) (raw)
The Traitors UK celebrity special is officially on the way, inviting a batch of people who literally lie for a living to con their way to victory in a star-studded spin-off of BBC One’s viral hit series.
As if this wasn’t enough, The Traitors has also secured a fourth season of its civilian edition before its already-shot third season has aired. When The Traitors season 3 finally does land, it’ll be accompanied by a new season of comedian Ed Gamble’s watch-a-long podcast The Traitors: Uncloaked which will debut on BBC Sounds.
The Traitors has quickly become one of the most talked about shows on telly. Hosted by Claudia Winkleman, its premise is deceptively simple: 22 strangers meet at a Scottish mansion, with a select few selected to be the titular Traitors. These secret foes must live among their remaining Faithful housemates and try their best to avoid detection while killing off players via nightly eliminations.
It’s up to the Faithful to spot and stop the Traitors before their numbers dwindle. If they achieve this goal, a growing prize jackpot is theirs for the taking. If they lose, the prize money goes to the Traitors.
Putting players’ lying — and lie-detecting — skills to the test, The Traitors has become a quick hit for the Beeb. Here’s everything we know about its celebrity spin-off, including its release date, cast, trailers and more.
Who will star in Celebrity Traitors?
Tess Daly and Vernon Kay
Have Tess Daly and Vernon Kay signed up for The Traitors? (Shane Anthony Sinclair/BAFTA/Getty Images for BAFTA)
The cast for The Traitors UK celebrity special hasn’t been revealed yet but it has been reported that husband and wife team Vernon Kay and Tess Daly have signed up for the show. According to The Sun, the pair will be a duo like mum and son Diane and Ross were in the last series.
With Daly a huge star thanks to hosting Strictly with Winkleman and Kay known for radio and fronting programmes like The One Show, viewers will know they are married and so will the other celebs, so they won't be able to keep their alliance on the down low. But it seems it's thought the strategy could still create tension and keep the contenders on their toes.
Of course, the Traitors line-up has yet to be confirmed, but with Daly good friends with host Winkleman thanks to them presenting Strictly together, could there be truth to the rumour?
It wouldn't be the first time that married couple Kay and Daly - who have two daughters together - have worked together. In 2006 they launched a reality singing contest called Just The Two Of Us together, but it only ran for two series.
Yahoo has reached out to the BBC for comment.
Stephen Fry is reportedly on Claudia Winkleman’s wish list. (Getty)
According to reports, the studio behind the show is aiming high when it comes to the famous faces they’re hoping to lure inside the Traitors’ mansion.
Other early rumours have suggested that British acting icon Stephen Fry is all-but confirmed to star in the spin-off series. According to a source quoted by The Sun, the Blackadder actor told show bosses: “Name a time and date and I’ll be there.”
Other names like pro poker player Victoria Coren Mitchell, EastEnders actor Adam Woodyatt and Hollywood star and former Spider-Man Andrew Garfield were also highlighted. Friends star Courteney Cox and talk show host Jonathan Ross have also been mentioned.
According to The Sun, Ross is believed to be considering an appearance on The Traitors’ celebrity debut, having said he “might be doing a reality-type thing” in the near future.
Jonathan Ross is reported to be considering an appearance in Celebrity Traitors. (Prime Video)
The American version of The Traitors opted for a slightly different approach to the UK edition, with the former featuring a mixture of famous and ‘civilian’ players including former Love Island winner Ekin-Su Cülcüloğlu while the latter stuck to non-famous contestants.
Elsewhere, a number of stars gathered for a special Comic Relief spoof of The Traitors in early 2024, with David Walliams, Catherine Tate and a handful of former Traitor contestants appearing alongside Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders.
When will Celebrity Traitors be released?
A release date has yet to be announced. (BBC/Studio Lambert)
Celebrity Traitors doesn’t have a release date. However, we know that it’ll arrive at some point in 2025 and that it’ll come after the show’s third season. It will consist of nine hour-long episodes.
Filming for season 3 has been completed, with the celebrity edition next to go in front of cameras.
Is there a trailer for Celebrity Traitors?
Unfortunately, there’s no trailer available for The Traitors UK celebrity special just yet.
Who will host Celebrity Traitors?
Claudia Winkleman will return to host The Traitors celebrity special. (BBC)
Claudia Winkleman will return to host The Traitors UK Celebrity special.
She joined the UK version of the show during its 2022 debut and continued to host during its hugely popular second season in 2023.
The Traitors UK celebrity special is coming soon to BBC One and iPlayer.