The constant stream of gripping TV shows feels endless in this day and age.
But for many of us gameshow nuts, there’s one series that is guaranteed to be a highlight of our 2025 to-watch list, months before it comes out – Celebrity Traitors.
The line-up was confirmed earlier this year, with legendary TV stars including Stephen Fry, Alan Carr and Kate Garraway leading the star-studded cast.
At the Edinburgh TV Festival, Metro was granted a sneak glimpse at the upcoming competition, with the BBC confirming that the release date will fall in October this year.
After watching just a few minutes of the upcoming season, we can safely say that we’re all in for a captivating treat. So throw your cloaks on and strap in.
In the teaser, we return to the famous castle in Scotland, with national treasure Claudia Winkleman overseeing the group of celebrities vying to win a £100,000 fortune for their chosen charities.
Singer Paloma Faith walks through a castle hallway in slow motion, while her fellow competitors menacingly divulge how ruthless they’re capable of being.
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‘Maybe I have got a dark side,’ comedian Alan teases cryptically – in a statement that prompted chuckles from the Edinburgh TV Festival audience – as Calendar Girls’ Cylia Imrie pledges: ‘I’m here to win.’
While fans of the civilian version of The Traitors might assume that they know how the game is going to play out, the creators of the series seem to be intent on pulling out unforeseen twists that’ll blow us all away.
‘They think they know what they’ve signed up for… but they have no idea,’ host Claudia vows.
Celebrities who are usually perceived by the public as being warm and friendly might turn out to be anything but, as Olympian Tom Daley admits that he’s prepared to ‘fight to the death’.
He might be retired from professional sport, but he’s certainly not lacking any of his competitive spirit.
Everything you need to know about Celebrity Traitors
Here’s all you need to know about the highly anticipated BBC series.
When is Celebrity Traitors being released?
The inaugural series of Celebrity Traitors will debut in October this year, with an exact date yet to be confirmed.
Who’s in the cast?
The line-up for the first season includes:
- Comedian Alan Carr
- Singer Cat Burns
- Actress Celia Imrie
- Singer Charlotte Church
- TV presenter Clare Balding
- Historian David Olusoga
- Former England rugby player Joe Marler
- Comedian Joe Wilkinson
- TV presenter Jonathan Ross
- TV presenter Kate Garraway
- Comedian Lucy Beaumont
- Actor Mark Bonnar
- Comedian Nick Mohammed
- Social media personality Niko Omilana
- Singer Paloma Faith
- Actress Ruth Codd
- Actor and TV presenter Stephen Fry
- EastEnders star Tameka Empson
- Former Olympic diver Tom Daley
Who’s hosting Celebrity Traitors?
Who else could host Celebrity Traitors than the incomparable, legendary, fingerless glove and fabulous knit-wearing Claudia Winkleman?
No one, that’s who. Claud is back, and we can’t wait to revel in all of her fabulousness once again.
The teaser reveals short glimpses of other parts of the series, including the celebrities sitting around the roundtable ready for a heated debate, and people locked up with chains and handcuffs.
Of course, we still don’t know at this point who Claudia is going to select as her Faithfuls – whose mission is to suss out the liars in their midst – and the Traitors – who will be murdering unsuspecting victims under the cover of darkness each night.
From what we’ve seen so far, it appears that everyone in the cast is hiding a lot more darkness under their sleeves than we might have suspected… and we’re already on the edge of our seats.
Speaking at the Edinburgh TV Festival BBC panel, Syeda Irtizaali, the director of unscripted content at the broadcaster, shed further light on the excitement that’s to come in just a couple of months when Celebrity Traitors finally debuts.
‘It was a real pleasure to cast this series. We wanted to have a really broad range of people, obviously, but we also wanted people that were all fans of the show, that understood it,’ she told TV critic and moderator Scott Bryan.
‘I was worried about it. I was worried about how they were going to play compared to members of the public, but we have nothing to worry about.
‘They really play the game. Some of the things that you’ll see them do is extraordinary. It’s well worth the wait.’
Celebrity Traitors premieres this October on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.
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