What Time Is The Traitors On Tonight? Celebrity Traitors 2026 Start Time, Channel and How to Watch
The Celebrity Traitors returns to BBC One tonight, Thursday, Oct. 1, at 8 p.m. BST, with Claudia Winkleman welcoming 21 famous faces to a Scottish Highlands castle for a second season of suspicion and betrayal. The extended opening episode runs for about 75 minutes and will also be available on BBC iPlayer.
Viewers get their first look at the contestants as they arrive, meet the host and learn who has been quietly chosen to deceive everyone else. The BBC has confirmed the show will air twice a week, on Thursdays and Fridays, for the rest of its run.
What Time Is The Celebrity Traitors on Tonight?
Episode one starts at 8 p.m. BST on Thursday. That is longer than a standard installment, which gives the show room to introduce the full cast and set up the game before the first suspicions land.
Episode two follows at the same time on Friday, Oct. 2. After that, the series settles into its twice-weekly Thursday and Friday slots.
What Channel Is The Celebrity Traitors On?
The series airs on BBC One, and every episode will be available to stream on BBC iPlayer. If you miss the broadcast tonight, you can catch up on the app. There is also companion viewing for fans who want more.
Ed Gamble returns with The Celebrity Traitors: Uncloaked, a reaction show featuring contestants and other guests. The BBC has also announced an iPlayer special called Traitor or Faithful? Claudia Decides, which looks at how Winkleman picked the celebrities who would secretly become Traitors. It becomes available after the launch episode.
Who Is in the Celebrity Traitors 2026 Cast?
This year’s lineup has 21 celebrities from television, film, music, and comedy. They are:
- Bella Ramsey, star of The Last of Us
- Michael Sheen
- Maya Jama
- Richard E Grant
- James Blunt
- James Acaster
- Amol Rajan
- Miranda Hart
- Ross Kemp
- Romesh Ranganathan
- Rob Beckett
- Joe Lycett
- Joanne McNally
- Leigh-Anne Pinnock
- Jerry Hall
- Julie Hesmondhalgh
- King Kenny
- Myha’la
- Professor Hannah Fry
- Sebastian Croft
- Sharon Rooney
It is a mix of stand-up comedians, actors, broadcasters and a scientist, which should make for some unpredictable alliances. Comedians used to winding people up may fancy their chances as Traitors, while the more reserved names could be tougher to read.
How Does the Game Work and What Is at Stake?
The format follows the original. Contestants are split into Faithfuls and Traitors, but only the Traitors know who is who. The Faithfuls must work out who is lying, while the Traitors try to stay hidden and remove rivals one by one.
The celebrities are playing for up to £100,000, which will go to a charity of the winner’s choice. That gives each player a reason to take the game seriously, even when the setting gets theatrical.
Where Was Celebrity Traitors Season 2 Filmed?
Filming took place in the Scottish Highlands, with the cast gathering at Ardross Castle. The remote setting does a lot of the work, keeping the group cut off and forcing them to rely on one another while deciding who to trust.
The BBC’s promotional material has teased explosive missions and tense encounters as the celebrities settle in. As in the first celebrity run, the drama is expected to build through group tasks, late-night whispers, and the roundtable votes that end each episode.
What Should Viewers Watch for in the Premiere?
Tonight is mostly about setup, but the opening episode matters more than it might seem. How the celebrities behave when they first arrive, who bonds quickly and who stays guarded, can all shape the suspicion that follows. Viewers will also see Winkleman assign the secret roles that determine the direction of the whole season.
Expect early alliances to form before anyone has a reason to doubt them. Those first impressions are exactly what the Traitors will try to exploit once the game properly begins.
With the twice-weekly schedule, the story should move quickly. By the end of the first week, fans will have seen two episodes and, in all likelihood, the first signs of who is not what they seem.
