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 are the stars who might take on Celebrity Traitors?
Clare Balding is the latest celebrity rumoured to be heading to the Scottish castle to lie and deceive her way to the end of the BBC show, according to The Sun.
The TV star currently presents for BBC Sport and Channel 4 but Celebrity Traitors would allow audiences to see who Balding is as a person in her day-to-day life.
If it is true, she would be a great get for Celebrity Traitors because she has turned down reality TV stints on Strictly Come Dancing and I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here in the past. She previously said: “I wouldn’t do it. If they were building a school in Africa or something worthy I’d do it.”
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.
The studio behind the show certainly are 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.”
After confirming his retirement from diving again, Tom Daley could have plans to take the plunge with an entirely different career move. It’s been rumoured that the Olympic legend will ride the waves of reality TV with a stint on Celebrity Traitors.
In recent months, the sports star achieved a silver medal at the Paris Olympics. Daley returned to diving after his son made a special request to see him in action but now he has plans to spend more time at home with his family.
Courteney Cox was the very first star to be tipped to take part on Celebrity Traitors. In real life, she’s BFFs with Winkleman who hosts the show and they were pictured together enjoying a fun outing in February this year.
The Friends star even helped Winkleman recruit for the second series of the BBC reality show by getting involved in a promo video on social media with her pal.
Winkleman spoke to The Telegraph about her close female friends in the past. She said: “Friendships with my girlfriends might be the thing I’m most proud of. I have got a gang of girls and they’ve been my best friends for ever, and we talk all the time.
“We don’t do grand things – “let’s all get dressed up and go out”. I mean, obviously, we have done that over the years, but now that we’re all 50 it’s a lot of chatting on the phone, or a cup of tea, or a pop-round. They’re vital to my existence.”
Talk show host Jonathan Ross has also been mentioned.
It was reported that Ross was considering an appearance on The Traitors’ celebrity debut, having said he “might be doing a reality-type thing” in the near future.
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 as potential celebrities heading for the Scottish castle.
Celebrity Traitors is coming soon to BBC One and iPlayer.