Bella Ramsey & Richard E. Grant Enter the Castle in ‘The Celebrity Traitors’ Season 2 Teaser

The celebrities have entered the castle, Claudia Winkleman is dressed for the occasion, and apparently we should start preparing for some tears. The BBC has released the first teaser for Season 2 of The Celebrity Traitors, offering our first taste of what happens when 21 famous faces are asked to lie, betray and potentially "murder" one another for charity.

This time around, the group includes Bella Ramsey, Michael Sheen, Richard E. Grant, Maya Jama and enough professional comedians to make figuring out who is lying considerably harder. The new season arrives later in 2026 on BBC One and BBC iPlayer, with Claudia once again overseeing all the accusations, banishments and questionable detective work.

Claudia Winkleman Is Already Planning Their Funerals

The teaser doesn't reveal who has been selected as a Traitor, nice try, but it wastes no time establishing the mood. Claudia gathers the celebrity contestants inside a church surrounded by funeral imagery, including flowers spelling out "RIP VIP." She asks for a moment of silence for the celebrities before offering them some rather ominous "thoughts and prayers."

From there, we get quick glimpses of the contestants looking varying degrees of concerned about whatever they've signed themselves up for. There are tears, plenty of suspicious looks and Richard E. Grant declaring, "I am absolutely terrified." It's dramatic and slightly ridiculous, which is exactly where The Traitors tends to thrive.

More importantly, the BBC is teasing that Season 2 may deliver some genuine surprises. Speaking at the Edinburgh TV Festival, BBC entertainment director Ed Havard suggested the season includes developments viewers haven't previously seen on The Traitors. Considering fans of this franchise have gotten pretty good at anticipating twists, that's a big promise to make before the game has even begun.

Bella Ramsey, Michael Sheen and Richard E. Grant Join a Very Interesting Cast

The celebrity lineup alone gives Claudia plenty of potential victims. The Last of Us star Bella Ramsey enters the game alongside Michael Sheen, Richard E. Grant, Industry star Myha'la, Love Island host Maya Jama, singer Leigh-Anne Pinnock and model and actress Jerry Hall.

Then there are the comedians, and this is where things could get especially interesting. James Acaster, Joe Lycett, Miranda Hart, Rob Beckett, Romesh Ranganathan and Joanne McNally are all playing this season. Convincing people of complete nonsense is practically part of the job description for some of them, so good luck figuring out whether that suspicious story at the Round Table is a genuine defense or an elaborate bit.

Rounding out the 21-person cast are Amol Rajan, James Blunt, Julie Hesmondhalgh, King Kenny, Professor Hannah Fry, Ross Kemp, Sebastian Croft and Sharon Rooney. Somewhere among this very eclectic collection of actors, musicians, comedians, presenters and personalities will be Claudia's chosen Traitors, and the teaser certainly isn't giving us enough information to start crossing anyone off the suspect list.

Season 2 Has a Tough Act to Follow

The BBC isn't bringing The Celebrity Traitors back simply because the first season performed well. Season 1 became one of the broadcaster's biggest television successes, averaging 14.9 million viewers across its run. The finale peaked at 15.4 million viewers, while the BBC said the series became the UK's biggest show across all genres and platforms in 2025.

Alan Carr ultimately pulled off the kind of performance that makes this format so much fun, successfully hiding in plain sight as a Traitor and walking away victorious. His performance also means the Season 2 Faithful should arrive knowing exactly how convincing someone can be while lying directly to their faces. Whether that knowledge actually helps them once everyone starts pointing fingers is another matter entirely.

Season 2 will once again consist of 10 episodes and send its celebrities into the Scottish Highlands, where they will compete for a prize of up to £100,000 for a charity of their choice. With Claudia back, 21 new players ready to start accusing each other of treason and the BBC already promising some unexpected developments, The Celebrity Traitors has plenty to live up to when those castle doors reopen.

The Celebrity Traitors Season 2 premieres later in 2026 on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.