Faithfuls, we’re back! The Celebrity Traitors Season 2 has officially begun, with Claudia Winkleman welcoming 21 famous faces to Ardross Castle and wasting absolutely no time putting them under pressure. Her entrance set the tone straight away, with Claudia being carried into the church in a coffin before emerging with: “That was quite a nap.” She then asked the celebrities to decide, there and then, who they trusted most. Julie Hesmondhalgh was chosen after spending her arrival hugging people, chatting excitedly to her fellow contestants and telling them how much she loved their work. Claudia rewarded her with two shields, allowing Julie to keep one and decide who received the other. She chose Joe Lycett after he joked that he didn’t want to see her ending up in a coffin.

Claudia has now started choosing this year’s Traitors, although she has confirmed that the Traitor line-up is not complete yet. We’ll be updating this article live throughout tonight’s episode, with the full group only set to be confirmed once the Traitors claim their first murder.

Spoiler Warning: This article contains major spoilers for The Celebrity Traitors Season 2, Episode 1, including the identities of the Traitors.

Who Are the Traitors in The Celebrity Traitors 2026?

The first two Traitors chosen by Claudia Winkleman are Maya Jama and Richard E Grant, with both getting exactly what they had hoped for before the selection began.

Maya had already admitted that she wanted the chance to become a Traitor and hoped the other celebrities would trust her. After receiving her cloak, she declared that her “villain era has begun”, and we are SO excited to see what she does with it. She already has the charm to make people feel comfortable around her, which could make her very dangerous if she manages to keep suspicion away.

Richard E Grant was equally delighted, having openly said that he wanted to be a Traitor and even discussed the idea of teaming up with Rob Beckett. After Claudia selected him, he said he was “absolutely thrilled” and couldn’t wait to start murdering his fellow celebrities. Earlier in the episode, Richard had also described himself as “utterly ruthless”, adding that friendships would mean “diddly squat” because it is ultimately a game. He has clearly arrived ready to play.

Who Are the Faithfuls in The Celebrity Traitors 2026?

Everyone who has not received a cloak remains a Faithful for now, although James Acaster and Amol Rajan are currently facing a different fate. One will be recruited as the third Traitor and the other will become the first murder of the series.

Amol Rajan – facing recruitment or murder
Bella Ramsey
Professor Hannah Fry
James Acaster – facing recruitment or murder
James Blunt
Jerry Hall
Joanne McNally
Joe Lycett
Julie Hesmondhalgh
King Kenny
Leigh-Anne Pinnock
Michael Sheen
Miranda Hart
Myha’la
Rob Beckett
Romesh Ranganathan
Ross Kemp
Sebastian Croft
Sharon Rooney

Julie and Joe are also protected from the first murder after receiving the opening shields.

The Celebrity Traitors Cast Is Already Giving Us Plenty

Even before the cloaks were handed out, this cast had already given us plenty to enjoy. Jerry Hall revealed that she doesn’t want to leave the castle until she has managed to wear all of the amazing outfits she brought with her, prompting James Blunt to volunteer to wear them himself if she gets eliminated first. Sharon Rooney, meanwhile, admitted that she felt like a competition winner getting to meet celebrities she watches on television, only for Rob Beckett to remind her that she has literally starred in a Hollywood film alongside Margot Robbie. Big up oor Sharon, Hollywood star!

Sharon later said that being a Glasgow girl means she is good at being nosy and considers herself a good judge of character, so we’ll see how quickly she starts clocking people. Leigh-Anne Pinnock said she was hoping the others would trust her, and Sebastian Croft revealed that he is secretly a huge fan of The Traitors, hoping that being younger and slightly less familiar could work in his favour.

Myha’la also arrived with a plan, saying she wants people to think she is naïve when she will actually be watching and plotting. James Acaster has taken a different approach and already sees himself as something of a detective. After spotting perfume bottles he thinks could eventually be used as poison, he immediately started telling everyone his theory instead of keeping it to himself. Subtle, James.

Several of the celebrities openly wanted a cloak, including Sebastian, Myha’la, Leigh-Anne, Bella Ramsey and Maya Jama, with Richard E Grant and Rob Beckett even discussing the possibility of becoming Traitors together. Miranda Hart and James Acaster, on the other hand, were firmly hoping to remain Faithfuls.

What Happened at the End of The Celebrity Traitors Episode 1?

The episode ended with the celebrities taking on their first challenge, which involved a huge ship, the sea and a race against the clock to recover money for the prize fund. It all came down to a final 90 seconds as the group scrambled to get off the ship before it exploded, making for a pretty spectacular end to the opening episode. They managed to secure the full amount, with Claudia praising the group as “utterly brilliant” and adding £15,000 to the prize fund.

The paranoia has started almost immediately, with Ross Kemp openly admitting that he is suspicious of everything. Bella Ramsey jokingly placed a hat from a skeleton on his head during the challenge, and Ross wondered whether he had just been “killed in plain sight”. Leigh-Anne Pinnock later rubbed his arm because she was cold, which was enough to set him off again. At this rate, absolutely anything could become evidence. One episode in and Ross is already fully living inside The Traitors.

What Is the First Traitors Twist?

Before the first murder, Claudia reveals that Maya Jama and Richard E Grant will have the chance to choose their third Traitor. They must select two Faithfuls to meet them face to face, with both given the chance to plead their case for why they should be recruited. One will join Maya and Richard as the third Traitor and the other… well, they’ve heard too much, so they’ll be murdered.

James Acaster and Amol Rajan Face the Traitors

The episode ends with Maya Jama and Richard E Grant choosing James Acaster and Amol Rajan as the two Faithfuls who could complete the Traitor line-up. Both are brought to the church, where Claudia reveals that one will be recruited as the third Traitor and the other will be murdered.

James argues that everyone is convinced he is a Faithful, which could make him useful to Maya and Richard. Amol makes the case saying he sniffs out liars for a living, giving the Traitors another reason to keep him on side. Maya admits she is torn between the two, while Richard says he got his initial read completely wrong and decides to go with Maya’s choice.

The episode ends before we find out who they picked. Maya admits the choice is a risk, with Richard agreeing to go with her decision. Richard says the decision could be “monumental” to his survival and hopes he won’t regret it, before the final shot shows a coffin closing without revealing who is inside.

We’ll have to wait until tomorrow to find out whether James or Amol becomes the third Traitor – and who becomes the first murder of the series.

For CultureCues, this was a brilliant start to the new series. Maya entering her villain era, Richard openly telling people he is a Traitor and somehow getting laughed off, Julie immediately becoming everyone’s favourite and Ross already convincing himself he has been murdered because of a hat… we are so back. Add the cliffhanger over James and Amol, and tomorrow’s episode already has plenty riding on it. We’ll finally find out who becomes the third Traitor and who ends up as the first murder. Cloaks on!

The Celebrity Traitors continues on Friday, 2 October at 8pm on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.