Celebrity Traitors final live: Tearful winner takes it all for their chosen charity

The first season of Celebrity Traitors has come to a dramatic conclusion, with Traitor Alan Carr crowned as the winner.

The comedian beat Nick Mohammed and David Olusoga in the final moments of the show, after successfully managing to convince them that he was in fact a Faithful and stealing the prize fund from under their noses.

In a tense showdown, Cat Burns became the second Traitor to leave the show after the final roundtable. A victory for the Faithfuls seemed to be on the horizon, until Nick and David turned their suspicions to Joe Marler and opted to banish him from the game.

Alan, Nick and David then chose to finish the competition as a trio, meaning that the comedian, as the last remaining Traitor, took the entire prize pot for his chosen charity. After admitting that he’d been a Traitor all along, an emotional Carr broke down in tears.

It was a gripping end to a series that has captured the viewing public’s imagination – although a select few viewers managed to catch the final episode early, after it was accidentally leaked a day early in Canada.

Follow live updates below...

Celebrity Traitors final key points

• Here's how the grand final will work
• All the celebrities who have been murdered and banished
• Celebrity Traitors finale leaks online hours before it's due to air
• How David Olusoga holds the whole game in his hands
• Watch: Was this the moment when Alan Carr blew his cover?
• How much Celebrity Traitors contestants earn for taking part

Which charity has Alan Carr chosen?

05:15 , Katie Rosseinsky

In the celebrity version of The Traitors, the stars choose to donate the prize pot to charity (rather than taking it for themselves, as contestants do in the civilian edition).

Alan Carr will be giving his winnings to Neuroblastoma UK, a charity that supports research and treatment for a rare cancer that develops in the nerve cells.

It primarily impacts children under the age of five.

“I told one person at the charity and they started crying, so that gives you some idea of how important this money will be to them,” Carr said after the final aired.

“Neuroblastoma is such a cruel disease, and this money will literally save lives. It’s a charity and disease that no one has really heard of so with the viewing figures being what they are it’s going to be so good for the charity.”

Four stars for the finale from our critic

03:41 , Katie Rosseinsky

“It could have only ended this way,” writes Hannah Ewens.

“Traitor Alan Carr, a very obvious Traitor, who on multiple occasions almost admitted to the others he is a Traitor, is blubbing in a white suit with gold sequins.

“He has won the first ever series of Celebrity Traitors, an exercise in celebrities and TV intellectuals showing that money, books and jobs in the media (!) do not make an intuitive or remotely switched on being.

“The remaining two Faithful in that deciding round of banishing – David Olusoga and Nick Mohammed – are coo-cooing at Carr to calm him, soundtracked by the heartbreaking tones of Ludovico Einaudi.

“Just moments ago, they voted out the most obvious Faithful in the game, Joe Marler. It’s a ridiculous scene to end a ridiculous series full of hopeless people and we have loved every minute of it.”

Read Hannah’s full review of the finale below

The Celebrity Traitors final: a perfectly silly end to a gloriously dumb season of TV

It was all going so well for Joe Marler

02:24 , Katie Rosseinsky

Oh Joe. The Faithfuls didn’t deserve you.

At the start of the Celebrity Traitors finale, rugby player Joe had it all worked out. He’d realised that Alan Carr and Cat Burns were Traitors. And he was going to keep them on side to the very last minute, before wrong footing them at the roundtable.

But he was foiled at the last minute... by his fellow Faithfuls. Sigh.

Here’s a reminder of Joe’s Traitors journey... before it all went off piste.

Joe Marler: The burly rugby star turned ‘genius’ Faithful leader

Who could sign up for another season of Celebrity Traitors?

01:39 , Katie Rosseinsky

Surely every vaguely famous person in Britain is about to put in a call to their agent and demand that they secure them a spot at the Traitors castle next year.

Even a member of the royal family has thrown his hat into the ring. Mike Tindall, the son-in-law of Princess Anne, has revealed that he’d “definitely enjoy” taking part in the show.

Former rugby player Tindall has previously appeared on I’m A Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! so this wouldn’t be his first reality rodeo either.

Royal family member puts himself forward for next Celebrity Traitors

Alan Carr's journey to Traitors victory

01:32 , Katie Rosseinsky

The least likely Traitor of all time managed to clinch it in the end... and it certainly made for a satisfying victory.

Adam White looks back at how Alan went from a nervous wreck to backstabber extraordinaire.

Alan Carr: The most unlikely unsuspected Celebrity Traitor of all

Fancy yourself as a Traitor hunter?

00:23 , Katie Rosseinsky

Reckon you could do a better job than this lot? Surely it wouldn’t take much. If you think you’d actually look quite stunning in one of those green velvety cloaks, applications for the fifth season of the civilian version of The Traitors are currently open: you can head over to the BBC website to throw your name into the ring.

23:53 , Katie Rosseinsky

Documentary footage of me when I realise that Celebrity Traitors is over and I’ll have to start making plans on a Thursday night again...

The Celebrity Traitors finale review: clever people turning out to be dumb makes for addictive TV

23:30 , Katie Rosseinsky

The verdict is in from my esteemed colleague Hannah Ewens... and it’s four stars for the Celebrity Traitors finale!

“Hasn’t it been fun for true Traitors heads to see the parlour game at a different slant, played by people either inherently disconnected from reality or funnier than the average person?” Hannah asks.

“Hasn’t it been curious to see contestants unable to hide behind fake personas or less suspicious jobs, as is typical in the usual series?”

All in all, she writes, it has been :a ridiculous series full of hopeless people and we have loved every minute of it”.

I quite frankly could not have put it better myself. And on that note, good night Faithful.

The Celebrity Traitors final: a perfectly silly end to a gloriously dumb season of TV

Alan Carr reveals his agent had doubts about his Traitors performance

23:05 , Katie Rosseinsky

Even Alan Carr’s agent assumed that he wouldn’t last long in the competition.

“My agent, this is a little exclusive, had actually booked in things for the second week,” he admitted to Ed Gamble on Traitors: Uncloaked. “’Alan,’ he said, ‘with your poker face, you’ll be out two days in.’ And I actually believed him.”

Oh, and apparently Alan had to phone up his cat sitter a few days in, to inform them that he’d be needing their services for a bit longer...

22:48 , Katie Rosseinsky

“Alan could have come down to breakfast in a green cloak and I still wouldn’t have thought he was a Traitor.” Kudos to David for his honesty.

Alan Carr breaks down in tears at final Celebrity Traitors round table

22:46 , Katie Rosseinsky

Here’s the moment when weeks of lying, murdering and general treachery caught up with our winner Alan Carr...

No hard feelings

22:30 , Katie Rosseinsky

Is there any bad blood between former “hundies” Joe and Nick after that roundtable fiasco?

“When Joe and I text each other after we got out of the castle, he continually refers to me as Judas, and then occasionally replaces the ‘u’ with a heart, which is quite nice,” Nick admits.

22:24 , Katie Rosseinsky

So when did Joe work out the Traitors’ identities? “The shield cock- ups from Jonathan and Alan were the giveaways. I like shields. You don’t seem to like them as much as me.”

Moment Nick Mohammed turns on Joe Marler in final Traitors banishment

22:20 , Katie Rosseinsky

It’s the moment that Nick Mohammed has probably been replaying in his mind at 3am ever since Celebrity Traitors wrapped...

22:19 , Katie Rosseinsky

How would Claudia characterise her Traitors presenting style? “I’m strict and fluorescent orange.”

And it's over to BBC Two for Uncloaked

22:18 , Katie Rosseinsky

Yes, Halloween was last week, but we’re still awarding 10 out of 10 for Paloma’s Claudia cosplay for the Traitors: Uncloaked finale.

22:16 , Katie Rosseinsky

Now that the dust has (sort of) settled on David and Nick’s terrible decision to banish top Faithful Joe, I think I’m pretty satisfied with Alan’s victory.

From the very beginning, he’s been the most entertaining part of a show crammed with big characters. His off the cuff remarks, his asides to the camera, his uncanny ability to use his campy, OTT persona to shake off any suspicions... He’s been a Traitors player for the ages.

Time for a celebratory champagne

22:13 , Katie Rosseinsky

Here he is! Our Celebrity Traitors winner! The people’s prince!

A tearful Alan takes the prize pot

22:09 , Katie Rosseinsky

Bless Alan for bursting into tears after making his big reveal. Clearly all this barefaced lying and backstabbing has got to him.

No words needed

22:06 , Katie Rosseinsky

The big reveal

22:05 , Katie Rosseinsky

I simply cannot wait to see Nick and David’s faces when they realise that Alan has played them entirely...

22:03 , Katie Rosseinsky

Alan wants to end the game, of course. And so does David. And Nick! These poor fools!

Pouches round two

22:02 , Katie Rosseinsky

I can’t watch. Are David and Nick really about to get mugged off by Alan?

22:00 , Katie Rosseinsky

Farewell Joe, our sweet Faithful king. They didn’t deserve you.

Joe is banished

22:00 , Katie Rosseinsky

And another GASP as Nick stabs Joe in the back! I am, to quote Ms Kate Garraway, simply FLABBERGASTED.

Seriously, how are they SO bad at this?

21:59 , Katie Rosseinsky

I just GASPED as David voted for Joe! The curveball we didn’t see coming!

It's time for another banishment

21:57 , Katie Rosseinsky

It’s unanimous. The fire has turned red four times, and all remaining players have decided to banish again! Is the game up for our favourite Chatty Man?

21:56 , Katie Rosseinsky

It’s pouches time! There’s something quite ASMR about Claudia saying “pouches” over and over, isn’t there? Or am I just losing the plot?

21:54 , Katie Rosseinsky

Wait, I know that piano line anywhere. Are they playing... the Succession soundtrack??

Alan Carr forced to defend 'Shieldgate' at finale roundtable

21:51 , Katie Rosseinsky

Did he pull it off? Here’s the moment when Alan had to defend his shield slip-up

21:48 , Katie Rosseinsky

Of course, Nick and Joe don’t know that Cat is in fact a Traitor.

“She just wasn’t even on my radar,” Alan quips. How is our last Traitor standing going to play this?

It's curtains for Cat!

21:47 , Katie Rosseinsky

And it’s time for the votes!

Two votes for Cat, two for David, and then Joe gets the deciding vote... His choice? Cat!

It’s taken a long, long time, but the Faithfuls have finally cracked the code and booted out another Traitor.

'Shieldgate' gets a mention

21:40 , Katie Rosseinsky

Inevitably, Alan’s shield slip-up has already got some airtime at the round table, with both Nick and Joe mentioning the moment when he appeared to totally forget all about the fact that he was marked safe from murder.

Once again, Alan’s managed to use comedy to deflect from the situation, with a pretty solid impression of Joe, and has made a pretty decent case for himself. God, he’s good at this!

21:37 , Katie Rosseinsky

My face when I realise this is the FINAL round table...

Time for the obligatory 'Hanging Tree' moment

21:34 , Katie Rosseinsky

And if you had “eerie slowed down cover of the ‘Hanging Tree’ song from ‘Hunger Games’” on your Celebrity Traitors bingo card, congratulations!

21:33 , Katie Rosseinsky

Oof. Joe is trying to keep Alan on side by bringing him bowls of Malteasers... all while secretly planning to pull the rug from under his feet at the round table! What a strategist.

It's time for the pre-roundtable chats

21:31 , Katie Rosseinsky

So Alan’s masterplan seems to rely on managing to pursue Joe that Nick is a Traitor? I’m not entirely convinced that he can pull it off. And this new alliance between Nick and David could prove powerful...

Mission accomplished!

21:29 , Katie Rosseinsky

I would 100 per cent watch the hell out of this heist movie. Make it happen, BBC!

We’ve tracked down Claudia Winkleman’s outfit for the final of The Celebrity Traitors

21:26 , Katie Rosseinsky

For those of you who, like me, are obsessed with Claudia’s Traitors wardrobe, then you’re in luck: my colleague Daisy Lester has compiled all of her brilliant looks from the series so far, along with some very covetable high street alternatives.

I’ve tracked down Claudia Winkleman’s exact outfits from The Celebrity Traitors

The first challenge begins

21:20 , Katie Rosseinsky

So now we’re at the first challenge.

Get on the train, find the keys, unlock the crates and get the gold in 20 minutes... It all sounds quite simple, right? Until Claudia mentions that there are explosives in the crates.

“There’s no other options to commute?” Joe asks. Unfortunately, there are no rail replacement bus services running.

Claudia's outfit details

21:18 , Katie Rosseinsky

It’s designed by Simone Rocha, FYI! Shout out to Claudia’s stylist Sinead McKeefry, who’s pulled off another set of impeccable outfits this time around...

21:14 , Katie Rosseinsky

Claudia’s come over all Carrie Bradshaw to mark the occasion, swapping her go-to kilt for a white tutu. I just hope she gets a costume change before they make her stand around in the inevitably muddy Scottish countryside for the next challenge.

Joe Marler reflects on his Traitors experience

21:11 , Katie Rosseinsky

“Being in The Traitors final is way more stressful than playing for England,” Joe Marler reckons. I can’t help but believe him. We’re rooting for you, Joe!

And we're off!

21:09 , Katie Rosseinsky

Alan appears to have borrowed a jacket from his fellow Traitor Jonathan Ross’s chat show wardrobe to mark the occasion. “I’m quite good at creating chaos,” he muses to the camera. Feels like an understatement.

How long is the final episode?

20:57 , Katie Rosseinsky

This is your three minute klaxon! And in case you were wondering, tonight’s instalment will be a 70 minute extravaganza, rather than the usual hour-long episode. What a treat for us Faithfuls.

20:45 , Katie Rosseinsky

When the BBC announced that a celebrity spin-off version of The Traitors was in the works, I wasn’t exactly convinced that it’d work. But I’m pleased to have been totally and utterly proved wrong: from start to finish, the series has been a joy.

If you’re feeling all nostalgic as things come to an end, here’s a few of my personal favourite moments from the series so far…

Jonathan Ross wearing, well, whatever the hell this was

Ross’s, erm, offbeat style choices were an unexpected highlight.

Alan Carr walking over a wobbly bridge

“I feel like a winner and a eunuch!” he declared, after jumping off the bridge wearing a safety harness. Honourable mention should also go to the time when he got trapped in a cage suspended from a tree. Essentially, any footage of Carr getting involved in the tasks has been a joy.

Those nightmare-inducing plastic heads

A photo of these cropped up on a digital billboard when I was enjoying a little mooch around the city centre the other day, and I nearly went into fight or flight mode.

Celia’s fart

Look, even beloved stars of the stage and screen get a bit, well, windy when they’re nervous, OK?

Kate’s rubbish sleuthing

You know you’re absolutely clutching at straws when you start making theories based on who had sundried tomatoes on their plate and who didn’t. Kudos for Kate, whose scattergun approach to detective work certainly made the last few episodes very entertaining.

Nick sets the scene with some musical accompaniment

20:27 , Katie Rosseinsky

Just when I thought I couldn’t possibly be more endeared to top Faithful Nick Mohammed, I see he is gearing up for the final by... playing the “Hanging Tree” song from The Hunger Games on his violin? Then remixing it into the Traitors theme?

Actor, comedian, magician, Traitor hunter and talented musician: a modern day Renaissance man, I tell you.

Tom's Traitorous knits

20:21 , Katie Rosseinsky

It looks like Tom Daley’s been busy on the Traitors-themed knitwear beat. Not content with making a hat for Kate, he’s also knitted a personalised jumper for Mr Alan Carr... Drop the pattern please, Tom. ,

The countdown to the final begins

20:11 , Katie Rosseinsky

And we’re (very nearly) off! In less than an hour, The Celebrity Traitors final will begin.

Before that, here’s a very quick reminder of the state of play in the castle. The remaining Faithfuls are Joe Marler, Nick Mohammed and David Olusoga, who are trying to root out the last Traitors standing.

Alan Carr and Cat Burns are the final two Traitors left in the game, after their co-conspirator Jonathan Ross was banished last week.

Joe and Nick are each convinced that the other is a Faithful (Joe keeps referring to the Ted Lasso star as a “hundy”, as in “one hundred percent Faithful”, after all). But the pair of them still remain slightly suspicious of fellow Faithful David, who has also previously accused Nick of being a Traitor.

Alan and Cat’s potential route to the prize pot won’t be easy, either. Joe is now pretty set on the fact that both of them are Traitors, and he has already revealed his finale gameplan to Nick: he is going to bide his time and keep both on side, then blindside them with a big reveal.

“My plan involves getting really close to Alan and Cat so they keep me in the game, and then I can try and pull the rug from under their feet at the last minute,” he said towards the end of last Thursday’s episode.

Will he stick to his guns? Will Alan be able to keep a straight face through it all? Will David manage to convince Joe and Nick that he, too, is a “hundy” (sorry)? All will be revealed soon…

Cat Burns speaks out on the Celebrity Traitors moment she’ll ‘never live down’

19:47 , Katie Rosseinsky

Admitting you don’t know who Dame Judi Dench is on national TV? When you’re in the company of one of her co-stars? It’s a moment that Cat Burns reckons she’ll never live down.

Earlier in this season, the singer-turned-Traitor revealed that she had no idea who Dame Judi was during a high-stakes challenge. And as for fellow Dame Helen Mirren? Nope. She didn’t have the foggiest.

In a BBC Radio 2 interview with Scott Mills earlier today, Cat said that she is “never going to live that down”.

“I just needed to see a picture,” she explained. “If people just say names at me, I just go ‘I don’t know who that is.’

“But if I see a picture I know who it is.”

Fair enough, Cat. And the musician certainly went on to make up for that particular blind spot with her strong performance in other challenges.

Cat Burns speaks out on the Celebrity Traitors moment she’ll ‘never live down’

Nick Mohammed: The loveable Faithful and puzzle-master

19:16 , Rachel McGrath

Ted Lasso star Nick Mohammed flew under the radar in the first half of the series, but he certainly went on to make his mark.

The actor thrust himself into the spotlight (and the firing line) when he secretly worked with Jo Marler to fix one of the challenges. In his to-camera interviews, he has shared plenty of theories and plans - revealing his idea to cosy up to suspected Traitors and turn on them at the last minute.

While he wasn’t totally correct on his guesses, he did identify Jonanthan Ross and Cat Burns as Traitors. Though the former was successfully banished, Burns is, of course, still in the castle. And she has no idea Mohammed is onto her, which certainly makes things interesting ahead of the final.

Here’s Nick Mohammed’s Celebrity Traitors journey so far…

Nick Mohammed: The loveable Faithful and puzzle-master on The Celebrity Traitors

Kate Garraway reveals Tom Daley is knitting her a gift

18:46 , Katie Rosseinsky

Remember Tom Daley’s perfectly meme-able side eye from earlier in the season, directed at fellow contestant Kate Garraway?

When the breakfast TV host loudly declared that Paloma Faith’s murder was “flabbergasting”, Tom was less than impressed, and didn’t try to hide his bemusement.

But it seems like the pair have put that awkward moment behind them, as Tom, a prolific knitter who’s currently hosting Channel 4’s Game of Wool, is apparently making Kate a personalised woolly hat. Very sweet.

“He’s knitting me a ‘flabbergasted’ Flump hat,” Kate said on Good Morning Britain today. “You know my ridiculous Flump hat? That and flabbergasted is all I’m going to be known for now.”

The Flumps, FYI, were a bunch of hat-wearing creatures from a Seventies TV show (yes, I had to Google them).

I’m not entirely sure which of Kate’s pieces of headgear was particularly Flump-like, though, as she wore so many during her stint in the castle, my personal favourite being her “year abroad in Paris” black beret.

Read the full story below.

Kate Garraway reveals gift from Tom Daley featuring Celebrity Traitors catchphrase

Alan Carr: The most unlikely unsuspected Celebrity Traitor of all

18:13 , Katie Rosseinsky

Who knew that he’d come this far? In the first episode of The Celebrity Traitors, Alan Carr seemed earmarked for early banishment from the castle after he was selected as one of the three Traitors alongside Jonathan Ross and Cat Burns.

While the chat show host and the musician seemed to embrace their new role with remarkable sangfroid, Carr melted under the pressure. “I have a sweating problem and I can’t keep a secret,” he admitted early on. Not exactly ideal traits for a Traitor, then. And when he claimed that he was “worse than Linda”, in reference to season three’s over the top opera singer, we were inclined to believe him.

But as the series has gone on, the comedian has grown in confidence – partly because, well, his fellow contestants haven’t really bothered to suspect him until now, despite some very messy gameplay.

His larger-than-life persona has ended up serving him well: whenever he has done something a little silly or unexpected, like quoting Shakespeare in order to murder Celia Imrie in plain sight, or even forgetting the fact that he’d won a shield, the others seem to have brushed it off as “just Alan being Alan”.

But is Carr now on borrowed time? Joe Marler, the remarkably perceptive Faithful behind the original “big dog” theory, seems to have his number. That slip-up with the shield is, it seems, still playing on Marler’s mind.

Will Marler and his fellow Faithful Nick Mohammed call Carr out? We’ll have to wait and see.

Read more about Carr’s unlikely journey to the final below.

Alan Carr: The most unlikely unsuspected Celebrity Traitor of all

The Celebrity Traitors' viewing figures make a second season even more likely

17:46 , Rachel McGrath

Celebrity Traitors is already the most-watched TV show of the year, even before the finale.

The first four episodes averaged 12.6 million viewers, according to seven-day consolidated figures from Barb. The show’s audience has grown even further from there, which is a trend we also saw with previous civilian series.

Experts are predicting that 14 or even 15 million people could watch tonight’s episode.

To put that into perspective, it’s highly rare for a non-live news or sports programme to achieve a seven-day audience of 12 million or more. It happened just twice in 2024 and both times were thanks to Christmas Day programming. The final episode of Gavin & Stacey pulled in 19.3m viewers while 17.1m of us tuned in to the feature-length Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl.

The BBC is yet to officially confirm a second celebrity series of The Traitors but with viewing figures like these, surely one will be on the way...

How Cat Burns’ quiet confidence got her to the final

17:16 , Rachel McGrath

In a show dominated by big personalities, singer-songwriter Cat Burns has expertly flown under the radar with just a few celebrities ever suspecting her.

Burns’ success as a Traitor has largely been thanks to how carefully she’s walked a very tricky tightrope. Where other celebrity contestants are loud, she is quiet – but never too quiet. Where the others forward ever-more preposterous theories, she holds back – right up until the moment it would look suspicious not to speak up, at which point she drops a succinct yet considered opinion in her soothing, resonant voice.

Sir Stephen Fry was one of the first to seriously point the finger at the 25-year-old as he noted that she often fell asleep during car journeys to and from challenges, suggesting late nights of “murdering”. But Burns wriggled out of the (accurate) accusation by saying her ADHD and autism make being around people constantly especially exhausting.

The problem she faces tonight is that two of the remaining Faithfuls have kept secrets of their own: they’ve figured Burns out.

Read more about her journey to the grand final below…

How Cat Burns’ quiet confidence got her to Celebrity Traitors final

Royal Family member puts themselves forward for the next series

16:46 , Rachel McGrath

The Celebrity Traitors producers secured several A-list names for the current series – but it seems they might be able to go one better and book a Royal next year.

During an interview on today’s This Morning, Mike Tindall - who is married to Queen Elizabeth II’s granddaughter Zara Tindall - said he would "definitely enjoy” taking part.

See what else he had to say in the video below…

All the celebrities who have been murdered and banished

16:17 , Rachel McGrath

The castle must have been feeling pretty empty by the final day. Over the course of the series, a whopping 14 left the show before the final, with half being ‘murdered’ by the Traitors while the others were banished.

The only Traitor to be caught is Jonathan Ross – which means these Faithfuls are statistically the worst ever. Ouch.

Here’s a full recap of the Faithfuls who were murdered, the first and last of whom were both killed off by Alan Carr in plain sight...

• Paloma Faith - episode two

• Tom Daley - episode three

• Ruth Codd - episode four

• Charlotte Church - episode five

• Joe Wilkinson - episode six

• Lucy Beaumont - episode seven

• Celia Imrie - episode eight.

And here are all of the banishments:

• Niko Omilana - episode three

• Tameka Empson - episode three

• Clare Balding - episode four

• Mark Bonnar - episode six

• Sir Stephen Fry - episode six

• Jonathan Ross - episode seven

• Kate Garraway - episode eight.

‘I stayed in this Traitors-esque Scottish hotel – here’s why you should too’

15:46 , Rachel McGrath

If you’re not quite ready to say goodbye to all things The Traitors, our Global Travel Editor Annabel Grossman has found the perfect getaway spot to check into.

Mar Hall is just 15 minutes from Glasgow airport and the five-star retreat blends the modern with the traditional, she writes. There are plenty of activities on offer too – and I’m sure you can think of some twists to make them feel like the show’s challenges. Maybe pack a couple of shields?

Read the full review below…

I stayed in this Traitors-esque Scottish hotel – here’s why you should too

The rugby star turned ‘genius’ Faithful leader

15:13 , Rachel McGrath

While Joe Marler was already a familiar face to rugby fans, plenty of viewers (myself included) had no idea who he was when he entered the castle.

The ex-England player wasted no time in cementing himself as a powerful player though, excelling in the challenges and putting forward plenty of ideas at the roundtables. Throughout the game, Marler has shown a cool but focused determination to uncover the Traitors.

It was Joe who came up with the ‘big dog’ theory that (eventually) led to Jonathan Ross’s downfall and in last Thursday’s episode, he figured out that Alan Carr and Cat Burns are the two remaining Traitors - which led to viewers labelling him a “genius”. In hindsight, it would have been smart for the Traitors to ‘murder’ him long before the final.

In tonight’s episode, he’ll need to get Nick Mohammed and David Olusoga fully onboard with his latest (correct) theory. And thankfully for Marler, the former seems to be sold on it already.

Read more about Joe Marler’s journey to the final here…

Joe Marler: The burly rugby star turned ‘genius’ Faithful leader

How much Celebrity Traitors contestants earn for taking part

14:43 , Rachel McGrath

While the famous faces who signed up to the show are trying to win money for their chosen charities, they have each reportedly received a fee for taking part.

The celebrities are said to have each been paid a flat fee of £40,000.

On The Rest Is Entertainment podcast in July, host Marina Hyde said: “It’s certainly interesting to compare something like Celebrity Traitors on the BBC to I’m a Celebrity on ITV.”

Addressing the line-up rumours circulating at the time - many of which turned out to be true - she added: “Look at the calibre of the people they got. They were able to pay everybody a blanket 40k fee, right? They’re paying them a 40k fee.”

The BBC declined to comment when approached by The Independent.

Watch: Was this the moment when Alan Carr blew his cover?

14:16 , Rachel McGrath

Last week’s penultimate episode saw Kate Garraway banished at the round table. Claudia Winkleman then gathered the five remaining contestants and revealed they were the finalists.

As they celebrated, the host gave the contestants a simple task: look each other in the eye and declare, “I am a Faithful”.

Unfortunately, Carr got the giggles and burst out laughing as he tried to say those all-important three words.

It’s a moment that will surely be discussed in tonight’s installment, so watch it again below...

How David Olusoga holds the whole game in his hands

13:46 , Rachel McGrath

While the final five all get on, there’s a clear divide in the group as we go into tonight’s episode.

On the one hand, there are Traitors Cat Burns and Alan Carr. On the other, there are Faithfuls Joe Marler and Nick Mohammed, who have built a strong bond in the castle. When Marler figured out who the Traitors are in the penultimate episode, he ran straight to the Ted Lasso actor to share his thoughts.

But the pair will need to convince someone else in order to have a majority: David Olusoga.

The level-headed historian hasn’t had the most eventful time on the show: he hasn’t been as vocal as the other contestants, and while he has come under suspicion, he has largely managed to shake that off.

And while he’s remained logical in his reasoning, Olusoga didn’t play a key role in banishing Jonathan Ross. In fact, he was the only person who didn’t vote for him.

Tonight, while Olusoga doesn’t know it, the outcome is essentially in his hands. If he chooses not to back Marler’s (correct) theory, he could unwittingly hand victory to the Traitors.

Read more about Olusoga’s time in the castle below…

David Olusoga: The gentle historian who’s made it to the Celebrity Traitors final

Cat Burns reveals fans’ special requests at signings

13:14 , Rachel McGrath

As hype builds for tonight’s episode, the final five are popping up on various TV and radio shows to discuss the series (while keeping the identity of tonight’s winners top secret, of course).

Appearing on BBC Radio 2’s Breakfast Show with Scott Mills this morning, singer – and Traitor – Cat Burns revealed one unexpected impact of being in the programme.

Recalling a recent signing event, she said: “There was a vinyl and someone wanted me to sign it to say ‘someone has been recruited’.”

Cat also admitted that, despite making it to the final, she doesn’t believe she’s very good at being deceitful.

“I don’t think I am that great of a liar,” she said. “My mum watches me and she is like, ‘I can just tell that you are lying’. But that’s the fun of the game, isn’t it?”

How will the grand final work?

12:45 , Rachel McGrath

Tonight’s episode will see the final five whittled down as the remaining Faithfuls attempt to oust the Traitors – and there’s a big twist that makes their task even harder.

The grand final will see the remaining celebs try to add to the prize pot in a challenge before returning to the castle. A banishment will then take place.

As in the last civilian series, the contestants banished in the final won’t reveal their status in the game. This makes it a lot harder for the Faithfuls to figure out how they’re doing, as they won’t know for sure how many Traitors have been voted out.

The banishment will be followed by a vote on whether to end the game or not. If at least one person votes to continue the game, another banishment will take place. This process will be repeated until all players vote to end the contest.

They’ll then, in turn, reveal whether they are Faithfuls or Traitors. If everyone left is a Faithful, they’ll split the prize fund between their charities. But if a Traitor remains, they’ll steal it all for their own chosen charity. If multiple Traitors remain, they will steal the money and split it between themselves.

Combat the post-series blues with a getaway

12:16 , Rachel McGrath

If you’re already worrying about how to get a Traitors fix once this series is over, our Travel team may well have a solution for you.

While Andross Castle - where every season of The Traitors has been filmed - sadly isn’t available for getaways, there are plenty of castle hotels in the UK that you can book for a much-needed staycation. Cloaks are optional, but I’m personally encouraging them.

Check out the top picks below...

7 UK castles for a Traitors-style getaway

Celebrity Traitors finale 'leaks'

11:44 , Rachel McGrath

There’s not long to go until tonight’s Celebrity Traitors final - but some fans have already seen the episode.

According to reports, Canadian streaming service Carve accidentally uploaded the much-anticipated episode way before the BBC airs it tonight.

While it has since been taken down, it’s said that many fans managed to tune in and find out who wins.

Read the full story below (and don’t worry, we’re not revealing the winner)...

Celebrity Traitors in chaos as final episode ‘leaks’ online