The series two premiere of The Celebrity Traitors drew a massive live audience of 8.9 million people – three million more than the inaugural episode of its first season.
Celebrity Traitors – a reality show based on interpersonal deception in which contestants must deduce which of them has been selected as a “traitor” – began its second season on BBC One last night (1 October).
Among the 21 celebrities on the roster this year are Richard E Grant and Maya Jama, who were both chosen to be Traitors in episode one, as well as actors Bella Ramsey, Ross Kemp, and Michael Sheen, comedians Romesh Ranganathan, Joe Lycett, and Rob Beckett, and musicians James Blunt, and Leigh-Anne Pinnock.
The opening episode’s viewership numbers mean that it attracted 54.9 per cent of the total TV viewing audience at the time.
It ranks as the second most-watched episode of British TV in 2026, placing only behind the third series finale of The Traitors’ regular edition.
Last year’s Celebrity Traitors, which was ultimately won by comedian and chat show host Alan Carr, attracted an overnight average audience of 6.1m people, representing a 46.4 per cent share of the audience.
The series premiere last night ended on a cliffhanger, with the identity of the third Traitor still unknown to audiences.
Comedian James Acaster and presenter Amol Rajan both had to plead their case to be accepted into the Traitors’ ranks, with the losing contestant being “murdered” and removed from the game.
The episode ended before it was revealed who had been selected – although eagle-eyed viewers believe they identified a clue.
In a five-star review of the premiere, The Independent’s Jessie Thompson wrote: ““You don’t know what ridiculous things people will do – famous or otherwise – while playing a silly party game in a Scottish castle, but you do know it will be infinitely entertaining,” Thompson wrote. “People either love The Traitors, or don’t watch it. To those in the latter camp, I can only ask… why? Life is hard, and this is the best thing on TV. It’s a blessed relief that it has returned.”
The Celebrity Traitors continues on Friday at 8pm on BBC One.
