The Traitors is back on BBC One and things are already getting tense in Ardross Castle.
The New Year’s Day premiere saw 22 contestants start the game but after the first murder and banishment, we ended episode two with 20 players.
Nursery school teacher Netty was the Traitors’ first victim, leading to heat on Ross.
The contestants then worked together in the latest challenge to add more than £8,000 to the prize pot before it was time for the first roundtable, where Ross managed to convince people of his Faithful status and Judy was unfortunately voted out.
The Traitors this year are Stephen, Hugo, and Rachel, but in a twist to the established format, host Claudia Winkleman also announced the selection of an unidentified Secret Traitor, leaving the central trio of Traitors feeling bewildered and paranoid.
Episode two ended with the Traitors being handed the latest murder shortlist, which contained the names of Reece, Ben and Maz (again!). They can only kill one of those three players.
Key points
- Meet the contestants for The Traitors 2026
- The Traitors review – Fourth series sets off with the perfect rug-pull
- Two Traitors contestants reveal they are secretly related
- All the questions we're asking after the Secret Traitor twist
- Traitors carry out their first murder
- Tense banishment sees Faithful voted out
Don’t get me wrong, I loved Celeb Traitors but it was clear that the stars weren’t willing to really dig at one another whereas it’s abundantly clear that this bunch of contestants definitely are not friends... things got pretty heated at the round table yesterday post-banishment.
I wonder how it’s going to pan out!
19:00 , Annabel Nugent Not long to go now... as we wait, why not look back on some of the most iconic moments of last year’s Celeb Traitors courtesy of Jonathan Ross?
Why Alan Carr is all of us in The Celebrity Traitors
18:35 , Annabel Nugent
There are plenty of big personalities in the castle this year, but who could top the biggest of them all?
Why Alan Carr is all of us in The Celebrity Traitors
Could Roxy be the Secret Traitor?
17:35 , Annabel NugentThe bookies might have their money on Amanda, but many fans think it’s Roxy behind the red cloak.
It might help explain her quite extreme reaction to mother Judy being banished – the Secret Traitor would need as many allies as possible – but if I were the Secret Traitor, I’d be doing everything possible to fly under the radar...
16:35 , Annabel NugentThe jury’s still out on who the Secret Traitor is, but the bookies have an idea.
According to Poker Scout, the person most likely to be donning the mysterious red cloak is Amanda – which would admittedly make sense. Who better to play game master than a retired detective?
15:35 , Annabel Nugent PSA: Do not forget that tonight’s episode has a slightly earlier start time of 7.45pm on BBC One!
14:33 , Annabel NugentThose eagle-eyed internet sleuths have done it again! What do you think of this latest fan theory?
Traitors sleuths think they’ve ‘uncovered’ another secret connection
12:45 , Annabel NugentMum knows best, right?
12:02 , Annabel NugentAm I the only one struggling to remember all the names of everyone in the castle? That round-table is completely packed.
It’s time to winnow down the numbers!
Meet the Traitors 2026 contestants, from a former detective to a crime writer
10:48 , Annabel NugentIt’s early days, so I don’t have any “favourites” just yet but I do have some sympathy for Sam who is catching a lot of flak for leading the charge against Judy despite most people having the same suspicions about her.
Also, Hugo is proving himself a very funny Traitor.
The two shows are like chalk and cheese at this point...
10:08 , Annabel Nugent Celebrity Traitors has exposed the fatal flaw of I’m a Celeb
09:09 , Annabel NugentIs anyone else still reeling from last night’s episode? It’s goodbye to Judy, but I’m sure Roxy will make her mother’s absence felt in the castle during tonight’s episode.
08:28 , Annabel NugentNetty was the first to be murdered by the traitors – and the first to discover that Judy and Roxy are mother and daughter! See her reaction below...
Traitors murdered faithful discovers Judy and Roxy’s secret connection
The updated Secret Traitor shortlist
06:00 , Rachel McGrathThere are now 20 people in the castle, following Netty and Judy’s exits.
And the latest murder list rules out two more people (it would be three but poor Maz is on there again!).
That leaves us with 14 possible Secret Traitors...
Stephen
Rachel
Hugo
Maz
Reece
Ben
James
Amanda
Ross
Adam
Ellie
Faraaz
Fiona
Harriet
Jack
Jade
Jessie
Matthew
Roxy
Sam
05:00 , Rachel McGrathHere’s what Netty had to say after unfortunately becoming the first murdered contestant...
Traitors contestant ‘disappointed’ after being first to be eliminated
Could Roxy be the Secret Traitor?
02:00 , Rachel McGrathI’ll be honest, I had not suspected her at all.
You’d think the Secret Traitor would plan to fly under the radar, which is the absolute opposite of what Roxy has been doing. And her reaction after her mum’s banishment seemed pretty genuine?
Some fans have picked up on her handwriting though...
Friday 2 January 2026 21:02 , Rachel McGrathGOTCHA #SecretTraitor #TheTraitorsUK pic.twitter.com/VdSY4NxIAm
— Matt Andrews (@MattJAndrews26) January 2, 2026
An additional Secret Traitor clue in that VT - they’re right-handed.
It’s not much I know, but we’ve got to take what we can get, OK?
Friday 2 January 2026 20:50 , Rachel McGrathThe airquotes are out already! The roundtables are going to be brutal this year, aren’t they...
Friday 2 January 2026 20:41 , Rachel McGrath Oh Amanda...
Friday 2 January 2026 20:37 , Rachel McGrath “I’ll look like Cindy Crawford... I’ve got a little red bather which is a thong!”
Fiona is already an icon. I cannot tell you how much I would love for her to be the Secret Traitor.
Friday 2 January 2026 20:16 , Rachel McGrathI have to say, he really does...
he's innocent, why does he look so guilty!!?#TheTraitors pic.twitter.com/XogbzoKwEA
— Danny Denay (@DannyDenay) January 2, 2026
The first person murdered is...
Friday 2 January 2026 20:13 , Rachel McGrathNetty!!
Oh that’s going to put Ross under suspicion, isn’t it? Or will people realise he may have been framed?
Reflecting on her early exit, Netty said: “ I’m so gutted. I think I would have been a really good Faithful. Maybe I’ve been too good of a Faithful... too loud.”
The questions we're asking after the Secret Traitor twist
Friday 2 January 2026 19:30 , Rachel McGrathThe Secret Traitor twist hasn’t just left us guessing who the mystery character is - heaps of other questions have emerged too.
Firstly, what happens when the Secret Traitor is banished? Will they simply state “I’m a Traitor” as they leave the round table, or reveal the extent of their role to the whole group?
And what happens if they’re banished early on? Will the producers pick another Secret Traitor, or will the regular Traitors be promoted out of middle management, and be free to do their murdering?
The murder shortlists are the biggest clues the regular Traitors – and us at home – have when it comes to figuring out who the Secret Traitor is.
We’ve already been able to rule out three possibilities as they appear on the first list, and if the Secret Traitor isn’t careful, they could quickly reveal themselves by process of elimination. If a regular Traitor manages to rumble them, could we see a whispered confrontation?
