The first series of The Celebrity Traitors began airing on 8 October 2025 on BBC One. It was presented by Claudia Winkleman, with Ed Gamble fronting the companion show The Celebrity Traitors: Uncloaked.

The series concluded on 6 November 2025, when Alan Carr won the series as the last remaining Traitor, ultimately winning £87,500 for his chosen charity Neuroblastoma UK.

The series was the most watched show of the year on UK television, and the series finale was the most watched UK television broadcast of 2025. It is widely considered to be one of the best television shows of the year. The series received various awards, most notably two British Academy Television Awards (including one for Alan Carr winning), two British Academy Television Craft Awards, and one National Television Award (and contributed to Alan Carr winning the National Television Award for Special Recognition in 2026).

Production In August 2024, the BBC confirmed that The Celebrity Traitors had been commissioned, along with two more series of The Traitors, the first of which aired in January 2025. Speaking at the Edinburgh International Television Festival, Kalpna Patel-Knight, the BBC's head of entertainment, said: "The Traitors has well and truly established itself as an unmissable highlight of the year and the news of a fourth outing, alongside a brand new celebrity version coming to the BBC, will take the series to a whole new level. In April 2025, it was confirmed that the show would air in the autumn of that year, with October 2025 later specified.

Filming for the series began on 22 April 2025 at Ardross Castle and concluded the following month, consisting of 9 episodes due to air over four weeks from 8 October to 6 November 2025. Following the cast announcement, host Claudia Winkleman said "We're incredibly lucky these brilliant people have said yes. I’d love to say we'll take it easy on them, and they'll just wander round the castle and eat toast for a couple of weeks - but that would be a lie."

The final episode of the series was mistakenly released early online in Canada and New Zealand as the episode was mistakenly made available on the Crave and ThreeNow streaming services 24 hours in advance of its broadcast on BBC One, due to a miscommunication between All3Media International and its international partners.

Contestants The 19 celebrities competing in the series were revealed on 13 May 2025. Their chosen charities were not revealed until after the show had concluded, with the winner's charity named in the final.

+List of The Celebrity Traitors contestants Contestant Age Notability Chosen charity Affiliation Finish Paloma Faith 44 Singer-songwriter & actress Save the ChildrenFaithfulMurdered Niko Omilana 27 Content creator Under One SkyFaithful Banished(Episode 3) Tom Daley 31 Olympian & entrepreneur The Brain Tumour CharityFaithfulMurdered Tameka Empson 48 Actress, comedian & writer Parkinson's UKFaithful Banished(Episode 3) Ruth Codd 29 Actress Almost Home Animal Rescue NIFaithfulMurdered Clare Balding 54 Broadcaster & author Cancer Research UKFaithful Banished(Episode 4) Charlotte Church 39 Singer & activist The Awen ProjectFaithfulMurdered Mark Bonnar 56 Actor Action for MEFaithful Banished(Episode 6) Joe Wilkinson 50 Comedian Wolo FoundationFaithfulMurdered Stephen Fry 68 Actor, writer & presenter MindFaithful Banished(Episode 6) Lucy Beaumont 42 Comedian Zoe's PlaceFaithfulMurdered Jonathan Ross 64 Presenter Cancer Research UKTraitor Banished(Episode 7) Celia Imrie 73 Actress BeatFaithfulMurdered Kate Garraway 58 Broadcaster Carers FirstFaithful Banished(Episode 8) Cat Burns 25 Singer-songwriter National Autistic SocietyTraitor Banished(Episode 9) Joe Marler 35 Former England rugby player CALMFaithful Banished(Episode 9) David Olusoga 55 Historian & film-maker Bristol Dog Action Welfare GroupGreyhound & Lurcher RescueFaithfulRunner-up(Episode 9) 45 Actor & comedian Blood Cancer UKFaithfulRunner-up(Episode 9) Alan Carr 49 Comedian Neuroblastoma UKTraitorWinner(Episode 9)

Elimination history Key The contestant was a Faithful. The contestant was a Traitor. The contestant was ineligible to vote. The contestant was murdered by the traitors. The contestant was banished at the round table.

Episode123456789Traitors'Decisionrowspan="2 PalomaTomRuthCharlotte LucyCelia rowspan="3" MurderImmuneCelia,Joe M.,Joe W.,Jonathan,KateClare,MarkCat,StephenDavid,Jonathan,Lucy,NickAlan,Cat,Celia,David,Joe M.Joe M.Banishmentrowspan="2" colspan="2" NikoTamekaClareTieTieMarkStephenJonathanKateCatVote10–3–2–2–1 1–1–1–1–1 7–2–2–1–1–1 4–4–2–1–1 5–5 Fate 4–2–2–1–1 6–1–1 3–2AlanNovote Niko Celia David Mark MarkNovote Joe M. Jonathan David DavidDavid Niko Stephen Clare Stephen No vote Stephen Nick Kate CatNick Niko Tameka Celia Kate Mark Stephen Jonathan Cat CatJoe M. Niko Kate Jonathan Mark Mark Jonathan Jonathan Kate CatCat Kate Stephen Stephen David David Stephen Jonathan Kate David Kate Tameka Tameka Clare Mark Mark Nick Jonathan DavidBanished Celia Charlotte Cat David Jonathan David Joe M. JonathanMurdered Jonathan Niko Ruth Clare David David Stephen DavidBanished Lucy Niko David Clare Mark Mark Jonathan Murdered (Episode 7) Stephen Niko Charlotte Clare David David DavidBanished Joe W. Tom Jonathan Clare David DavidMurdered (Episode 6) Mark Tameka Tameka Charlotte Kate No voteBanished (Episode 6) Charlotte Niko Tameka ClareMurdered (Episode 5) Clare Niko Alan CharlotteBanished (Episode 4) Ruth Kate Jonathan Murdered (Episode 4) Tameka Kate CeliaBanished (Episode 3) Tom NikoMurdered (Episode 3) Niko TomBanished (Episode 3) PalomaMurdered (Episode 2)

End game Episode9Decision BanishJoe M.End GameGame OverTraitor WinVote 4–0 3–1 3–0AlanBanishJoe M.End GameWinnerDavidBanishJoe M.End GameNickBanishJoe M.End GameJoe M.BanishAlanBanished Notes

Missions EpisodeTask descriptionTime limitMoney earnedMoney availableRunning totalShield winner(s)1Players were taken to a simulated 'graveyard' with tombstones bearing their names. Buried inside each grave was a shield. The first six players to dig out their shield received protection from being murdered.rowspan=6 rowspan=6 rowspan=6 rowspan=6 CeliaCharlotteJoe M.Joe W.JonathanKateA 2.5-ton wooden Trojan horse had to be pulled along a path through four locked gates to a fire pit in order to be set alight. At each gate, players had to solve a puzzle or sacrifice a shield in order to move forward. The first gate required players to answer the question "How many people died in Shakespeare's Romeo & Juliet and Hamlet combined?" and enter the result into a numeric lock. The second required solving a Klotski puzzle to release a key. The third gate presented players with 16 words and required them to choose the 4 words that were unlike the others. The fourth and final gate, which could only be bypassed by forfeiting two shields, presented players with 18 symbols and required them to remember the 3 symbols that had unknowingly been visible on the previous gates and place them in the correct order. 30 minutes £15,000£15,000(of £15,000)rowspan="2"2Players had to identify who amongst them was unknowingly poisoned the night before through a series of clues. They were presented with 3 coffins meant for 3 players the Traitors had chosen: the murder victim (Paloma) and two decoys (Niko & Lucy). For each coffin, up to 3 clues were offered based on the celebrity's past, with £3,000 awarded for a correct identification after only 1 clue, and £500 deduced for each additional clue. After the coffins were filled, another £4,000 were awarded if the murder victim was then correctly identified. £13,000£19,500(of £28,000)3Players were locked and chained to a ring located at the centre of a cabin. Keys were required to release each individual, with £500 awarded for every successful release. Each key was accompanied by a clue intended to guide players to the next. Two shields were also obtainable during the mission.25 minutes £8,000£27,500(of £36,000)ClareMark4Players were divided into two teams. The forest team had to find banshees, memorize their wails, and recreate the wail into a water well. The garden team heard these recreations by submerging their heads underwater in another well, and had to match each melody to one in a named locket to identify the banshee. £1,000 were awarded for each correct match. Two shields were on offer, hidden in the garden. 30 minutes £5,000£31,500(of £41,000)CatStephen5At four traps, each worth £2,500, players faced questions about eliminated contestants. They could allocate funds across multiple answer options. The player positioned at the correct answer received a shield and added their money to the prize fund. Those trapped at incorrect answers were eliminated from the mission. rowspan=10 £10,000£38,500(of £51,000)DavidJonathanLucyNick6The players faced an giant chess board featuring their names. The celebrities split into two teams. Each team was required to respond to questions that the Traitors had been asked the previous night and position a headstone on the name of the player they thought the Traitors had chosen. After a series of rounds, the team with the most correct answers were granted a shield. £5,000£43,500(of £56,000)AlanCatCeliaDavidJoe M.7Players worked in pairs to cross an unstable and incomplete wooden bridge, with one player attempting the crossing, and the other guiding from the opposite end. The crossing player earned money by safely walking past the four £500 markers along the way. Midway, a shield bag hanging overhead had to be retrieved, carried to the gap at the end of the bridge, and successfully thrown to their teammate for an additional £500. If the crossing player fell along the way, only the earnings accumulated from the passed markers were banked. Guiding players who caught the bag then chose a player's portrait to place in a single shield-shaped frame. After all the pairs had completed the mission, the portrait that remained in the frame was awarded the shield. £10,000£53,500(of £66,000)Joe M.8Players had to carry six of 19 mannequin heads modelled after the show participants from one end of the room to the six mannequin bodies lacking heads at the other, while avoiding laser beams that crisscrossed the room. If a player broke a beam, an alarm triggered and the player had to discard their head and start over with another. Certain lasers could be deactivated via buttons located along the route. £2,000 were awarded for each successful match, with an additional £2,000 awarded if all six statues received heads.20 minutes £14,000£67,500(of £80,000)rowspan="2" FinaleThe Traitors Express was boarded by the five finalists, who were required to progress through the carriages in search of keys. Four locked crates were located in the fifth and final carriage, each containing £5,000 worth of gold. Prior to the train's arrival at the end of the line, the crates needed to be successfully unlocked and the gold collected. Claudia needed to be reached before the crates, also containing explosives, were detonated.20 minutes £20,000£87,500(of £100,000)

Episodes

Ratings Weekly ratings for each show on BBC One. All ratings are provided by BARB. EpisodeDateOfficial rating(millions)Weekly rankfor BBC OneWeekly rankfor all UK TVEpisode 112.4611Episode 211.8722Episode 313.2311Episode 412.8522Episode 513.2722Episode 613.6111Episode 713.7922Episode 814.1011Episode 914.9411Series average202513.35

Reception Critical reception

The series received critical acclaim. It was praised for its casting of “actually recognisable names” by The Independent, with particular praise for its casting of Alan Carr with HuffPost saying that he “stole the show”. Alan Carr winning was dubbed the “TV moment of the year” by The i Paper, and one of the “most unifying cultural moments” of the century in the UK.

Awards and nominations