The Celebrity Traitors looks set to return later this month after Richard Osman appeared to accidentally reveal the launch date for the eagerly awaited second series.
The BBC reality show is expected to return to screens on Wednesday, 23 September, bringing 21 famous faces to the Scottish Highlands for another battle between Faithfuls and Traitors.
The apparent start date emerged during a live edition of The Rest Is Entertainment podcast at London’s Southbank Centre on Saturday.
Osman was appearing alongside co-host Marina Hyde and former Celebrity Traitors finalist Joe Marler when conversation turned to the new series.
Marler asked: “What is it, September 23, the next series?”
Osman then appeared to confirm the date, saying: “By the way, to point out, it’s absolutely embargoed that it starts on September 23.”
Realising the date was now in the open, he joked: “The cat’s out of the bag isn’t it?”
Osman also provided a hint about what viewers can expect when Claudia Winkleman returns to Ardross Castle in the Highlands.
The former Pointless presenter said he had spoken to people involved in the production and revealed: “It sounds like it was quite intense.”
Marler, who reached the final of the first celebrity series, suggested the atmosphere among the new contestants was markedly different from his experience.
He said the first cast had been “very laugh-led”, with the celebrities enjoying spending time together and sometimes having to be reminded that they were supposed to be playing a game.
This year’s contestants, he suggested, approached the competition much more seriously from the outset.
“Whereas this lot really want it from the start,” Marler said.
The first series became one of the television events of 2025, bringing together stars including Alan Carr, Jonathan Ross, Stephen Fry, Celia Imrie, Paloma Faith, Nick Mohammed and Marler.
Carr ultimately triumphed after successfully deceiving his fellow contestants as a Traitor.
The finale attracted a peak audience of 15.4 million, according to the BBC, while the series averaged 14.9 million viewers across its run.
The second series will attempt to repeat that success with another formidable cast.
Michael Sheen, Maya Jama, Bella Ramsey, James Blunt, Leigh-Anne Pinnock, Richard E Grant, Miranda Hart and Ross Kemp are among the celebrities heading into the castle.
They will be joined by James Acaster, Amol Rajan, Jerry Hall, Joanne McNally, Joe Lycett, Julie Hesmondhalgh, King Kenny, Myha’la, Professor Hannah Fry, Rob Beckett, Romesh Ranganathan, Sebastian Croft and Scottish actress Sharon Rooney.
Once again, the celebrities will compete for a prize of up to £100,000 for a charity of their choice.
Claudia Winkleman returns as host, with the series again based at Ardross Castle near Alness in the Highlands.