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Months after a nail-biting finale in The Traitors series 4, speculation is rife as to who will take part in the second season of the celebrity edition.
Last year, Claudia Winkleman’s twisted game of lies and deception aired its first showbiz version featuring some major names, including Clare Balding, Tom Daley, Kate Garraway, Paloma Faith, and Sir Stephen Fry.
However, the Traitors certainly didn’t make it easy, with Jonathan Ross, Cat Burns, and Alan Carr donning the iconic green cloaks and murdering their fellow stars in the dead of night, one by one.
In the end, the winning moment made for truly historic television, with Chatty Man’s Alan fooling his competitors right to the end, as the unlikely (often chaotic) Traitor stole the win and bagged a mega £87,500 sum.
So, as we turn our attention to series 2, which has already been green-lit after series 1’s storming success, who do you want to see in the castle?
The rumoured lineup is looking promising, with one legend of film and TV rumoured to be in the running alongside a rock icon, EastEnders actor and This Morning star.
Stephen Graham
According to Daily Mail, the BBC are ‘absolutely desperate’ to score actor Stephen Graham for the show’s second celebrity outing.
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The publication’s insider continued: ‘He is one of the most formidable actors of our generation, and the nation adores him, but no one really knows what he’s like as a person, so there is a definite hunger among viewers to see what he is like in a more reality-based setting.’
The 53-year-old is riding high after creating and co-starring in last year’s Netflix hit Adolescence, which prompted nationwide debate about toxic masculinity and the dangers of the ‘manosphere.’
The show went on to win eight Emmy awards and nine Golden Globes.
Stephen does have history in reality TV, previously appearing on Celebrity Gogglebox in 2023 for Stand up to Cancer.
Liam Gallagher
Oasis star Liam Gallagher rather casually confirmed that he’s ‘been asked’ to appear in the next season of The Celebrity Traitors.
Responding to a question from a fan on X who asked if he would ever go on The Traitors, Liam replied: ‘I’ve been asked.’
While the singer has not confirmed his involvement, fans have already been getting carried away online.
Responding beneath, Karen wrote: ‘Oh my god you’ve got to do it… You’d make a great traitor’, while Lexi exclaimed: ‘You’d bring so many viewers.’
As for Oasis fans, we can only hope that the show secures his brother Noel following their shock reunion last year after several years of estrangement.
Bob Mortimer
One name on everyone’s lips last year was comedian Bob Mortimer, who proved to be many fans’ ultimate pick to appear on Celebrity Traitors.
While it seemed for a while that fans would be getting their wish, 66-year-old Bob was a no-show.
Instead, he appeared in – and won – LOL: Last One Laughing UK.
There’s still the chance that he could appear in Celebrity Traitors’ second series though, with executive producer Sarah Fay telling Metro: ‘If Bob wanted to do it next year, we would absolutely love it.’
Bob can currently be seen on the second season of Last One Laughing, defending his crown from the likes of David Mitchell, Romesh Ranganathan and Mel Gedroic.
Louis Theroux
Documentary filmmaker and podcaster Louis Theroux is used to weird weekends, but would he be a good fit in Claudia’s castle?
Well, according to the bookmaker Coral, he’s an early contender for season two. They’ve currently got him at 3-1 odds to be on the next season
“Louis Theroux is among the early favourites to be on the next series of Celebrity Traitors,’ said Coral spokesperson John Hill.
‘The popular documentary maker would make for a great faithful or traitor, so it would be no surprise if he is at the top end of the show’s wish list.’
Like Stephen, Louis is currently man of the moment after descending into the ‘manosphere’ – in this case, a Netflix documentary in which he met with various controversial figures involved.
Cheryl
Girls Aloud icon Cheryl is reportedly considering a showbiz comeback, and surely The Celebrity Traitors is the perfect way to do it?
The pop star, 42, has kept a low profile since becoming a mum to son Bear, dipping out of public life completely in October 2024 following the death of his father and her ex-partner, Liam Payne.
Now, it’s been claimed that Cheryl is itching to get back to work, but there could be one thing holding her back from committing to a stint in the castle, as she doesn’t want to spend too much time away from her eight-year-old.
A source told The Sun: ‘Cheryl is taking baby steps about returning to the limelight. Bosses know she would be a huge draw.
‘They think she would be brilliant at playing the game. Especially as she is so straight-talking.
‘Of course, filming over several weeks would take her away from her son, which could be a reason she turns it down.
‘Bookers are keen for the best stars to take part and not reality-TV has-beens.’
Jamie Oliver
Celebrity chef Jamie Oliver is also on the menu if recent reports are to be believed.
The Sun reports that producers think the cheeky cook’s charisma alone makes him a perfect fit for the castle.
‘Jamie would be a brilliant choice,’ an insider told the paper. ‘He’s well liked by the public, with a natural charm that could bamboozle contestants.’
‘They wouldn’t be sure if he was a Faithful, or really a Traitor hiding behind his nice guy persona — much like the 2025 winner, Alan Carr.’
As exciting as this is for viewers, I think this might be a savvy move by the production team to improve catering in the castle.
Carol Kirkwood
No sooner had veteran broadcaster Carol Kirkwood quit her BBC job than rumours started to fly that she was about to take a trip to the Scottish highlands.
Casino Beats has given the presenter 9/1 odds of appearing on the next series of Celebrity Traitors, with a spokesperson adding the Scottish presenter will ‘feel at home’ in the castle.
Steve Pemberton
Steve Pemberton, of League of Gentlemen and Inside No 9 fame, is also reportedly in the frame for season 2. The Lancashire-born funnyman is apparently a huge fan of the show and is keen to visit Claudia’s castle.
An insider told The Sun that the BBC is hoping the 58-year-old award-winning actor will be a Jonathan Ross-style ‘Big Dog’, as he’ll understand the game better than other celebs taking part.
‘As an award-winning actor who can transform himself from one character to another, Steve would be a similar figure [to Jonathan] and a formidable contestant for the players to contend with,’ the source said.
Here’s hoping he can convince Reece Shearsmith to come with him…
Amanda Holden
Alan Carr’s best mate, Amanda Holden, is also rumoured for a Celebrity Traitors stint. According to The Sun, BBC bosses think the Britain’s Got Talent judge will be ‘comedy gold’, and they’re keen to sign her up.
However, there’s a small wrinkle. The Celebrity Traitors is apparently filmed at the same time as the BGT semi-final,s which may make her appearance a bit of a juggling act for the producers.
Danny Dyer
Also throwing his hat in the ring is EastEnders star Danny Dyer – we can totally see him ripping into people at the roundtable and taking no prisoners.
It’s believed the BBC eyed up Danny for series 1, only for him to snub them. Now he’s singing a different tune.
A source told The Sun: ‘Danny was always top of The Celebrity Traitors wish list but had zero interest until seeing the fun and games last autumn.
‘As soon as his tune changed, it was all systems go.’
His change of heart came after he watched chat show Traitor Jonathan in action in the Scottish Highlands.
Speaking on his Live And Let Dyers podcast with daughter Dani Dyer, he declared: ‘I’m into it.’
‘They did sniff round me about it,’ Danny revealed. ‘It was a no from me because, for one, I hadn’t seen it, but now I’m into it.
‘If you’re going to do it, if you’re famous, it needs to be an indulgence project — you have to love the game.
‘It’s quite a simple game. I thought it was too complicated, but it’s actually just about people manipulating each other and a lot of lying.’
The soap actor said he was ‘enjoying’ the first celebrity series, predicting that it’s actually harder to be a Faithful as players risk ‘overacting’ and it ‘backfiring’.
Does that mean he would make a good Traitor? Something tells us Danny would have no qualms about taking on that role.
Alison Hammond
Beloved broadcaster Alison Hammond is reportedly on the BBC’s ‘hit list’.
In fact, they’re hoping she could take the baton from Alan and continue providing us with iconic moments, which certainly isn’t impossible given Alison’s already colourful history with memes and viral videos.
A source added to The Sun that Alison herself is ‘keen’ to get involved.
‘The Beeb think she could be comedy gold, just like Alan Carr. Alison is naturally very funny, and they think she could end up being hugely successful,’ they said.
However, understandably, celebs are lining up in droves to play the game, with the insider teasing that ‘the pot of talent wanting to take part is overflowing’, meaning execs ‘have a lot to weigh up’ if they want to make the best telly.
‘The first series of The Celebrity Traitors was dynamite, so the second series needs to have the same weight.
‘Contracts won’t be signed until closer to the start of production, but the BBC are already keen to get Alison on board.’
Ruth Jones
While we’d give anything for Nessa herself to play The Traitors, we’ll accept that having actress Ruth Jones is the next best thing.
The Gavin and Stacey favourite has reportedly already been approached by bosses, who are eager to make the series 2 cast as ‘impressive’ as it can be.
‘Ruth would be an incredible addition to the cast if she can fit it into her schedule,’ added the insider.
However, the Welsh star has dampened rumours that she might join the cast, telling The Mirror: ‘I want to address this. I was asked about doing it. I do love the show and did think: “Wouldn’t it be great?”
‘But then I thought: “Oh, gosh, I’d have to swim in a lake, put on a wetsuit.” So I’d rather watch it. I’m not doing it.’
The Bafta winner has got plenty to keep her busy elsewhere, as it was recently revealed that she and Smithy actor James Corden have signed a big-money deal with AppleTV.
So, if she can find time to squeeze some cloak-and-dagger activity into her packed itinerary in the next year or so, we’d be majorly thankful.
Daisy May Cooper
If anyone is guaranteed to bring the laughs, it would be Daisy May Cooper.
It’s said that the This Country actress was due to take part in series 1; however, after the birth of her son, Benji, she dropped out to avoid being away from home.
Could it be second time lucky for casting execs?
‘Daisy is telly gold. She’s hilarious and would be perfect,’ teased a source.
‘Show bosses are pulling out all the stops to make this happen.’
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Tom Hiddleston
How these things tend to work is that show bosses will communicate with a celebrity’s team and basically entice them with various promises and fees, right?
Well, that hasn’t been the case with The Celebrity Traitors, as the A-listers themselves are begging to take part.
Enter Tom Hiddleston, who even sent a come-and-get-me plea to the BBC as he declared himself a ‘massive, massive fan’ of both The Traitors and Strictly Come Dancing.
Following his revelation on the campaign trail for the new series of The Night Manager, the rumour mill began swirling.
Saying he would ‘absolutely’ love to take part, insiders reckon a Celeb Traitors stint – which films for one month – is more likely than four months of Strictly training.
‘What an absolute gift to his BBC bosses to hear their leading man is up for both,’ they said.
The Traitors is available to stream on BBC iPlayer.
A version of this article was first published on January 17, 2026.
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