
The line-up for The Celebrity Traitors has been officially confirmed, and has seemingly highlighted a divide in American and British audiences.
The first season of the BBC One show – a spin-off of the regular Traitors series – wrapped up in November and proved a huge hit with viewers, bringing in a reported 11million for the final episode alone.
That season featured big names like Cat Burns, Jonathan Ross, Sir Stephen Fry, Alan Carr, Paloma Faith, Charlotte Church, Nick Mohammed, Tom Daley, and more. Following much speculation about who will join the cast for the second season, the names have now been officially confirmed.
Richard E Grant, Michael Sheen, and The Last of Us star Bella Ramsey are among them, joined by Industry star Myha’la, comedian Miranda Hart, and Love Island host Maya Jama.
Former Little Mix star Leigh-Anne Pinnock and singer-songwriter James Blunt will also be competing, as will a number of comedians. Joining the second series are James Acaster, Joe Lycett, and Romesh Ranganathan, Joanne McNally and Rob Beckett.
Others joining the line-up include Jerry Hall, Coronation Street actor Julie Hesmondhalgh, broadcaster Amol Rajan, and actor Sharon Rooney. Broadcaster and mathematician Prof Hannah Fry completes the line-up, alongside content creator King Kenny and actor Sebastian Croft.
Here’s a first look at all the famous faces heading to Scotland this weekend to film series 2 of #CelebrityTraitors!
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Who do you think would be the best Traitors?
#TheTraitors pic.twitter.com/aUuiJnStII
— sᴜᴘᴇʀ ᴛᴠ (@superTV247) May 2, 2026
News of the line-up seems to have created a divide between American and British viewers, with the former largely unaware of who many of the cast were. “People,” wrote one fan, “this is a British show. These people are famous in Britain.”
While some questioned the lack of sports stars, others – particularly British comedy fans – said the cast was “generational”.
“They really treat the show as a sweet, campy, wholesome comedy over there,” one X user wrote. “I don’t know most of these people, but some of them I do know like Miranda Hart and Michael Sheen and they are far from a D-list reality stars. They are getting some heavy hitters to do the show.”
Some pushed for a bit more variety, with one user adding: “Fear they are leaning on comedians too much, needs some reality stars to liven it up.”
However, former Geordie Shore star Charlotte Crosby revealed that she reached out to join the second season earlier this year, but was told that they would not be taking on anyone from reality shows.
“I would love to do that, but they’ve got a no reality rule. That is a genuine fact,” she told The Sun. “My agent is on the line and he will confirm. They take no reality stars. A lot of shows have this rule.”
James Acaster, Joe Lycett, James Blunt, Rob Beckett, Miranda Hart and Romesh Ranganation all in the same series, absolute scenes #TheTraitorsUK #CelebrityTraitors pic.twitter.com/O1RK5LxxCw
— tasha louise
(@eds_afterglow) May 2, 2026
celebrity traitors without any real celebrities pic.twitter.com/mJQxlvh5NO
— Ɐlex (@slxdxxx) May 2, 2026
People, this is a British show. These people are famous in Britain
— Zia
(@lola987123) May 2, 2026
Romesh, Joe Lycett AND Michael Sheen?? UK Traitors cooking with this one Finally a celeb version that actually looks fun
— ZeroBarkThirty(2) (@ZeroBarkThirty2) May 2, 2026
this is actually a generational lineup if you live in the uk
— milo
(@hoe4donk) May 2, 2026
Wow. This is a celebrity cast! The American version really needs to take some casting lessons from the UK. It was so incredible watching last season with no housewives or people desperate for this show to make them “famous”.
— Tubby Maguire (@mrayeway) May 2, 2026
They really treat the show as a sweet, campy wholesome comedy over there. I don't know most of these people, but some of them I do know like Miranda Hart and Michael Sheen and they are far from a D-list reality stars. They are getting some heavy hitters to do the show.
— Assunti (@Assunti234076) May 2, 2026
British network, British show, British host, British celebrities….
The Americans are so stupid.— Lee (@KenTekashi) May 2, 2026
This cast is so chaotic it somehow works
how do you even cast Maya Jama, Michael Sheen, and King Kenny in one room and expect calm?? yeah I’m seated from day one
— Lily Rose (@RealLilyRose1) May 2, 2026
While the first season of The Traitors aired in 2022, it took until 2025 to air a celebrity version in the UK. It became an instant success with its first episode getting 14.8million views over 28 days and becoming the most-watched single episode of TV that year.
Fans online described the finale as “perhaps the best piece of reality TV in years” and the last few minutes as “maybe the best 10 minutes of television ever to have existed in the entire history of time”.
The show also became the biggest unscripted show across the entire UK market since 2021, while a recent report revealed that the entire Traitors franchise has boosted Scotland’s economy by £21.8million since 2022 – it is set in and around Ardross Castle in the Highlands.
The post Fans react to line-up for second series of ‘The Celebrity Traitors’ appeared first on NME.
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(@eds_afterglow)
(@lola987123)
how do you even cast Maya Jama, Michael Sheen, and King Kenny in one room and expect calm?? yeah I’m seated from day one
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