How BBC is keeping Celebrity Traitors secret after rumoured line-up 'leaks'

Metro

24-04-2025

Secrets about Celebrity Traitors are slowly being revealed after the rumoured line-up leaked before filming even began.
The beloved BBC programme, hosted by Claudia Winkleman, is hitting screens for a celebrity version after three successful civilian series.
For the uninitiated, The Traitors sees contestants take on challenges to try and win prize money by day, but at night, they're split into two groups: The Traitors and The Faithful. The former are tasked with killing off members of the latter group, but no one is sure who is who.
To avoid being 'murdered' at night, the contestants have to try and discover who is really a Traitor and who is lying, leading to some explosive banishments.
Season one of the hit programme saw team Faithful split a whopping jackpot three ways before Harry Clark stole over £95,000 right from under his friends' noses in series two, leading to him being declared the 'Ultimate Traitor'. And earlier this year, two more Faithful managed to make it to the very end and win a huge five-figure sum.
Now, celebrities are taking part in the game, with a leaked line-up reportedly revealing who will be playing.
Here is what you need to know.
It's been said Good Morning Britain's Kate Garraway, Jonathan Ross, Sir Stephen Fry and Alan Carr will all be taking part in the murder mystery gameshow.
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In the 'leaked' line-up, they're joined by comics Lucy Beaumont, Joe Wilkinson, singers Paloma Faith, Charlotte Church and a whole host of other stars.
Typically, the BBC has kept details about The Traitors under wraps until the very last minute, such as where the contestants sleep, with some secrets still remaining shrouded in mystery.
And they're said to be taking things a step further for the celebrity edition.
Before the 'leaked' line-up was reportedly revealed, a source claimed 'a military-style operation' was in place to transport the stars to Ardross Castle in Scotland.
The A-listers were said to be travelling to Inverness Airport from their homes across the world by a variety of means including planes, trains, cars and even boats.
As if that wasn't enough, it was claimed a 'no-fly zone' would be in place over the venue to prevent drone photographers from capturing any scenes.
An insider recently told The Sun: 'For a show with secrecy and shocking plot twists at its heart, navigating the celebrity version has been a real puzzler.
'Casting the likes of TV presenter Kate Garraway, former rugby star Joe Marler and singer Paloma Faith creates a situation which is a lot more open to leaks and gossip than recruiting a call centre manager from Liverpool or a retired opera singer.
'So execs have worked really hard to lock down every inch of the production.
'Instead of a simple travel process which could be open to leaks, celebrities will all arrive via various methods of transport.
'And there's a no-fly zone already in place over Ardross Castle and the surrounding area to stop any preparations being snapped, or any of the action during filming.
'Preserving the magic of the show has become an obsession.'
So far, the stars are keeping their stint on the show a big secret too, with Kate's Good Morning Britain star's quipping she'd make 'an excellent Traitor' while Sir Stephen played coy when asked by Metro.
He said: 'I can say that the BBC would slice off my testicles if I were to comment publicly on the possibility of such a thing as dwelling in a castle in Scotland for a week or two – or indeed for a day or two, quite likely.
'I would be fired in the driveway, which is the thing they sometimes do, isn't it, before you even get there, if you say the wrong thing.'
'I think it's brilliant. I'm not usually a fan of what you might call reality TV, but I think of it more as a game than reality TV, it's just a very clever game, simple but complex as well,' he added.
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Meanwhile, celebrities including The Apprentice's Baroness Karren Brady and Money Saving Expert Martin Lewis revealed they'd turned down the opportunity, with reports claiming This Country stars Daisy May Cooper and her brother Charlie pulled out weeks before filming.
The Traitors season three came to an end earlier this year with Faithfuls Leanne Quigley and Jake Brown splitting the £94,600 prizepot. More Trending
After weeks of lies, betrayal, brutal murders and shocking banishments, they walked away with the five-figure sum, and mum-of-two Leanne later told Metro: 'The whole game was just a whirlwind. I really, really enjoyed myself while we were in the castle.
'And I think the best thing to come out of it for me is the friendships that I've made with everybody, they're all such incredible people.'
Metro has approached the BBC for comment, though we understand the leaked line-up is speculation and no official announcement has been made.
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The Traitors is available to watch on BBC iPlayer with Celebrity Traitors airing later this year.
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