Celebrity Traitors UK confirmed line-up revealed – who will take the top prize?

Telegraph

14-05-2025

Filming has just completed on The Celebrity Traitors, which is expected to air in the autumn, and the BBC has now confirmed the line-up of VIPs taking part. It's a mouth-watering selection, love them or hate them, their duplicitous antics promise to be captivating.
Of the top-line names comedy will be provided by Joe Wilkinson and Alan Carr. The mischievous elder statesmen will be polymaths Jonathan Ross and Stephen Fry. Presenter Clare Balding and actress Celia Imrie will be the senior divas. And diver Tom Daley and former child star Charlotte Church add a splash of youth and wide-eyed innocence.
It's a measure of the reality game show's ratings-grabbing appeal – plus smart casting by production company Studio Lambert – that it has attracted such a stellar line-up. These are genuine household names with broad appeal, which spans the generations. Claudia Winkleman's other BBC contest, Strictly Come Dancing, would kill for a cast like this.
Those headline names are joined in the 20-strong cast by (deep breath) TV presenter Kate Garraway, historian David Olusoga, rugby player Joe Marler, YouTube prankster Niko Omilana, actor Mark Bonnar, singers Paloma Faith and Cat Burns, actresses Ruth Codd and Tameka Empson, and comedians Nick Mohammed and Lucy Beaumont. Talk about a ragtag bunch skulking around that Caledonian castle.
Ever since a celebrity edition of the BBC blockbuster was announced, fans have worried it might dilute a successful brand. However, sceptics can reassure themselves by looking at the franchise's US version, hosted by Alan Cumming. Rather than members of the public, it's populated by reality TV stars and random semi-famous faces. Yet viewers soon forget who they are and just savour the action. If anything, TV veterans tend to be better value. They give good quote. They're funnier and more flamboyant. They know the narrative beats of the genre and heighten their behaviour accordingly.
As a source told the Mirror: 'There will be a huge mix of personalities – and ego sizes. Seeing how it all works out is going to be fascinating. The team making the show are expecting it to be quite different to the regular version because the celebrities will be less motivated by the prize fund but care far more about how they come across.'
But once the game is afoot this autumn, how might things unfold?
Who will be banished first?
Judging by the three civilian series, conspicuously clever players tend to be murdered or banished early (remember Yin, the doctor of communication, voted off at the start of series three?). Their intelligence means they're mistrusted by the herd and intimidate their rivals, who will get rid of them at the first opportunity. This spells trouble for the likes of Fry and Olusoga, whose castle stay could be cut surprisingly short.
🔥 Celebrity Traitors 2025 lineup has been confirmed!
Stephen Fry
Alan Carr
Nick Mohammed
Tom Daley
Joe Marler
David Olusoga
Niko Omilana
Mark Bonnar
Jonathan Ross
Paloma Faith
Joe Wilkinson
Clare Balding
Lucy Beaumont
Ruth Codd
Tameka Empson
Celia Imrie
Charlotte Church
Kate…
— The Traitors HQ (@the_traitors_) April 22, 2025
Who will make the best Faithfuls?
Sportsmen Daley and Marler should come into their own during the outward bound-style missions. England and Harlequins prop Marler is a wild card with an oddball sense of humour and fondness for wind-ups, which could come in handy. It's hard to see chirpy chipmunk Daley having sufficient guile for the mind games and manipulation. Perhaps he'll just sit quietly in a corner, knitting himself a chunky jumper and fingerless gloves like La Winkle.
Who will raise the most suspicion?
Mohammed is best known as double-crossing football coach Nate from Ted Lasso. He might find that people confuse him with his character and suspect him of skulduggery. Empson exited embarrassingly early from Strictly nine years ago. She will be praying that lightning doesn't strike twice.
Who will be the best Traitor-hunters?
There are always a few Faithful who pride themselves on being effective 'Traitor hunters'. You can imagine Ross, Carr and Burns falling into these roles – canny characters who'll relish hatching theories, setting traps and rooting out the enemies in their midst. Meanwhile, the likes of Faith and Garraway could be consumed with paranoia and see conspiracies where there aren't any.
Who will make the best Traitors?
Fry and Imrie are obvious candidates. They're both professional storytellers who have played villainous roles and have the gravitas to look good in a green velvet cloak. But would their recruitment to the dark side be a tad too predictable? Bonnar and Balding might be better bets. Last One Laughing 's Wilkinson can spin a good yarn, although the bearded eccentric is also goofy enough to potentially trip himself up.
And who will win?
Expect likeable characters such as Imrie, Beaumont, Bonnar, Marler and Empson to garner loyal fan followings. However, this counts for little in the castle, where success relies solely on gameplay, rather than public favour. Likewise, if it was a fame-game akin to public-voted reality shows, lesser-known names like Omilana and Codd would be in jeopardy. Up in those turrets and conclaves, though, they've got as good a chance as any. In fact, they might have an even better shot at success.
It's a definite trend in the civilian show that younger contestants tend to do well. Series one's Wilf Webster and series two's Harry Clarke were both twentysomething cheeky chappies who became Traitors-in-chief and schemed all the way to the final. Meanwhile, Aaron Evans, Hannah Byczkowski and Meryl Williams (in series one), Jake Brown and Leanne Quigley were all Faithfuls who slipped under the radar, survived until the end and ultimately triumphed.
But there has never been a UK Traitors winner aged over 32. If this pattern continues in the inaugural celebrity contest, those who prevail could well be the bright young things you haven't heard of. Whatever the outcome, expect the series to dominate the pop cultural conversation this autumn.