Celebrity Traitors to ‘dial into established relationships' of famous cast
Actor and broadcaster Sir Stephen Fry, Olympian Tom Daley, singer Charlotte Church and TV presenter Kate Garraway are among the names who have filmed the new series in the Scottish Highlands.
Hosted by Strictly Come Dancing co-presenter Claudia Winkleman, the nine-part series will give contestants the chance to win a cash prize of up to £100,000 for a charity of their choice by trying to find the 'traitors' or deceive their fellow stars.
The Celebrity Traitors (top left to bottom right) Kate Garraway, Niko Omilana, Alan Carr, Tameka Empson, Mark Bonnar, Clare Balding, Cat Burns, Joe Wilkinson, Paloma Faith, Ruth Codd, Stephen Fry, Nick Mohammed, Charlotte Church, Joe Marler, Lucy Beaumont, David Olusoga, Celia Imrie, Jonathan Ross and Tom Daley (BBC/PA)
Mike Cotton, creative director of unscripted shows at Studio Lambert and executive producer for The Traitors, was asked by online site The Playlist what lessons the team had learned working on the celebrity-focused series in the US.
He replied: 'I think it is quite tricky.
'Without giving away details of the celebrity season, it is going to be slightly different, I would say, to the US celebrity version.
'I think one of the really interesting things that Sam (Rees Jones) touched on earlier is the established relationships that cast members have.
'If you watch the British version of The Traitors, none of the cast know each other. They all come in.
Nick Mohammed (Jordan Pettitt/PA)
'Some of them have lied about who they are or hid that their son or their sisters are in the show as well.
'And what we've learned to do more in the US version is to embrace… people's preconceived notions about one another, and embrace the different relationships that they have. And that's 100% a learning that we are taking through for that.'
The Traitors US is hosted by Scottish actor Alan Cumming, and has had Sam Asghari, the estranged husband of Britney Spears, former House of Commons speaker John Bercow and Love Island winner Ekin-Su Culculoglu among contestants.
Producer Sam Rees Jones said the team has tried to 'dial into previous relationships and dynamics'.
He said: 'And that was a really important reason for that twist because it helped us deep dive into those dynamics straight away.
'Was (Survivor star) Carolyn (Wiger) going to swap out (former Survivor contestant) Tony (Vlachos) because they had a previous history with (Big Brother American stars) Danielle (Reyes) and Britney (Haynes)? We were able to explore it and expand on it in a storytelling way.'
In Celebrity Traitors, due to air on the BBC in the autumn, Sir Stephen will appear with acclaimed actress Celia Imrie, who he starred with in legal show Kingdom and comedy film Thunderpants.
Charlotte Church (Yui Mok/PA)
Other contestants include comedian Alan Carr, who has also been on episodes of Lucy Beaumont's comedy Meet The Richardsons, in which she played a fictional version of herself with former partner Jon Richardson, as well as broadcasters Jonathan Ross, Clare Balding and Garraway.
Other stars joining the group at Ardross Castle are former England rugby player Joe Marler, singers Paloma Faith and Cat Burns, comedians Nick Mohammed and Joe Wilkinson, who have been on comedy shows together, EastEnders star Tameka Empson, and Bafta-winning filmmaker and historian David Olusoga,
There will also be influencer Niko Omilana, who has more than seven million subscribers on YouTube and millions more followers across other platforms, Scottish actor and Shetland star Mark Bonnar, and Irish actress Ruth Codd.
Since the UK version began in 2022, millions of fans have watched The Traitors on the BBC and it has picked up a Bafta TV Award for best reality and constructed factual programme, and best entertainment performance for Winkleman.
The show follows contestants as they try to detect the traitors in the group while completing a series of challenges to win cash towards the prize pot.
If at the end of the series a traitor is among the finalists, the faithfuls lose out on the money and the traitor takes the full cash prize.
The third and most recent series saw project manager Jake Brown and former soldier Leanne Quigley share the prize pot of £94,600.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Metro
22 minutes ago
- Metro
David Walliams branded 'entitled idiot' for two joke Nazi salutes at BBC taping
Comedian David Walliams has faced criticism after he gave two Nazi salutes in front of a live BBC audience. The incident took place during a taping of the Christmas special for panel show Would I Lie To You, with The Times claiming the Little Britain star, 53, made the grossly offensive gesture not once but twice. The salutes occurred while Walliams's teammate – Call the Midwife actress Helen George – who was recalling the time she sprained her wrist during the Strictly Come Dancing tour in 2015 'from waving too much'. As she tried to convince David Mitchell's team that the anecdote was true, she started re-enacting the waving, which is when Walliams joined in with his own exaggerated flailing, resulting in the Nazi salute. After being reprimanded by the host, Rob Brydon, the filming moved on but as lewd jokes were swapped, Walliams then repeated the action but this time with a 'sexual twist'. Per The Times, one audience member said: 'It was all very weird. There were gasps from the audience, and the other panellists all looked very uncomfortable.' Another X user, @mirrandaYC added: 'Didn't have david walliams doing a Nazi salute at the Would I Lie To You Christmas taping on my 2025 bingo card.' Sources at the BBC and the show's production company, Zeppotron told the publication that there was no chance of the footage being broadcast. Facebook user Alan Robert Booth called him an 'entitled idiot'. A BBC spokesperson apologised to those present, saying: 'The use of such an offensive gesture is completely unacceptable and we apologise to all at the recording for the offence caused.' This has been echoed by Banijay UK (Zeppotron's owner) who added: 'Any attempt at humour regarding this deeply offensive gesture, whether broadcast or not, is completely unacceptable in any context. 'It was immediately acknowledged during the recording that this segment would not be broadcast under any circumstances and we apologise to those who were at the recording for any offence caused.' It is the latest incident in a career filled with controversy. The former Britain's Got Talent judge was removed from his role in 2022 after leaked recordings showed him making offensive remarks about the contestants. Meanwhile, his tenure on the comedy series co-created with Matt Lucas, Little Britain, has faced mounting criticism for its depiction of certain characters branded 'explicitly racist' such as the use of blackface. Nevertheless, despite the show's controversial sketches, it has found a new audience on TikTok with clips regularly going viral among the Gen Z audience for its dark humour. In 2023, after rumours of a reboot, Lucas shut down the idea saying that it was simply 'not true'. The co-creators do have a podcast together, Making A Scene, where they 'turn their famous friends' lives into cinematic masterpieces.' In 2024, the children's author called cancel culture 'exhausting'. '[The issue] is complicated, but you just look at each joke as it comes really. 'Obviously if you were worried about every single thing you said or did might offend someone, that you wouldn't be able to say or do anything on stage. More Trending 'I kind of think people haven't lost a sense of humour in the way that it's often portrayed,' he told The Daily Telegraph at the time. He is not the first high-profile figure to be embroiled in a Nazi salute controversy this year. Elon Musk faced backlash after making a movement that resembled the salute in January. However, he firmly denied that the gesture he made was the one historically linked to German fascism. View More » Metro has reached out to David Walliams' representative and the BBC for comment. Got a story? If you've got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@ calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we'd love to hear from you. MORE: Race Across The World 2025 winners revealed after nail-biting final dash MORE: Lucy Beaumont makes 'amazing' gesture after costing cancer charity £79,000 on The Wheel MORE: Race Across the World's Sioned shouldn't be sneered at for her tears
Daily Mirror
22 minutes ago
- Daily Mirror
Richard Madeley opens up on grief after father 'died on the spot'
Richard Madeley has opened up on the moment his father died, saying he 'had a heart attack on the spot' weeks after his wedding Good Morning Britain graced the telly again on Thursday (12 June), as presenters Richard Madeley and Susanna Reid served up another packed edition of the ITV breakfast programme. The dynamic duo delivered a raft of headlines and news updates to ITV audiences. They also welcomed Emmerdale's Lisa Riley, who plays Mandy Dingle, for a heartfelt live chat. Lisa talked about her character's current dramas in the soap, alongside touching on her personal battles with loss, mentioning the passing of both her mother and past Strictly Come Dancing partner Robin Windsor. This poignant discussion led Richard to share his own heart-wrenching memory of his dad's sudden demise in 1977, which occurred just days after he wed Lynda Hooley. Reflecting on that time, Richard shared: "I remember when my father died. He died on the spot, had a heart attack when he was 49. Huge shock. I was a breakfast producer then, a radio producer." He recounted the difficult period following his father's death: "I remember I had a week off to come to terms with it. After the funeral, I went in, and the guy that I worked with didn't say a word. He didn't say, 'how are you, or what happened', he obviously felt it was best not to talk about it." He continued, expressing understanding yet disagreement with his colleague's reaction: "I don't blame him for that. He couldn't have been more wrong. You want people to come up to you and talk to you. You need that trigger to talk." Moreover, Thursday's episode saw them join forces with their colleague Richard Arnold, who came bearing the latest scoops in showbiz and television, reports the Manchester Evening News. During his segment, Richard paid homage to the legendary musician Brian Wilson following the announcement of his passing on 11 June. Brian was a founding member of the iconic Beach Boys. The lead singer and co-founder of the band died at the age of 82, with his cause of death yet to be disclosed. "A real pop pioneer. He co-founded one of the most commercially successful bands of all time, the Beach Boys, rivalling The Beatles," Richard shared with his audience. He also reminisced about his own discovery of the Beach Boys back in the 1970s, admitting he played their records "constantly" and was "very much a Beach Boys fan".
The National
24 minutes ago
- The National
'Fed up' Brian Cox hits out at Keir Starmer on BBC Debate Night
The Succession star was speaking as he appeared on the BBC Scotland Debate Night programme on Wednesday evening. Cox called for more unity of purpose from Scottish politicians and the public more widely. READ MORE: Wee Ginger Dug: John Swinney needs to rethink his strategy over Scottish independence 'I'm not just talking about parties, I'm talking about the country,' he said. 'I'm talking about this country, which I love, and I'm very proud that I come from this country, but I've seen it time and time again where there's this endless debate: debate this, that, this, that, this. 'I just feel that we need unity, we need unity of purpose, and we haven't got unity of purpose. I'm sorry, but we simply don't. 'We have so much dissension, and we've lost the way really big time, and I feel that we should resume that, we should get it back.' Cox said he did not know which political party could unite Scotland, but suggested it was 'certainly' not Labour under Starmer. The actor went on: 'I'm not pleased with Mr Starmer and his attitude towards Scotland, because everything for him is England. 'He talks about England, he talks about English football.' After applause from the audience, the Dundee-born star added: 'I'm at heart a socialist, so I get, I do really get annoyed when it's not about socialism, it's about something else, and that's what I feel is lacking. 'I'm just, I'm sick of it really, I'm fed up. READ MORE: These key economic truths show how independent Scotland and Wales can succeed 'I come back to this country. I love this country and I see dissension after dissension after dissension, the inability to come together, and it's an appalling situation.' Asked if pro-independence parties should unite, Cox said: 'Absolutely they should, because it's in everybody's interests.' Talking about the Labour Government, he added: 'They're not interested in us. I know for a start that Starmer is certainly not interested and doesn't want an independent Scotland. 'He only sees it as a sort of encumbrance to what he is, so I'm not happy about that situation.' Brian Cox is known for his role as Logan Roy in the smash hit SuccessionElsewhere, Cox, a former Labour supporter, said that the UK Government's attitude to Scotland was 'nebulous'. 'I worry about a lot of things that go on, and I'm particularly worried about the attitude towards Scotland,' he said of the impact of the Spending Review, which Rachel Reeves announced on Wednesday. Cox went on: 'There certainly should be more detail, but they also should certainly understand what the need of this country is – and that's what gets me. 'It's a bit bland, it's a bit off, you know, just off the cuff, and I really want to see really what they think about Scotland, and I find it a little bit nebulous.'
