Will he see Theroux the Traitor’s lies? (Picture: Getty Images)
Following The Traitors series 4, speculation is rife over 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.

Clare Balding, Tom Daley, Kate Garraway, Paloma Faith, and Sir Stephen Fry were among the Faithful players hoping to win a share of the prize pot for their chosen charity.

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 This Morning star said to be in ‘advanced talks’ to sign on the dotted line, an EastEnders legend changing his tune, and a pop icon keen to make a comeback.

Louis Theroux

Is that Claudia on the phone, Louis? (Picture: Getty)
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.’

Cheryl

Could Cheryl be using Celebrity Traitors to launch her comeback? (Picture: Karwai Tang/WireImage)
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

(Picture: Neil P. Mockford/Getty Images)
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

Could Carol be swapping the red sofa for a red cloak?(Picture: BBC Breakfast/PA Wire)
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 may be swapping Royston Vasey for the Scottish Highlands (Picture: Karwai Tang/WireImage)
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

Where Alan goes, Amanda may follow (Picture: Lia Toby/Getty Images)
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

Danny Dyer would surely make a ruthless Traitor (Picture: Jeff Spicer/Jeff Spicer/Getty Images)
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

Alison Hammond has reportedly been approached by the BBC (Picture: Joe Maher/Getty Images for the NTAs)
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

We know her best as Nessa, but we could see Ruth Jones herself enter the Scottish castle (Picture: Toffee International Ltd/Tom Jackson/PA Wire)
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 is said to have one condition before she agrees to anything.

‘Ruth would only consider taking part on the proviso she would be a Faithful.’

The Bafta winner has got plenty to keep her busy in the meantime, though, 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

Daisy May Cooper would bring the comedy (Picture: Fred Duval/SOPA Images/REX/Shutterstock)
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

Tom Hiddleston has made it known he’s a big Traitors fan (Picture: Millie Turner/Invision/AP)
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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