In a surprise to absolutely no one, given the juggernaut success of the first run, ‘The Celebrity Traitors‘ will return for a second series on BBC One and iPlayer in 2026. The announcement arrives alongside a new report revealing that The Traitors franchise has injected an impressive £21.8 million into Scotland’s economy since filming began at Ardross Castle in 2022.
Fronted once again by Claudia Winkleman (Strictly Come Dancing, The Traitors), the hit reality competition will bring a fresh batch of celebrity schemers back to the castle next year, ready to charm, deceive and backstab their way to victory. The debut celebrity edition became an instant national obsession, smashing viewing records and dominating social media as audiences tried to work out who could be trusted and who was quietly plotting murder over breakfast.
The series finale became one of the BBC’s biggest unscripted events in years, drawing an average of 11.1 million viewers with a peak of 12 million. Across BBC iPlayer, the opening episode hit 14.8 million views in 28 days, making it the biggest unscripted title on Broadcaster VOD ever and the most-watched single TV episode of the year so far.
Alongside the new season, the companion series The Celebrity Traitors: Uncloaked will also return, produced by Platform Media, and available via BBC Sounds, BBC Two and iPlayer.
The economic impact of the Traitors phenomenon has been equally dramatic. A new report from Visit Scotland and Screen Scotland reveals the franchise has generated £21.8 million in Gross Value Added (GVA) for the Scottish economy, with every £1 directly produced by the show contributing £6.84 overall. The report highlights how the series has helped showcase Scotland’s creative talent, infrastructure and stunning filming locations to the world.
Kalpna Patel-Knight, Head of Entertainment at the BBC, said:
“Studio Lambert have done an outstanding job as The Celebrity Traitors has well and truly captivated the nation, becoming a bona fide highlight of the year bringing record numbers of people together to enjoy every twist and turn. In 2026 the doors of the castle will be opened again to welcome celebrity players to the game to see who can charm, who can scheme and ultimately who can survive in series two which promises to be just as unmissable as the first. Plus with Uncloaked returning and today’s news of the positive contribution The Traitors brand has made to Scotland’s economy, there is plenty to celebrate.”
Hayley Valentine, Director BBC Scotland, added:
“The Traitors is an immense TV success story and it’s fantastic to have multiple versions of it filmed in Scotland. We welcome and celebrate it. This report highlights the many ways that Scotland is seeing a direct economic benefit from The Traitors filming here and, working together with our partners, we will use this success to promote sustainable growth within Scotland’s creative industry.”
The Traitors format, created by Marc Pos and developed by IDTV with RTL Creative Unit, continues to be a global hit, with international versions airing in the US, Australia and beyond. Studio Lambert Scotland produces the UK editions for the BBC, part of the All3Media group, which handles global format and tape sales.
‘The Celebrity Traitors‘ Season 2 does not yet have a premiere date but will air on BBC One and BBC iPlayer in the UK. If you want to keep track of this or any other shows, you can add them via our Never Miss system, and you’ll be notified when it gets a UK premiere date. Visit Never Miss.
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