The Celebrity Traitors has finally arrived, with the first episode seeing Claudia Winkleman select her new set of Traitors and put the all-star cast through their paces for two challenges.
But who has brought the right level of deviousness and deception to the table to make an impression in this game, and who is just wonderfully watchable? Read on for Digital Spy‘s verdict, in this ranking of The Celebrity Traitors cast.
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19 Mark Bonnar
We’re big fans of Mark Bonnar’s on-screen work – Line of Duty! Unforgotten! Dept. Q! – but we just haven’t been granted enough of him so far on The Traitors to form much of an opinion.
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18 Lucy Beaumont
There was a glimpse of Lucy’s comedy genius when she was assuring Claudia that she understood the seriousness of the ‘life and death’ situation. We just need more!
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17 David Olusoga
We have high hopes for David on this show. His observation about having the skill of convincing people to look at the world the way that he does, through his job as a historian, could certainly come in handy – if he has a chance to put them to use.
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16 Clare Balding
Poor Clare and her lever. She’s probably the one with the biggest target on her back at this point, even if it was just an honest mistake, but at least she’s made a bit of an impression…
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15 Kate Garraway
We’re not convinced that Kate’s approach of asking “are you a Traitor?” to everyone’s face is quite going to work out for her, but it was fairly enjoyable to watch nonetheless.
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14 Ruth Codd
Ruth loves to cause chaos, apparently. So we just hope that we get a chance to see that in action – bring on the first Round Table!
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13 Niko Omilana
We think he’s gutted not to be a Traitor, but has the potential to be quite influential in the game – and he seemed genuinely thrilled that Stephen Fry knew who he was.
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12 Stephen Fry
“There must be a complete works of Shakespeare here” basically sums it up. We’re down for all the commentary about the artefacts in the castle.
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11 Joe Marler
The former England Rugby Player provided some great quips during the first episode, dropping the first in the opening moments. We also think he could have quite the influence on the group going forward – even as a Faithful.
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10 Tom Daley
A torch needs lighting? Where’s an Olympian when you need one? Oh wait.
The self-confessed competitive Faithful has so far stood out, perhaps predictably, to be one of the biggest group assets when it comes to challenges. That being said, he’s also one of the quickest to read too much into red herrings – and we know that the show has lost many a Faithful by going down that route.
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9 Charlotte Church
We love a selfless queen, and Charlotte’s readiness to give up her shield for the good of the group was admirable. There’s a chance it will come back to bite her, although Clare’s lever has probably taken the heat off.
Her decision to “get intimate with the Earth” while digging her own grave was also a moment, though.
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8 Joe Wilkinson
We’ve not seen much from Joe so far, sadly. But he’s here purely for his motto when addressing potential Traitors in the group: “If you’re not telling us, you’re scum.”
New Traitors merch incoming?
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7 Paloma Faith
We’re giving Paloma a strong standing in this list for the “I Heart Me” outfit alone, but her faux poisoning at the Round Table also indicates that she’s here for laughs as well as sniffing out Traitors.
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6 Tameka Empson
“Yes, Claud, strut away!”
Hilarious one-liners were anticipated, and Tameka has not disappointed so far. We also love to see a woman cheerleading other women.
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5 Nick Mohammed
We already know Nick is wonderfully watchable, thanks to his time in Channel 4’s Taskmaster – but he’s also already proven himself as the “puzzle ninja” and a huge asset to team challenges. We’re completely intrigued to see how he handles a Round Table, especially seeing as he’s been rushing to the aid of a few people already (Celia wouldn’t have got her shield without him!)
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4 Celia Imrie
Talk about a missed opportunity! If anyone entered the castle as the perfect ready-made Traitor, it surely would have been literal movie star actor Celia Imrie. She even implied that everyone’s got the wrong impression of her, which is also a deliciously tempting hint of deviousness befitting of the BBC show. We can only hope she gets recruited, pronto.
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3 Jonathan Ross
He seems to have self-appointed himself as Head Traitor, but it remains to be seen whether he’s going to lead them down a path of successful deception.
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2 Cat Burns
Now here’s someone that seems like they could do justice to the great line of Traitors that have come before. Think Wilf, Harry, Paul and Minah, all of whom were praised for their legendary moves on the show.
On top of that, she seems bold and actually just very fun to watch. Imagine, having just found out you’ve been assigned the role of Traitor, putting yourself forward for a public interrogation from Kate Garraway?
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1 Alan Carr
With his sweating problem and his inability to keep a secret, Alan’s CV isn’t exactly setting him up to be a Traitor for the ages. Throw in that constant nervous giggle, and the fact he was blatantly sipping his Traitors’ Tipple while pointing the finger at “Rosemary and Thyme” at the bar, and we’re not sure how long he’s going to actually continue to have access to the turret.
That being said, one episode in, Alan has shone as a standout personality in the castle (are we really that surprised?) and we’ll be eager to sit back and watch him do his very best – or worst? – Linda impression as events unfold.
The Celebrity Traitors airs on BBC One and BBC iPlayer – here’s the full episode release schedule.
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TV Editor, Digital Spy Laura has been watching television for over 30 years and professionally writing about entertainment for almost 10 of those. Previously at LOOK and now heading up the TV desk at the UK’s biggest TV and movies site Digital Spy, Laura has helped steer conversations around some of the most popular shows on the box. Laura has appeared on Channel 5 News and radio to talk viewing habits and TV recommendations. As well as putting her nerd-level Buffy knowledge to good use during an IRL meet with Sarah Michelle Gellar, Laura also once had afternoon tea with One Direction, has sat around the fire pit of the Love Island villa, spoken to Sir David Attenborough about the world’s oceans and even interviewed Rylan from inside the Big Brother house (housemate status, forever pending).
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