Celebrity Traitors 2025 live: Claudia Winkleman hosts first episode as all-star cast battles for charity prize

We all know that in order to win The Traitors, you need to be a good judge of character and realise that no one is above suspicion. To date, the Faithfuls have done this with tremendous results

Of the three regular Traitors series that the BBC has aired, only one has been won by a traitor.

This happened in season two when young Harry Clark deceived everyone and claimed the jackpot all for himself.

Will history repeat itself in the celebrity version?

Comedian Alan Carr admitted that he doesn’t have a strategy for Celebrity Traitors but is looking forward to being immersed into the game itself.

“Well people have asked, would you like to be a Traitor? And the answer is, I don’t know,” he told the BBC. “I’m fascinated to know how I would cope with it if I was. I’m not known for my poker face, but you’ve just got to adapt.

“I’m indecisive, and that’s the problem, he added. “But I think that’s probably good because I’d say it’s best to have an open mind. If I’m a Traitor, I’ll try to murder as many people as possible. If I’m a Faithful, I’ll try and catch those Traitors.

“Whichever side, I think you can’t help but get sucked in. It becomes your world and that’s the part that I’m quite looking forward to, the routine of it and just being fully immersed in it.”

I don’t know about you but my excitement is palpable right now! Just 60 minutes to go before Celebrity Traitors officially begins!

Speaking to the BBC ahead of the launch sports broadcaster Claire Balding said that one of the biggest appeals of starring on Celebrity Traitors was its psychological aspect.

“I really find it fascinating, the way group thinking can be influenced,” said the 54-year-old. “I don’t know whether I can resist that or whether I can influence that and I’m kind of interested in it from a psychological perspective.”

Balding also said that she loves Ardross Castle. “I want to see the grounds and I want to meet the peacocks,” she added. ?Genuinely, I think it’s a fascinating programme and it’s like nothing else.”

As the celebrity series of the popular reality show kicks off, Antonia Windsor reveals how you can play your own version of the game – complete with a sprawling country house

The Prince of Wales and his family are “very much looking forward” to watching The Celebrity Traitors, which is going to be a “big treat” for them, he told TV executive Stephen Lambert as he was honoured at Windsor Castle.

Lambert, the founder and chief executive of Studio Lambert – the production company behind The Traitors, was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) on Wednesday.

Lambert, 66, said: “My award is for services to television, and we started talking about Celebrity Traitors, which launches tonight.

“He said he and the family were very much looking forward to watching it. It was going to be a big treat for them and probably for the nation, he expected.

“And I told him about the fact that our celebrities have entered into the game with great seriousness.

“So, they’re not just doing it because it’s a chance for them to be celebrities on television, but because they actually love the game, but also because they are the talented people they are, so they’re also very funny, and I think it’s extremely entertaining television.”

Balding told The Sun of the process: “Obviously I knew quite a lot of them before I went in, but the friendships you had before go out the window.”

She admitted: “That, for me, is very challenging because I like to be friends with everybody. It’s brutal, but I think I’m glad I did it. It will make good television and there are some really strong moments.”

When speaking to the BBC ahead of the show’s launch, former QI host and Blackadder star Fry was asked if he was looking forward to the missions, which typically tend to be physically demanding group activities based around the lake or the woods at the show’s filming location in the Scottish highlands.

“It’s very hard to say,” the 68-year-old said. “Some of them may be tedious, like being back at school, forced into compulsory physical education.”

He added: “It will be interesting to see if we can work together. I’m sure we’ll get very excited if we manage to accomplish something. There are players who are strong and sporty, who will be good at strong sporty things, and then those of us who are less strong and sporty will have to try and hope that we can use our wits in some way.”

As well as competing for the £100,000 charity prize money the celebrities will also be paid for their appearances.

The BBC confirmed that each will receive an appearance fee with The Rest is Entertainment podcast reporting that it is £40,000 each.

Speaking at a special Q&A screening of the new celebrity edition, Claudia Winkleman said the show’s nerve-wracking tension can even get the better of her.

Winkleman said that it is “incredibly tense” when selecting who the traitors will be, while circling the show’s iconic roundtable.

“The mood automatically changes the minute you walk into that room and I’m so nervous that anybody might hear me,” she said, before revealing a potentially devastating mistake she almost made during the show’s debut.

“In series one, Wilf was wearing a jacket and I was so worried it was going to make a noise that I was almost sick, which wouldn’t have worked on any level,” she joked.