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I<\/span>f it were any other show, the sight of the comedian Alan Carr sobbing<\/a> under the burden of his dishonesty may have been enough to put off any celebrity thinking about accepting a place in the perilous Traitors\u2019 castle.<\/p>\n Yet the second season of The Celebrity Traitors, being filmed at its now famous Highlands retreat<\/a>, has managed to attract one of the most high-profile casts ever assembled for a reality TV show.<\/p>\n Actors who open West End shows and others with Oscar nominations to their name will be plotting alongside the nation\u2019s most in-demand comedians and writers \u2013 and the odd fashion icon. The starry lineup was announced as filming began, amid speculation it would have been too hard to keep under wraps.<\/p>\n \u201cI think it might be the most impressive lineup ever recruited for a reality show in the UK,\u201d said Peter Fincham, a former BBC One<\/a> controller and co-presenter of the Insiders: The TV Podcast.<\/p>\n \u201cIt seems to be full of people who, when you\u2019re trying to cast a reality show with celebrities, you would normally say, \u2018well we\u2019ll never get them, they won\u2019t do it\u2019 \u2026 You can make phone calls you would otherwise be very nervous to make.\u201d<\/p>\n The likes of Withnail and I\u2019s Richard E Grant will compete along with Michael Sheen, who is about to star in a new theatre production of Amadeus<\/a>. Jerry Hall may fancy her chances of spotting treacherous behaviour having survived her stint within the Murdoch empire<\/a>.<\/p>\n The actor Bella Ramsey has agreed to enter the castle, alongside some of the most recognisable names in TV comedy including Miranda Hart, Romesh Ranganathan<\/a> and James Acaster.<\/p>\n While celebrity appearances often come down to a cost-benefit analysis of how it will help their profile, Stephen Lambert, the chief executive of the show\u2019s producer, Studio Lambert, said the reason most celebrities gave for signing up to Celebrity Traitors was the allure of the game itself.<\/p>\n <\/span>The 21 celebrities confirmed for the upcoming series of Celebrity Traitors: (top, L-R) Amol Rajan, Bella Ramsey, James Acaster, James Blunt, Jerry Hall, Joanne McNally, Joe Lycett; (middle, L-R) Julie Hesmondhalgh, King Kenny, Leigh-Anne Pinnock, Maya Jama, Michael Sheen, Miranda Hart, Myha’la; (bottom, L-R) Prof Hannah Fry,Richard E Grant, Rob Beckett, Romesh Ranganathan, Ross Kemp, Sebastian Croft, Sharon Rooney. <\/span> Photograph: PA<\/p>\n \u201cAlmost without exception, the first reason is that they\u2019re fans of the show,\u201d he said. \u201cBeyond that, the answers are surprisingly personal: people who feel they\u2019ve spent their careers in a particular public lane and want to show a different side of themselves; people whose children or grandchildren have effectively dared them into it; people who are fascinated by the psychology of the game and want to see how they\u2019d hold up under pressure.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat we very rarely hear is anything to do with profile or promotion, which I think tells you something about the appeal of the format.\u201d<\/p>\n Fiona Campbell, the BBC\u2019s interim director of unscripted content, said producers had received some \u201csurprising positive approaches\u201d given the show\u2019s popularity. \u201cPeople will see their kids engaged in TV in a way they have not seen before and I think that adds an extra layer of \u2018tell them I will give it a go\u2019,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n Apart from its runaway popularity, TV insiders pointed to the show\u2019s other in-built advantages. Filming is intense, but not too long. Unlike other formats, there is no need to commit to hothouse training and there is no prospect of being asked to eat a kangaroo testicle.<\/p>\n Save for the actor Celia Imrie\u2019s bout of flatulence<\/a> in the first series, it also lacks the embarrassment factor. \u201cIt\u2019s got everything going for it and I think that\u2019s why it\u2019s attracted an amazing cast,\u201d said Fincham. \u201cHowever big the celebrity, to say \u2018I\u2019m going on the Celebrity Traitors\u2019, there\u2019s no embarrassment.\u201d<\/p>\n For those inside the pressurised world of celebrity booking, the fact that so many big names have signed up to be faithfuls and traitors should not take away the skill of the show\u2019s casting.<\/p>\n \u201cThe amount of respect that people have for those who cast films over a TV show like this \u2013 it\u2019s a million miles away,\u201d said one seasoned TV talent executive. \u201cBut this is about casting. They\u2019ve done an excellent job.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s not just like a big list of famous people. You have to think about personalities. Somebody may be very famous, but they might not be very good on this. They might be a bit boring, or not willing to take risks, or not get stuck in, or not want to be with another group of people.\u201d<\/p>\n Lambert concurs. \u201cThe perfect cast isn\u2019t the most famous one, it\u2019s the one where everyone brings something different to the table,\u201d he said. \u201cBut yes, our brilliant casting director has many approaches from agents now everyone knows the show is so good.<\/p>\n \u201cA cast made entirely of strategists would be dull, and a cast made entirely of big personalities would be exhausting. The magic is in the chemistry, and you can only really see that once the names are next to each other on the page.\u201d<\/p>\n Insiders said on such big shows there was the added pressure of executives, producers and commissioners all having their own views on the lineup.<\/p>\n The fact that it is the spin-off\u2019s second outing also helps. \u201cYou don\u2019t have to sell them on the idea,\u201d said a celebrity booker. \u201cThey\u2019re sold.\u201d<\/p>\n Some commentators have noted a skew this year towards actors, who understandably want to test their skills. The big surprise is the lack of athletes, given the breakout star of the first series was the rugby player Joe Marler<\/a>.<\/p>\n TV insiders suggest a simple answer \u2013 Marler\u2019s compelling demeanour and deadpan delivery are rare qualities in elite sport, a line of work that requires single-minded, monotonous dedication.<\/p>\n