Celebrity Traitors: 6 comedians vow to ‘throw each other under the bus’ as BBC hit returns

Celebrity Traitors is back this week – and Joanne McNally has warned viewers to expect absolutely no loyalty from the show’s unusually large contingent of comedians.

The 43-year-old is one of 21 famous faces entering Claudia Winkleman’s castle for the second series of the BBC smash hit, alongside five fellow comics she already knows from the circuit.

But anyone expecting them to form a cosy comedy alliance may be disappointed.

McNally said: “We haven’t been in cahoots at all. There’s been no chatting because we know that we’re more than willing to throw each other under the bus.

“So, it’s not like we’re making fake allegiances. They are professional entertainers, and they will absolutely kill each other off for the craic.”

Joining her are James Acaster, Joe Lycett, Miranda Hart, Rob Beckett and Romesh Ranganathan – giving this year’s game no shortage of people used to thinking quickly under pressure.

McNally admitted one attraction of signing up was the prospect of becoming part of one of television’s most exclusive group chats.

“It’s all about the celebrity WhatsApp group,” she said.

“And what an eclectic cast we have. Like you couldn’t predict it. It’s like lining up all my ex-boyfriends. There’s no consistency to it at all.”

She is also hoping Claudia picks her to become a Traitor, claiming she is good at detecting deception.

“I’m great at spotting lies. I can read body language, and I’ve dealt with a lot of snakes,” she said.

Her My Therapist Ghosted Me co-host Vogue Williams has apparently encouraged her to embrace the darker side of the game.

“She said it would be really funny if I went in fully two-faced. It’s not a bad game plan,” McNally added.

Rob Beckett, meanwhile, said appearing alongside old friends has made the experience particularly surreal.

He recalled performing with Lycett and Acaster “nearly 20 years ago, in pubs in Soho in front of eight people”, before suddenly finding themselves together on one of Britain’s biggest television shows.

But friendship will only go so far.

Beckett said he would have no hesitation in betraying fellow contestants if the game demanded it.

“I’ve got no qualms about killing people off,” he said.

He added that even close friend Romesh Ranganathan should expect no special treatment.

The star-studded cast also includes The Last of Us actor Bella Ramsey, singer James Blunt, Little Mix star Leigh-Anne Pinnock, Love Island presenter Maya Jama and actors Richard E Grant and Michael Sheen.

They have a tough act to follow. The first Celebrity Traitors became a huge BBC success last autumn, with its finale reaching a peak audience of 15.4 million viewers.

The series averaged 14.9 million viewers across its run, making it the biggest TV audience of 2025, according to the BBC.

The Celebrity Traitors returns on Thursday, October 1 at 8pm on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.