Like most people with eyes, ears, a TV licence, and a floor length cloak for spontaneous moments of spookiness and treachery hanging in their cupboard, the heatworld team are massive fans of The Traitors, so you can imagine our excitement when we learned that Celebrity Traitors was officially happening this year.
Thank f*ck, to be honest, because the series 3 withdraws symptoms are still REAL.
Not much is known about the celebrity spin-off, but that doesn't mean the rumour mill isn't in full swing. in fact, just this week we heard whisperings that filming for the series begins in just a few weeks time, and according to reports, two major stars have already dropped out (keep reading for more on that one).
But not to worry, as lots of other famous faces have been rumoured to be taking part including Tom Daley, Rylan Clark and Clare Balding - but, of course, the official line-up is yet to be confirmed by BBC.
The cameras haven't even started rolling yet and the obsession is already very, very real here at heat Towers and as always, as soon as we know, you'll know, babes.
We're Faithful that way.
When will Celebrity Traitors UK hit our screens?
Unfortunately, while we know the spin-off is definitely happening, the BBC is yet to confirm an official release date.
However, we've heard rumours that filming is set to begin at the beginning of March 2025 with episodes scheduled for release sometime over the summer. This is yet to be confirmed by BBC bosses, though (blah blah blah).
How many episodes will we be getting?
According to the BBC, the celebrity edition will play out across nine nail-biting episodes.
Will the Celeb version be the same as the normal version?
You just want to know it all, don't you? Sadly, it's too soon to know for sure. But the phrase 'if it ain't broke, don't fix it' comes to mind.
Saying that, a statement by Mike Cotton, Executive Producer for The Traitors, suggests that the overall format, location and host will all remain constant. He said, 'We are thrilled to be inviting some celebrities into our castle to come and play the game. Seeing famous faces navigate the round table or don the infamous green cloaks will be unmissable TV, and what a double treat for the fans with Series 4 also confirmed too. There's a whole lot of exciting treachery and deception yet to come from the Highlands… Claudia’s going to have to pack some extra knitwear.'
We do know that a regular series is 12 episodes long and the celebrity version will be just nine episodes long, so there's that. But remember, celebs are busier than us mere mortals.
Who is rumoured to be part of the Celebrity Traitors cast?
Let's start with what we know...
Last year, Stephen Fry's name was doing the rounds – which is nothing short of iconic, let's be honest. According to reports, host Claudia was 'desperate' to get the national treasure involved in the first spin-off.
A source told The Sun, 'Claudia put Stephen right at the top of celebs she’d want on The Traitors and Stephen has made it clear he’d be game.
'Stephen is a fan of the show and Claudia was desperate for him to be in it.
'No contracts have been signed yet — but he told the show’s bosses to name a time and date and he’ll be there.'
Other names that are doing the rounds in the press and on social media are Liz Truss, Jonathan Ross, Ricky Gervais, Ryan Clark, Rebekah Vardy, Alan Carr, Paloma Faith, Courtney Cox (yep) and Tom Daley.
Oh, and Daisy May Cooper and Charlie Cooper, but according to The Sun, the This Country stars have dropped out just two weeks ahead of filming over 'concerns about their schedule'.
A source revealed, 'Daisy May and Charlie were so excited about taking part but once the demands of the show became clear Daisy had to sadly accept it would be tough as a mum-of-three.
'The Traitors cast has to be completely off grid and can’t be on FaceTime every night, or nipping to see their children on a day off filming.
'Everyone tried to make it work but Daisy obviously has to put her family first.'
What has Diane Carson said about Celebrity Traitors?
Well, heat and Dianne are besties...
Naturally, when heatworld caught up with The Traitors series two legend Diane Carson over a coffee last summer – sadly, not a fizzy rosé, but it was 9am – we simply had to get her thoughts on the new spin-off, and obviously she did not disappoint or hold back (come on now, it's Diane).
The telly queen started off by revealing, 'Well, I have heard that Ricky Gervais might be going in, so I think that would be hilarious.'
To be fair, we'd heard that one, too, and if it's true, the BBC are clearly not playing when they say Celebrity Traitors. Ooft.
Sharing her thoughts on the upcoming series, she told heatworld, 'What I would do is fill [Celebrity Traitors] with comedians. That would be amazing, wouldn't it? Can you imagine Lee Mack and David Mitchell? That would be absolutely amazing, but they won't.
'I just want them to bring in normal celebrities. I just think if you've got big egos to deal with, I think that might ruin the game a bit. I'm not saying all celebrities have big egos, but like, I'd have Kelly Holmes in, Linda Robson in... these are people I've met and really love their company.'
Diane added, 'Claudia [Winkleman] would be bloody amazing, but that's not going to happen is it. I would just like to see down to earth people doing it. I don't think you can play the game if you're thinking about your ego all the time.'
Beeb, if you're reading this, maybe recruit our Diane for this one, too? She might not do Celebrity Big Brother, but we have an inkling she'd say yes to this one. One glass of fizzy rose just isn't enough, and the thought of watching Diane come for a Love Island star (call it a hunch after Ekin-Su Cülcüloğlu popped up on the US version of The Traitors) at the roundtable is just dreamy.
heat's dream Celebrity Traitors cast
We can manifest, right? Okay, here goes...
Gemma Collins
Let’s be honest, there’s probably not a reality show in the world that wouldn’t be improved with addition of Gemma Collins. Her stint on Celebrity Big Brother back in 2016 is one of the best things we’ve ever seen and we’d bet our bottom dollar that she’d be just as iconic on Celebrity Traitors too.
If she was a Faithful, you just know that the GC wouldn’t rest until she’d weeded every last Traitor out of that castle, and if she happened to be selected as a Traitor, the mind games and trickery she’d pull off to throw the Faithfuls off the scent would have us in stitches.
Alan Carr
The contestants will need some light relief from the ever-present threat of being murdered by the Traitors, and who better to provide it than iconic funnyman Alan Carr?
He’s already a BBC darling after appearing as a judge on RuPaul’s Drag Race UK and hosting quiz show Picture Slam so probably won’t take much convincing to sign up – and how funny would it be to hear his catchphrase, ‘It’s me, Alan,’ if he’s revealed as a Traitor.
Coleen Rooney
Okay, we know she's reportedly signed up to appear on I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! but if three weeks in the jungle whets Coleen Rooney's appetite for reality TV then there's no better show for her to appear on than Celebrity Traitors.
Those Traitors would be quaking in their boots when Col starts putting her Wagatha Christie skills to good use, wouldn't they?
Rebekah Vardy
Sorry, but just imagine the scenes if Rebekah Vardy and Coleen were reunited on Celebrity Traitors. We're pretty sure it would break the internet even more than Coleen's ‘It’s......Rebekah Vardy’s account’ statement did.
RuPaul
We all know that RuPaul loves the UK and spends a lot of time of here when he's filming Drag Race UK, so we think he could be convinced to take part in Celebrity Traitors - and just imagine the glam looks he would serve both in and out of drag.
Oh, and if he wants to bring his BFF Michelle Visage along too then that's absolutely fine with us.
Courteney Cox
Having a huge Hollywood celebrity like Courteney Cox on Celebrity Traitors would be an excellent way to start off the show and she's besties with host Claudia Winkleman, so we reckon there's a good chance of it happening.
The Friends star has been heavily rumoured to be taking part for a while now, with a source telling The Sun, 'The fact the producers have a star from Friends in their sights shows the kind of calibre of famous faces Celebrity Traitors is aiming for.'
They added, 'Courteney has always been a fan of the show, particularly as the British version has her mate Claudia fronting it.'
David Beckham
Show bosses are reportedly set on signing up some huge A-list names, and let's face it, it doesn't get much more A-list than David Beckham, does it? We'd have a great time watching Becks try to figure out who the Traitors are.
Stephen Fry
No shade to anyone else on this list, but we definitely think that Stephen Fry's brains would be needed when it comes to working out who the Traitors are and apparently he's keen to take part as a telly insider recently revealed that he's signed up to appear on the series.
They told The Sun, 'Claudia put Stephen right at the top of celebs she’d want on The Traitors and Stephen has made it clear he’d be game. Stephen is a fan of the show and Claudia was desperate for him to be in it.
'No contracts have been signed yet — but he told the show’s bosses to name a time and date and he’ll be there.'
Natalie Cassidy
Given that the show is airing on the BBC, it's only right that they have an EastEnders star in the line-up and who better than the iconic Natalie Cassidy (aka Sonia Fowler) to take part? We can't imagine her getting up to no good, so she'd definitely be a Faithful.