“The Traitors” Renewed for Second Series, Fuels £21.8 Million Boost to Scottish Economy
The hit reality competition series, The Celebrity Traitors, is officially returning for a second season on BBC One and iPlayer in 2026, following a debut that shattered viewership records and captivated audiences across the United Kingdom. the show, produced by Studio Lambert Scotland and hosted by Claudia Winkleman, will once again unfold within the walls of Ardross Castle, pitting a new cast of celebrities against each other in a high-stakes game of deception and trust.
Unprecedented Success for the BBC Format
The premiere of The Celebrity Traitors has been hailed as a monumental success for the BBC, becoming the biggest unscripted title on the broadcaster’s video-on-demand service ever. The first episode alone garnered a staggering 14.8 million views within 28 days, marking the most-watched single episode on television in the UK so far this year. The series has now become the largest unscripted title in the UK market since 2021.
The season finale reached even greater heights, and the proclamation of the renewal coincides with the release of an Economic Impact Report revealing that The Traitors franchise – encompassing the UK, US, and Celebrity editions – has generated an estimated £21.8 million boost in Gross Value Added (GVA) to Scotland’s economy as filming began in 2022. The report, developed with contributions from Visit Scotland and Screen scotland, underscores the show’s positive impact on the Scottish creative industry. According to the report, for every £1 of GVA directly generated by the production, a total of £6.84 was added to the Scottish economy overall. The full report can be viewed [here](link to report).
“Studio Lambert have done an outstanding job as The Celebrity traitors has well and truly captivated the nation, becoming a bona fide highlight of the year bringing record numbers of people together to enjoy every twist and turn,” stated a senior official at the BBC. “In 2026 the doors of the castle will be opened again to welcome celebrity players to the game to see who can charm, who can scheme and ultimately who can survive in series two which promises to be just as unmissable as the first. Plus with Uncloaked returning and today’s news of the positive contribution The Traitors brand has made to Scotland’s economy,there is plenty to celebrate.”
Hayley Valentine, Director of BBC Scotland, added, “The Traitors is an immense TV success story and it’s fantastic to have multiple versions of it filmed in Scotland. We welcome and celebrate it. This report highlights the many ways that Scotland is seeing a direct economic benefit from The traitors filming here and, working together with our partners, we will use this success to promote sustainable growth within Scotland’s creative industry.”
Currently, the first series of The Celebrity Traitors is available for streaming on BBC iPlayer, and the first series of The Celebrity Traitors: Uncloaked is available via BBC Sounds and BBC iPlayer.
The second series of The Celebrity Traitors will be produced by Studio Lambert Scotland for BBC One and BBC iPlayer, commissioned by Kalpna Patel-Knight, Head of Entertainment commissioning for the BBC.The production team includes executive producers Mike Cotton, Sarah Fay, Lewis Thurlow, and Katy Fox, alongside production executives Lynette Woods-Reynolds, Gemma Scholes, and Faye Donaldson. Neil McCallum and Michael Jochnowitz are serving as Commissioning Editors for the BBC.
The original format for The Traitors was created in the Netherlands by IDTV, an All3Media company, and further developed with the RTL Creative unit. All3Media International serves as the global partner for the format and handles sales worldwide. Studio Lambert is a part of All3Media. The series was initially conceived and developed by Marc Pos and IDTV Creative Director Jasper Hoogendoorn in collaboration with RTL Creative Unit, with the original series produced by IDTV.
