Celebrity Traitors 2026 cast and who all 21 stars are

Julie Hesmondhalgh, Ross Kemp, Bella Ramsey and Michael Sheen are among the 21 stars entering The Celebrity Traitors for its second series. The cast brings together familiar faces from soaps, film, music and comedy, alongside a mathematician and a YouTube creator, all competing for up to £100,000 for charity.

Claudia Winkleman will decide who becomes a Traitor, but viewers already have another question to answer: where have they seen everyone before? From Hayley Cropper and Grant Mitchell to the stars of Industry and Heartstopper, here is the background to every celebrity taking part.

Amol Rajan

Amol Rajan presents University Challenge, having taken over from Jeremy Paxman in 2023. His broadcasting career includes working as the BBC’s media editor and presenting Radio 4’s Today programme, making him familiar to audiences who follow news as well as quizzes. He has also appeared as himself in Industry, creating an unexpected screen connection with fellow contestant Myha’la.

Bella Ramsey

Bella Ramsey made an early impression as Lyanna Mormont in Game of Thrones, playing a young leader who refused to be intimidated by the adults around her. They later took on Ellie in The Last of Us, opposite Pedro Pascal. Their other work includes Mildred Hubble in The Worst Witch, the film Catherine Called Birdy and a voice role in Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget.

James Acaster

James Acaster is a stand-up comedian known for elaborate stories, deadpan delivery and the four interconnected specials in his Netflix collection Repertoire. His television appearances include Taskmaster and Would I Lie to You?, while Off Menu sees him and Ed Gamble invite guests to choose a dream meal. Gamble also hosts The Celebrity Traitors: Uncloaked, giving Acaster a familiar face in the programme’s wider world.

James Blunt

James Blunt served in the British Army before his debut album Back to Bedlam turned him into an international music star. You’re Beautiful and Goodbye My Lover became his signature songs, introducing audiences to a voice very different from the sarcastic persona he later established online. His self-deprecating replies to critics have since become almost as recognisable as the music.

Jerry Hall

Jerry Hall became one of the most recognisable models of the 1970s, with her appearance on Roxy Music’s Siren album cover among her early defining images. Her career later expanded into acting, including Tim Burton’s Batman and stage performances. She also spent more than two decades with Rolling Stones singer Mick Jagger, with whom she has four children.

Joanne McNally

Joanne McNally is an Irish stand-up comedian whose live shows include The Prosecco Express and Pinotphile. She co-hosts My Therapist Ghosted Me with Vogue Williams, with the pair’s candid conversations building an audience beyond their individual television work. McNally has also appeared on Taskmaster and The Big Fat Quiz, making her a familiar face to viewers of comedy competitions.

Joe Lycett

Joe Lycett’s career combines stand-up, presenting, art and comic campaigns that frequently target companies or public figures. He fronts Travel Man and Late Night Lycett, while Joe Lycett’s Got Your Back tackled consumer complaints. One of his best-known stunts involved legally changing his name to Hugo Boss to challenge the fashion company’s treatment of smaller businesses using the name.

Julie Hesmondhalgh

Julie Hesmondhalgh spent 16 years playing Hayley Cropper in Coronation Street, with Hayley’s relationship with Roy becoming central to her time on the cobbles. Since her 2014 departure, she has taken major drama roles including Trish Winterman in Broadchurch and Suzanne Sercombe in Mr Bates vs The Post Office. Her work also includes Happy Valley and Russell T Davies’s Cucumber.

King Kenny

King Kenny, whose name is Kenny Ojuederie, built his audience through YouTube videos, pranks and challenges. He is known for his work with Beta Squad, the creator collective that also includes first-series Celebrity Traitors contestant Niko Omilana. Kenny has additionally competed in influencer boxing, bringing experience of a very different kind of public contest to the castle.

Leigh-Anne Pinnock

Leigh-Anne Pinnock became famous as a member of Little Mix after the group won The X Factor in 2011. Their hits include Black Magic and Shout Out to My Ex, before the group’s hiatus opened the way for solo projects. Beyond music, her documentary Leigh-Anne: Race, Pop & Power examined racism in the industry and her own experiences within one of Britain’s biggest girl groups.

Maya Jama

Maya Jama took over as Love Island host in 2023, becoming the person contestants face when relationships unravel or a major decision arrives. Her earlier presenting work included Glow Up and radio, and she has also joined The Masked Singer panel. Celebrity Traitors reverses her usual position, putting her among the players while someone else asks the questions.

Michael Sheen

Michael Sheen has played a succession of recognisable real people, including Tony Blair in The Queen, David Frost in Frost/Nixon and Brian Clough in The Damned United. Other audiences know him as the angel Aziraphale in Good Omens or the vampire Aro in Twilight. His partnership with David Tennant also produced Staged, in which the pair played fictionalised versions of themselves.

Miranda Hart

Miranda Hart created and starred in Miranda, the sitcom built around her character’s awkward encounters, friendships and romantic hopes. She also played Chummy in Call the Midwife and appeared alongside Melissa McCarthy in Spy. Alongside acting, she has published books including Is It Just Me? and I Haven’t Been Entirely Honest with You, giving readers a more personal introduction to the performer.

Myha’la

Myha’la is an American actor best known for playing Harper Stern in Industry, a drama following ambitious young people in London’s financial sector. Harper’s talent and ruthless decisions have made her central to the series, but Myha’la’s career extends beyond that role. Her credits include Bodies Bodies Bodies, Leave the World Behind and Black Mirror’s Loch Henry episode.

Professor Hannah Fry

Professor Hannah Fry is a mathematician, author and broadcaster whose work makes complicated ideas accessible to a wider audience. In The Secret Genius of Modern Life, she explores the technology behind familiar products and services. Her documentaries have also covered subjects including artificial intelligence and Ada Lovelace, while radio work has allowed her to tackle everyday scientific questions.

Richard E. Grant

Richard E. Grant’s breakthrough performance in Withnail and I began a screen career that has included Gosford Park, Saltburn and Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. His performance opposite Melissa McCarthy in Can You Ever Forgive Me? earned him an Oscar nomination. He is also an author, with A Pocketful of Happiness reflecting on his life with his late wife, dialect coach Joan Washington.

Rob Beckett

Rob Beckett is a stand-up comedian and presenter whose voice will be familiar to Celebs Go Dating viewers. He co-hosts Parenting Hell with Josh Widdicombe and takes on unfamiliar activities alongside Romesh Ranganathan in Rob & Romesh Vs. That long-running partnership gives him an established friendship inside the castle, although the game does not guarantee they will be playing on the same side.

Romesh Ranganathan

Romesh Ranganathan worked as a maths teacher before building a career in stand-up and television. His programmes include The Weakest Link, The Ranganation and Rob & Romesh Vs, with his deadpan humour becoming a familiar part of each. He has also appeared on Taskmaster and presented travel programmes, while his work with Rob Beckett makes theirs one of this cast’s most recognisable partnerships.

Ross Kemp

Ross Kemp became famous as Grant Mitchell in EastEnders, with his partnership with Steve McFadden’s Phil establishing the Mitchell brothers as major Walford figures. He subsequently moved into documentary presenting, including Ross Kemp on Gangs and Ross Kemp in Afghanistan. His television career also includes hosting Bridge of Lies, a quiz built around distinguishing true statements from false ones.

Sebastian Croft

Sebastian Croft played Ben Hope in Heartstopper and the young Ned Stark in Game of Thrones. His film work includes the lead role of Atti in Horrible Histories: The Movie – Rotten Romans, which earned him a BAFTA nomination, and Archie in How to Date Billy Walsh. He is also a musician, giving viewers several different routes through which they might recognise him.

Sharon Rooney

Sharon Rooney rose to prominence as Rae Earl in My Mad Fat Diary, a series adapted from the writer’s teenage diaries. The role combined humour with an exploration of mental health, friendships and growing up, and earned Rooney a BAFTA Scotland award. Her subsequent screen work includes Two Doors Down, while film audiences may recognise her as Lawyer Barbie in Barbie.

Where to watch Celebrity Traitors 2026

The Celebrity Traitors begins on Thursday 1 October at 8pm on BBC One and BBC iPlayer. The series is scheduled to continue on Thursday and Friday evenings, with episodes available to catch up on through iPlayer.

Image credits: BBC/The Traitors