Claudia Winkleman for The Celebrity Traitors 2025 / BBC
Claudia Winkleman has admitted that she was initially sceptical about the prospect of making a celebrity version of The Traitors.
The BBC reality show has become one of the top-rated programmes of the decade, having now aired three series to much acclaim.
A celebrity spinoff was filmed earlier this year and features top names among the cast, including the likes of Celia Imrie, Sir Stephen Fry, Jonathan Ross, Clare Balding and Tom Daley.
“I was scared [at the prospect],” said Winkleman, who has now also completed filming on the fourth series of the regular version.
“Only because I’m in love with this show and I wanted to keep it small. Once a year or maybe once every two years felt like enough. My bosses, thank goodness, ignored everything I said.”
Commenting on the calibre of the celebrity players, she continued: “It’s an absolute honour. I could barely breathe when I saw them all in the Highlands.
“I’m such a fan of every single one of them. The whole team were just in awe, it was hard not to scream ‘you’re here!’
“When I talked to Stephen Fry I almost welled up, I told him ‘this was my dream’. We’re incredibly lucky to have the cast that we have. Each one of them is tremendous.”
The Celebrity Traitors begins Wednesday, October 8 at 9pm on BBC One and iPlayer.
