BBC responds as Richard Osman 'accidentally lets slip' Celebrity Traitors 2026 start date
We've all been waiting for thisRichard Osman appears to have revealed when Celebrity Traitors season two returns, despite the BBC keeping its launch top secret.
The apparent slip came during a live The Rest Is Entertainment show recording at London’s Southbank Centre.
Richard and co-host Marina Hyde were joined by former England rugby player and series one finalist, Joe Marler.
At the event, Joe was asked what advice he would offer the incoming celebrity players.
His answer prompted the exchange which appeared to expose the closely guarded schedule.
Celebrity Traitors start date ‘revealed’ by Richard Osman
During his interview, Joe shared what he had heard about filming of The Celebrity Traitors 2026. He said the first series “was very laugh-led”, with contestants enjoying themselves between the game’s sharper moments.
He contrasted that atmosphere with the latest cast, who reportedly approached the competition intensely from the outset.
Joe said: “I believe it was a slightly different emotion than our experience. Ours was very laugh-led, and everyone was sort of enjoying catching up, you know, pratting about to the point where they went, ‘Guys, we’re trying to play a game’.
“Whereas this lot really want it from the start, and then I guess they see how well the first series has gone and there’s a little bit of pressure on them to be like, ‘Oh I’d quite like a bit of that’.
The came Richard’s apparent faux pas.
Joe asked: “What is it, September 23, the next series?”
Richard replied: “By the way, to point out, it’s absolutely embargoed that it starts on September 23.”
He then added: “The cat’s out of the bag, isn’t it? Not to repeat it.”
However, the BBC has now responded to Richard’s start date comment.
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BBC reacts to Richard Osmon’s Traitors start date ‘slip’
A spokesperson has told TVGuide that the broadcaster “does not comment on speculation”. We were then alerted to an Instagram post on Richard Osman’s page.
In the post, Richard denies giving away the highly-anticipated date.
He wrote: “We had the BEST time at the #TheRestIsEntertainment live show at the Royal Festival Hall last night. Here we are afterwards with our amazing special guest @joemarler17 and our brilliant producers Joey McCarthy and Imee Marriott.
“Thank you to the incredible crowd, it was such a treat for us. And, contrary to newspaper reports, we didn’t ACTUALLY reveal the launch date for the new Celeb Traitors, mainly because WE DON’T KNOW IT.”
Just like most things in Ardross Castle, the mystery remains!
The Celebrity Traitors returns to BBC One this autumn.
This article was produced with the assistance of AI technology to synthesise source reporting and structured data. It has been reviewed, edited, and fact-checked by our human editorial team before publication.
