When The Traitors series 4 starts on BBC One now the Celebrity version has finished
It is just around the castle corner!The Celebrity Traitors has finally reached its dramatic conclusion – and fans are already desperate to know when The Traitors is back.
The civilian series is the original, with this year seeing it run its third series.
But was the Celebrity version better? For avid fans, the jury is still out on that one!
If you are already desperate for your next fix, there is good news. Series 4 is just around the castle corner. Here’s what we know about when The Traitors is returning to BBC One.
When is The Traitors back?
The Traitors first hit BBC One in November 2022 with Claudia Winkleman at its helm. Fans were skeptical, as they were already used to seeing Claud in sparkles on a Saturday night in Strictly Come Dancing.
Despite any initial concerns, the show was an instant success. But there was a long wait for more. The second series of The Traitors didn’t kick off until January 2024. This was followed exactly one year later, in January this year, by series 3.
The good news is, the BBC has confirmed series 4 of The Traitors. Bosses revealed the fourth instalment during the Edinburgh TV Festival in June 2024. This was six months before series 3 had even gone out. They clearly knew by this stage they were on to a good thing!
Kalpna Patel-Knight, Head of Entertainment at the BBC, said at the time: “The Traitors has well and truly established itself as an unmissable highlight of the year and the news of a fourth outing, alongside a brand new celebrity version coming to the BBC, will take the series to a whole new level.
“It will once again be fascinating for our audiences to see who’ll outwit, outplay, and outlast. Let the mind games begin!”
The BBC confirmed this year’s The Celebrity Traitors at the same time, which is obviously now over. Sob!
Has filming started for series 4?
Yes, series 4 of The Traitors is already wrapped and canned. The new series of The Traitors was filmed in its usual home, Ardross Castle in the Scottish Highlands, earlier this summer.
Applications for series 4 contestants opened in August 2024, shortly after the series was confirmed. It was open for a long window, too! The period ran until the end of March this year, when the next Traitors and Faithfuls were selected.
Claudia Winkleman, the cast and crew – plus a brand new batch of contestants – were then scheduled to film across a four-week period in June 2025.
It is not yet known how many contestants the new series will have. Series 1 and 2 both had 22 players. But we had an extra three contestants in the castle for series 3, which brought the total to 25.
Who won the last series of The Traitors?
Series 3 of The Traitors was won by Faithfuls Jake Brown and Leanne Quigley. The pair successfully outwitted the Traitors and walked away with a prize pot of £94,600 out of a possible £120,000.
The first series was won by Aaron Evans, Hannah Byczkowski and Meryl Williams. They were all Faithfuls and received £101,050 in prize money.
But it was a Traitor who struck lucky for the second. Harry Clark walked away with £95,150 after pulling the wool over his fellow Faithfuls’ eyes until the bitter end.
When does series 4 of The Traitors start?
The first series of The Traitors appears to be an anomaly, having run in November. Series 2 and 3 came to us as a New Year’s treat in January instead.
This year, The Traitors started on January 1. In 2024, it all kicked off in the castle on January 3. Both these dates were a Wednesday, as was the launch date of The Celebrity Traitors on October 8.
If the BBC keeps with this schedule, series 4 of The Traitors is due to start on Wednesday January 7, as the previous Wednesday is December 31.
Will there be a series 2 of The Celebrity Traitors?
The BBC is yet to officially confirm a second series of The Celebrity Traitors. But, there is widespread speculation that it will be back for another run.
The series that has just finished reached record viewing figures, so it is a no-brainer to bring it back.
Even Jonathan Ross appears to have confirmed it. In a previous interview, the Traitor opened up about how he struggled to lie to his pals in the castle. He then said he had warned other showbiz friends off signing up, claiming they had already been “contacted” by the BBC for a second series.
Don’t put them off, Jonathan, we can’t wait for more!
Read more: Celebrity Traitors stars Kate Garraway and Clare Balding in fiery row ahead of tonight’s final
