A Star-Studded Line-Up for Celebrity Traitors
For decades, Jerry Hall has been a name synonymous with high fashion and glamour. From her days as a catwalk queen to her time as the wife of Rolling Stones frontman Mick Jagger, she has always been in the spotlight. Now, the 70-year-old former supermodel is stepping into a new role – one that could see her crowned as the queen of Ardross Castle.
Hall was seen arriving at Inverness airport on Saturday, just in time to join the 21-strong celebrity line-up for the second series of Celebrity Traitors. The BBC’s highly anticipated show will see a mix of A-listers compete for £100,000 for their chosen charity. Friends of Hall say she has a competitive streak and is “there to win,” four years after her split from media tycoon Rupert Murdoch.
So, will Hall be a Faithful or a Traitor? Her past relationships are well documented – from her famous break-up with Roxy Music frontman Bryan Ferry to her marriage to Jagger, and later to Murdoch, who famously ended their relationship via email in 2022 after six years together.
A Diverse Cast of Celebrities
Hall is not alone in this high-stakes game. The cast includes a wide range of celebrities, from TV hosts and actors to comedians and musicians. Cambridge-educated University Challenge host Amol Rajan touched down soon after Hall, while The Last Of Us actress Bella Ramsey was also spotted en route to Ardross Castle.
Other notable names include A-list actors Michael Sheen and Richard E Grant, former EastEnders star Ross Kemp, and singer James Blunt, who has reinvented himself as an online jester. The comedy scene is well represented with six comedians: Miranda Hart, Rob Beckett, Romesh Ranganathan, Joe Lycett, Joanne McNally, and James Acaster.
In addition to these names, Love Island host Maya Jama and Little Mix star Leigh-Anne Pinnock have signed up for the show. Other participants include mathematician Hannah Fry, ex-Coronation Street actress Julie Hesmondhalgh, YouTube prankster and boxer King Kenny, Industry star Myha’la, Heartstopper’s Sebastian Croft, and My Mad Fat Diary’s Sharon Rooney.
A Line-Up That Promises Excitement
A source from the Corporation said they were thrilled with the line-up. “It’s wild, it is absolutely brilliant,” they said. “It’s television like this that will hopefully make sure people don’t feel short-changed for buying their television licences.”
BBC bosses are confident they can repeat the success of last November’s first series, which was won by comedian Alan Carr in a thrilling finale. An astonishing 12 million viewers tuned in to see Carr, a Traitor, outwit everyone.
This year’s contestants have plenty of history between them. Hall and Grant are known to live just a stone’s throw apart in Richmond, south-west London. Ranganathan and Beckett have been friends for years, having met on the comedy circuit. They recently appeared on Rob & Romesh Vs, and Ranganathan often appears on Parenting Hell, the podcast hosted by Beckett and Josh Widdicombe. Ranganathan and Beckett are also friends with Lycett.
A History of Drama and Humor
There is no shortage of drama either. Back in 2022, there was a hilarious spat between Lycett and Acaster after Lycett used a picture of his rival on a poster to advertise a show at SSE Wembley Arena. Lycett even went to apologize to Acaster, but the situation turned into a viral moment.
The BBC announced the line-up with a tongue-in-cheek clip set in an airport, showing a line of actors as drivers standing with the iconic round-table chalk boards revealing the names. However, many of the stars’ names were spelled wrongly, such as “Rob Bucket,” “Miranda Heart,” and “Richardy Grant.” This is a running gag in the show, where contestants sometimes scribble down the wrong name of the person they want to banish.
Elsewhere in the clip, one of the people holding a board had it the wrong way round – another nod to the show’s tense round-table moments.
A Must-Have Opportunity for Celebrities
Taking part in the show has become a must for any celebrity looking to boost their profile and earnings. Despite losing out on winning the programme, retired rugby player Joe Marler became a household name after the nation fell in love with him during his time in Ardross Castle last year.
The BBC has also taken steps to root out the real traitor – the leaker who sold information about the celebrity contestants to a red top newspaper. Last year, the entire line-up was revealed by the tabloid, but this year, only a handful of names were leaked, leaving many surprises for the millions who will tune in when the series airs later this year.
A New Chapter for Claudia Winkleman
The cast will surely delight host Claudia Winkleman too. Her six-episode chat show struggled to capitalise on last year’s ratings success, in what was a rare misstep for the star. “Claudia is used to everything she does turning to gold,” says a friend of the former Strictly Come Dancing host. “Her shows always do so well, but the chat show just didn’t fly in the way it was hoped it would. Now she’s back in the castle where she is absolutely adored and revered.”
