The BBC has confirmed that The Traitors will return for its fourth season on New Year's Day, launching at 8pm on BBC One and iPlayer. Host Claudia Winkleman welcomes 22 new contestants to a Scottish castle to compete for a prize pot of up to £120,000 in the psychological reality game of trust and deception.
The premiere follows the massive success of the Celebrity Traitors spin-off, which attracted 15 million viewers for its finale won by comedian Alan Carr. The celebrity series became the biggest TV watch of 2025 across the UK, averaging 14.8 million viewers per episode.
Broadcast Schedule
The new series kicks off with three consecutive episodes. After the Thursday premiere, episode two airs Friday, January 2 at 8pm, with episode three following Saturday, January 3 at 7:45pm. The full season comprises 12 hour-long episodes, addressing viewer complaints that the celebrity version's nine-episode run was too short.
All episodes will be available on BBC iPlayer after broadcast.
Companion Show Returns
The Traitors: Uncloaked also returns, hosted by Ed Gamble. The visualized companion podcast launches Thursday, January 1 at 9:05pm on BBC Two, then moves to BBC One from Friday, January 2 at 9pm onwards. The show features celebrities and former players analyzing developments from the castle.
Uncloaked will also be available on BBC Sounds and BBC iPlayer.
Award-Winning Format
The BBC promises the new series will deliver «even more twists, turns, secrets, epic missions, deception, banishments and, of course, murders aplenty». The show has won two TV Baftas in the Best Reality And Constructed Factual category, with Winkleman taking home Best Entertainment Performance.
The format originated as De Verraders in the Netherlands in 2021 before premiering on the BBC in 2023. A second season of Celebrity Traitors is confirmed for later in 2026.
Note: This article was created with Artificial Intelligence (AI).
