Celebrity Traitors continues to pull huge overnight ratings for BBC as show airs 'murder in plain sight'

The hit BBC show keeps topping the night.

Maya Jama and Michael Sheen sat down next to each other at the breakfast table, smiling.

BBC/Studio Lambert/Euan Cherry

Published: Friday, 23 October 2026 at 12:48 pm

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**Warning - Spoilers for the most recent episode of Celebrity Traitors**

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The Celebrity Traitors is showing no sign of losing its grip on the nation, with the latest episode once again topping the overnight ratings as viewers watched a murder carried out "in plain sight".

In figures supplied by BARB, last night's episode (22 October) drew an overnight audience of 10.03 million on BBC One, comfortably leading the evening ahead of EastEnders on 2.40m and The One Show on 2.36m. The companion show The Celebrity Traitors: Uncloaked followed with a viewership of 4.38m.

The biggest talking point was that of Ross Kemp being murdered in plain sight, after being the first celebrity to yawn after Traitors James Acaster, Maya Jama and King Kenny were tasked with getting a Faithful to yawn, thus sealing their fate.

The strong overnight numbers follow a record-breaking launch for the second series. As per the BBC, the opening episode was watched by 15.7 million viewers within seven days, with the second episode drawing 15.2 million, making the premiere the most-watched programme of 2026 and beating the first series' 28-day opening record of 14.8 million in just a week.

Claudia Winkleman stood in a field with her hands in her pockets looking over to one side.

Claudia Winkleman. Euan Cherry

The BBC said the launch is now the biggest for a Traitors series across both the celebrity and civilian versions, and the broadcaster described it as the biggest launch episode of any series across the entire market, scripted or unscripted, since at least 2022.

The corporation noted that 8.9 million views of the first two episodes came through BBC iPlayer, accounting for 58 per cent of the audience, while 3.1 million viewers were aged 16 to 34, a record level of younger-audience engagement for the show that made up roughly a fifth of the launch audience.

Made by Studio Lambert Scotland, the series began earlier this month with host Claudia Winkleman welcoming 21 famous faces to the Traitors castle for a game of detection, backstabbing and trust, with the celebrities playing for the chance to win up to £100,000 for their chosen charities.

The season finale is set to air on Friday 30 October at 8pm on BBC iPlayer and BBC One, with the question now being whether the Faithful can banish the remaining Traitors to secure victory, or whether the Traitors can keep up the deception until the bitter end.

The Celebrity Traitors continues on Friday 23 October at 8pm on BBC One and iPlayer.

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Authors

Black and white cut-out portrait headshot of Katelyn Mensah, smiling against a lime green background.

Katelyn MensahSenior Entertainment Writer

Katelyn Mensah is the Senior Entertainment Writer for Radio Times, covering all major entertainment programmes, reality TV shows and the latest hard-hitting documentaries. She previously worked at The Tab, with a focus on reality TV and showbiz news and has obtained a BA (Hons) in Journalism.

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