Joe Lycett heads a comedy-packed Celebrity Traitors 2026 cast

Comedian and presenter Joe Lycett is among the famous faces set to enter the castle for the second series of The Celebrity Traitors. Hosted by Claudia Winkleman, the BBC competition is due to begin on Thursday, 1 October 2026, with actors, musicians, broadcasters and five comedians taking on its game of suspicion and strategy.

Key takeaways

• Joe Lycett joins 20 other celebrities in the 2026 cast.

• The series is scheduled to start on 1 October, with Claudia Winkleman returning as host.

• Contestants will compete as Faithfuls or Traitors, with up to £100,000 for charity at stake.

Lycett brings comedy and mischief to the castle

Lycett began performing stand-up in 2009 and won Chortle Student Comedian of the Year. TV audiences will know him from panel shows including 8 Out of 10 Cats and Would I Lie to You?, as well as Taskmaster and the first UK series of Last One Laughing.

He has also built a career as a presenter, fronting The Great British Sewing Bee and Travel Man. His consumer-rights series, Joe Lycett’s Got Your Back, paired practical campaigning with comedy, while Late Night Lycett brought interviews and sketches to a live variety format. That mix of quick wit and playful performance could make him an intriguing presence in a contest built on reading other people.

A wide-ranging celebrity line-up

The cast also includes comedians James Acaster, Joanne McNally, Rob Beckett and Romesh Ranganathan. They will be joined by actors Bella Ramsey, Julie Hesmondhalgh, Michael Sheen, Miranda Hart, Myha’la, Richard E. Grant, Sebastian Croft and Sharon Rooney; musicians James Blunt and Leigh-Anne Pinnock; and model and actor Jerry Hall.

Broadcasters and presenters Amol Rajan, Maya Jama and Ross Kemp, mathematician Hannah Fry, and content creator King Kenny complete the group. The celebrities will play as either Faithfuls or Traitors, with the successful contestants able to win up to £100,000 for a charity of their choice.

A big moment for comedy fans

With five comedians in the castle, the series gives comedy fans plenty of familiar names to watch in an unfamiliar setting. Lycett’s screen work is part of a wider British comedy scene that also thrives on live performance: at Comedy in Your Eye, audiences can catch professional comedians at weekly Tuesday and Thursday shows in the intimate setting of The Camden Eye in Camden Town.

A TV competition offers a different kind of suspense from a stand-up set, but both can be a chance to see performers’ personalities at work. The castle’s mix of celebrity alliances and comic instincts should give viewers plenty to discuss when the series begins.

• Who is Joe Lycett? The comedian taking on Celebrity Traitors, East London and West Essex Guardian Series.

• Celebrity Traitors 2026 lineup – Meet all the contestants competing on series two, The Independent.