Spoiler warning: This article reveals details from the fourth episode of The Celebrity Traitors, series two.
The role of Traitor demands relentless commitment. While the rest of the cast enjoy downtime, those in the turret must orchestrate eliminations every single night, with no respite even at weekends. Friday's instalment demonstrated this burden in full, as the trio of Maya Jama, James Acaster and newly recruited Hannah Fry executed their first coordinated kill, targeting Last of Us performer Bella Ramsey before the wider group subsequently voted out another of their own, Julie Hesmondhalgh.
The previous evening's broadcast, which drew 10 million viewers, had already seen the first faithful eliminated: Myha'la, an industry professional who departed after becoming entangled with self-sabotaging Traitor Richard E Grant. Grant's dramatic fall came after he accidentally revealed his role at the banishment table, leaving the three remaining Traitors to consolidate their position.
Entering Friday's episode, viewers understood that Jama, Acaster and Fry had been deliberating over which of three targets to eliminate: Ramsey, James Blunt or Sebastian Croft. When Ramsey failed to appear at breakfast, the group's fate became clear.
In recorded footage from the turret the previous night, Jama articulated her reasoning:
That's our biggest threat. Get them out the way, that group disperses.Acaster expanded on this logic, observing that
People are doubting their instincts after that roundtable. If Bella's proven to be a faithful, they're going to be even more spun out.Jama concluded:
Chaos, regardless. Chaos, regardless. Bella, you're a genius, but you gotta go.
Upon learning of her elimination, Ramsey demonstrated philosophical acceptance. In the diary room, they reflected:
I think this is a clever move by the traitors. I was going to re-set and start from the beginning because I got it so wrong with Myha'la. So I think that they were right to murder me because I think I would have maybe figured it out.
The morning's breakfast table proved far more contentious. Hesmondhalgh, a former Coronation Street performer who had been voted the group's most trustworthy member in episode one and awarded a protective shield, reacted to Ramsey's disappearance with conspicuous enthusiasm. This apparent over-eagerness immediately triggered alarm bells among her peers.
Meanwhile, Fry—the latest recruit to the Traitor ranks—found herself under mounting scrutiny as the day progressed.
I did not choose the traitor life, the traitor life chose me,she told producers.
I know there are people who are suspicious of me but I'm going to enjoy every last moment.Comedian Miranda Hart, performing her characteristic Miss Marple impression, was among the sceptics.
Hannah lied to us,Hart observed pointedly, referencing Fry's false shield narrative from the previous evening that had helped engineer Myha'la's elimination.
Blunt, a singer with military background, pursued a different line of attack, directing suspicion toward Hesmondhalgh herself. His conviction that her trustworthiness was artificially constructed would prove consequential by evening's end.
What was the graveyard mission?
Friday's challenge transported the group to a haunted cabin beside a graveside, where they were tasked with communicating with deceased individuals about unresolved matters. Actress Sharon Rooney captured the atmosphere upon arrival:
It's creepy, it's giving murder.Comedian Romesh Ranganathan joked that his mother would find the experience deeply disturbing, while the ensemble gathered for a chant orchestrated by the commanding voice of actor Michael Sheen.
The task escalated into genuine discomfort. Ranganathan released an audible scream, Hart encountered a masked hooded figure, and Croft volunteered to plunge his head into a filthy toilet in scenes reminiscent of ITV's survival competition format.
Guys, it's a little bit of poo,observed hardened actor Ross Kemp with characteristic understatement, as colleagues around him recoiled.
It's not gonna kill you.Croft's willingness earned him a protective shield as reward.
The group retrieved macabre items: toys belonging to a deceased child and a wedding dress and shoes from a deceased woman. This discovery prompted model Jerry Hall to share a personal anecdote about her own wedding to Rolling Stones frontman Mick Jagger.
Before I got married to Mick—we'd already been together seven years, had two children—I put on a wedding dress every day until he agreed that we get married,she revealed.
The ordeal concluded with a tasting of rancid wine. Comedian Joanne McNally characterised the beverage as tasting like
salty bin juice.The mission raised funds for charity while simultaneously raising tension among the group.
On the return journey to the castle, YouTuber King Kenny voiced fresh concerns about Fry's conduct during the challenge.
She held off to make herself look a bit innocent,he confided to fellow faithfuls, referring to her decision-making around shield allocation. Jama, demonstrating strategic acumen, seized upon these emerging doubts about Hesmondhalgh.
How did the roundtable unfold?
Before proceedings commenced, Fry confessed to producers that she recognised the gravity of her position. With her reputation as an intellectual making her a natural target, she would need to employ every available tactic to maintain her cover as a faithful.
Hart proved an unforgiving interrogator, refusing to accept Fry's claims of vulnerability. She highlighted a contradiction between Fry's current argument and the position articulated by the now-eliminated Myha'la the previous evening. Amid the tension, comedian Joe Lycett injected levity by announcing:
I like to be recruited at some stage. I'm still very much available.Hesmondhalgh laughed at her own nervous response, acknowledging that
going all dry mouthed while defending herself was not helping her cause.
Sheen cautioned against removing Hesmondhalgh, noting:
It would be a cruel move taking the most trusted member of our group.Hart countered:
Cruel but clever.Ranganathan observed the irony:
The person that we nominated as our most trustworthy person, we have now completely flipped on.
The group voted to banish Hesmondhalgh. Upon her elimination, she described the experience as
an immense experience.She then confirmed her fidelity, adding:
Alas, it may mean I am not a phenomenal actor.Tears emerged around the table as her innocence became apparent.
Blunt, who had orchestrated the campaign against her, immediately expressed remorse.
I'm so sorry, that's my fault,he told the group. Rooney responded sharply:
He's been wrong about every theory he's came up with.Croft added:
So have I.Hart declared:
Everything is up in the air now,following Hesmondhalgh's departure. King Kenny characterised her elimination as the group's
biggest loss so far.
What happened in the turret?
Back in their cloaked sanctuary, the three Traitors assessed their position. Acaster maintained his strategy of performing as a faithful, while Jama expressed satisfaction with her role on the dark side. Fry, by contrast, was visibly stressed by the day's events.
You two saved me,Fry told her fellow Traitors, referring to their successful navigation of the roundtable without exposure.
What twist ended the episode?
Rather than concluding with another murder, the episode introduced a fresh complication: a deadly game of hide-and-seek involving four selected contestants. The Traitors agreed to abstain from participation, instead selecting Kemp, Ranganathan, Beckett and Little Mix and solo artist Leigh-Anne Pinnock as players.
I think this is gonna mess with everybody's heads,Fry predicted.
Presenter Claudia Winkleman met the four chosen players outside the castle in darkness. When Ranganathan hopefully asked
Have we won?,Winkleman confirmed they had not. She explained that during their descent into the woods that night, they would face a significant surprise: one of them would be killed face-to-face. Pinnock alone would receive immunity from murder, though the Traitors would remain unaware of this protection.
What happens next?
Episode five is scheduled for Thursday 15 October at 8pm on BBC One, where the remaining players must determine who has been murdered during the hide-and-seek game. Series two features 21 celebrity contestants—two more than the previous series—and comprises 10 episodes, one additional instalment compared to last year.
The competition has entered a new phase of psychological warfare. With three Traitors now firmly established and suspicion spreading unpredictably among the faithfuls, the remaining episodes promise escalating chaos and strategic complexity.
