Despite the star-packed guest list for the Celebrity Traitors’ castle there was little special treatment on the BBC show – except for one national treasure
10:11, 15 Oct 2025Updated 20:59, 15 Oct 2025
(Image: PA)
The Celebrity Traitors is one of the BBC’s biggest hits of the season, at least in part because producers signed up genuine stars with instant name recognition. One show insider told the Daily Mail that producers went all-out to avoid “the usual fodder from the reality TV circuit”.
But despite managing to snag high-profile stars such as Sir Stephen Fry, Clare Balding and Kate Garraway for the show, producers weren’t providing many special privileges.
Rather than being given sleeping accommodation in the castle itself, all of the celerities were put up in a £80-a-night Marriott hotel used for the regular Traitors show.
A source suggested that many of the celeb contestants would have been shocked by the quality of the accommodation. They said: “They must have had a shock, some of them would never have stayed anywhere that s*** before, it was hardly salubrious.”
The solitary exception to the no-frills rule was award-winning actress Celia Imrie. While most of the celebrities flew to Inverness Airport, the star of shows such as Victoria Wood: As Seen on TV and The Thursday Murder Club was whisked up to Scotland on a luxurious sleeper train. “She’s a legend,” an insider revealed. “There was no way anyone would expect her to rough it.”
National treasure Celia Imrie had special transport arrangements(Image: Penske Media via Getty Images)READ MORE: Celebrity Traitors LIVE: Kate Garraway and Niko Omilana blindsided after bombshell twist
One significant difference from the civilian version of The Traitors is the amount that competitors are being paid. No matter how long they last on the show, each celeb is earning the same flat rate of £40,000. By contrast, participants in the non-celebrity version get a basic £100 per day allowance to compensate them for lost work time.
But while you might think the celebs might be happy to be “murdered” early in the proceedings and taking their £40k home early, they don’t all feel that way (spoilers incoming).
Paloma Faith is not only seething at being assassinated with a poison lily by her pal Alan Carr, she’s frustrated that she didn’t get a chance to show off her extensive designer wardrobe.
“I feel like I didn’t even have the opportunity to show the millions of outfits that I had planned to wear on the game,” she complained.
Paloma was incensed to be first out – on two counts(Image: CREDIT LINE:BBC/Studio Lambert/Euan Cherry)
Paloma is also, though, still bristling at having been ejected from the castle by someone she had regarded as a friend. She continued: “If the shoe was on the other foot, I would not have touched Alan’s face. Categorically, he had a choice – maybe it was the easiest option, but it was the choice he made and I don’t think it was very nice.”
Many of the Celebrity Traitors competitors will have a personal relationship outside the show, adding a complication that the regular series doesn’t have. For example, Jonathan Ross has known Charlotte Church since she appeared on the Big, Big Talent Show at the age of 11.
Similarly, Stephen Fry and Celia Imrie not only shared the screen in ITV’s legal drama Kingdom, they both appeared in the 2007 comedy movie St Trinian’s – which also featured a young Paloma Faith. Celia also featured in Bridget Jones’s Baby alongside Nick Mohammed.
Alan Carr wielded the fatal flower(Image: CREDIT LINE:BBC/Studio Lambert/Euan Cherry)
Having their own chat shows means that both Alan Carr and Jonathan Ross have met several of the Celebrity Traitors before. Alan has interviewed Clare Balding, Tom Daley and Stephen Fry while Jonathan has also invited Stephen and Tom into his show.
He also judged Kate Garraway on The Masked Singer – which also featured Charlotte Church again.
Tom Daley has not only crossed paths with and Clare Balding several times during sports events, the 31-year-old Olympic diving champion also competed on The Great British Bake Off Stand Up To Cancer, alongside Lucy Beaumont.
Continuing the connections, Lucy Beaumont and Joe Wilkinson both appeared on 8 out of 10 Cats Does Countdown, while Stephen Fry and Joe Wilkinson were both in Netflix’s Sex Education.
All of those overlapping friendships will make for some fascinating alliances as the series continues.
The BBC has been contacted for comment.