The return of The Celebrity Traitors was a huge numbers win for the BBC, with an average of 8.9 million viewers.
The second series of the game show launched on Thursday, with the episode ending on a cliffhanger with two celebs fighting for their lives.
According to the broadcaster, the episode recorded an average audience of 8.9 million viewers – with the number peaking at 9.1 million at one point.
The episode also brought in an audience share of 54.9 per cent.
Hosted by Claudia Winkleman, the hit series sees 21 celebrity contestants try to seek out the traitors among them who ‘kill off’ players in the middle of the night.
The first series of the celebrity spin-off debuted last autumn and was a ratings winner for the BBC, with its nail-biting finale hitting a peak of 15.4 million viewers – the biggest TV audience of 2025.
The civilian edition of The Traitors, which launched in 2022, is also highly successful, and its recent series finale in January became the most-watched in the history of that version after bringing in a peak audience of 9.6 million.
The Celebrity Traitors premiere introduced the latest batch of contestants, including actor Richard E Grant and Love Island host Maya Jama – both of whom were selected as the first two traitors.
The pair were later told they had a chance to recruit and could kill another contestant at the same time.
They selected comedian James Acaster, 41, and University Challenge presenter Amol Rajan, 43, who had to meet the two traitors face to face and were challenged with pleading their case.
Both said they could help deflect attention for Grant after he accidentally revealed to multiple people he was a traitor, with the episode ending before the traitors selected who to save.
The celebrities are playing the game in Ardross Castle in the Highlands, with a cash prize of up to £100,000 for a charity of their choice up for grabs.
The launch episode also saw the stars challenged with a treasure hunt as they won £15,000 for their prize pool.
The Celebrity Traitors continues on Friday at 8pm on BBC One.
