In this article
TL;DR
We ran recorded video conversations with 30 UK viewers after the first two episodes of The Celebrity Traitors series 2.
They gave the series an average score of 9 out of 10, and every viewer scored it 7 or higher.
Only 3 viewers said last year’s lineup was better. Richard E. Grant was the most named star of the show, by 7 of 29.
Just over half think series 2 will beat series 1. The doubters had one name: Alan Carr.
Social Studies is a Conveo series that runs studies on today’s trending topics. The Celebrity Traitors is the BBC game show where famous players are secretly cast as Faithfuls or Traitors. Series 2 began on BBC One on 1 October 2026, and nearly 9 million people watched the premiere. We asked UK viewers whether the new series has them hooked, and which of the cast they are watching.
How we ran the study
Conveo ran recorded video conversations with 30 UK viewers after episodes one and two. Conveo’s AI research assistant moderated every conversation. Inside each one, viewers:
scored the series so far out of 10
summed it up in one word
compared this year’s cast with last year’s
named the celebrity they see as the star of the show
said whether they think series 2 will beat series 1
Counts based on fewer than 30 answers are directional, not conclusive.
1. Viewers are hooked two episodes in
The 30 viewers gave the series an average score of 8.8 out of 10, which rounds to 9. Nobody scored it below 7: 3 viewers gave it a 7, 8 gave it an 8, 11 gave it a 9 and 8 gave it a perfect 10.
Asked for one word, they said “chaos”, “addictive”, “iconic”, “volatile” and “bonkers”.
“My one word for Celebrity Traitors Season 2 so far would be chaos.”
UK participant
2. The cast is what’s driving it
Viewers credited the casting. Only 3 viewers said last year’s lineup was better.
“I think the casting this year is really good. I think they’re brilliant choices and I’m looking forward to see what they get up to.”
UK participant
3. Richard E. Grant is the early favorite
Asked who the star of the show is, 7 of 29 viewers named Richard E. Grant. Maya Jama came next with 4, then James Acaster with 3. With 29 answers, read these counts as directional.
“He’s already standing out way above everybody else. I think he’s so funny. He’s got such a zest for life.”
UK participant
Ross Kemp’s paranoia is going down well too.
“He’s already provided quite a lot of entertainment because he just thinks everything that happens to him is him being murdered in plain sight.”
UK participant
One viewer expects Maya Jama to hold her own under pressure.
“I think she just knows her way around a camera and I think she’s going to bring lots of fun but also some like feistiness if people try and question her.”
UK participant
4. Series 1 is still the bar to beat
Just over half of viewers think series 2 will beat series 1. In the clearly coded answers, 15 of 25 said yes, 7 said no, 2 said it would be on par and 1 was unsure. An earlier pass on the same question counted 16 of 30, so treat the exact split as directional. The doubters kept coming back to Alan Carr, from series 1.
“The first series of Celebrity Traitors was just phenomenal. It was so good and it was because of Alan Carr.”
UK participant
What this means
Two episodes in, UK viewers are faithful, and the cast is the reason. Whether the series keeps them depends on the new faces measuring up to the old ones.
Run your own social study
In Conveo, every finding in this study links back to the recorded conversations behind it. Run the same kind of study on the stories, campaigns and products your audience is talking about.
