# ‘The Celebrity Traitors’ Ratings Have Never Been Higher. So Why Has This Season Felt Unusually Flat?

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/the-celebrity-traitors-ratings-have-never-been-higher-so-why-has-this-season-felt-unusually-flat/
- Published: 2026-10-29T10:00:00+00:00
- Updated: 2026-10-29T10:51:58+00:00
- Original publisher: The Hollywood Reporter
- Original article: https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-features/the-celebrity-traitors-finale-bbc-maya-james-acaster-season-1236741685/
- Topics: Celebrity, Entertainment, Offbeat, TV, Weird & Viral

## Key points

- Season two has record ratings but feels flatter to many viewers.
- Richard E. Grant’s early exit left the turret short of a chaotic presence.
- The premiere drew 15.7 million viewers within seven days.

## Summary

The second season of The Celebrity Traitors has drawn record audiences, but many viewers have found it less lively than the first. Its early loss of Richard E. Grant, who immediately revealed he was a Traitor, removed the high-profile, unpredictable presence producers appeared to be counting on, leaving a less dramatic dynamic in the turret.

The BBC says the opening episode reached 15.7 million viewers within seven days and the second attracted 15.2 million. The premiere is the UK’s most-watched programme of 2026 so far, while the season has become the franchise’s most popular instalment and the biggest series launch across the market since 2022. TV critic Scott Bryan says the current Traitors, including Maya Jama, James Acaster and King Kenny, are entertaining but have not brought the same chaos and humour as Alan Carr and Jonathan Ross did last season.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.