Celebrity Traitors Odds: Ricky Gervais Favourite For Star-Studded Series

The Traitors is arguably one of the most talked about TV shows of the year, and fans were given a huge boost late last month when the BBC confirmed a third civilian series is in the works, as is a celebrity special.  

There has been speculation for a while on UK betting sites about which stars might sign up for Celebrity Traitors, and the BBC have admitted they have been in talks with "presenters, actors and experts".  

BBC's unscripted boss Kate Phillips said recently at the Edinburgh TV Festival: "We are going to do Celebrity Traitors, which I think will be brilliant. The people that we have spoken to are presenters, actors, experts - they all think they can play the game and they know what to do. 

"But of course that's the joy of the format - you come in thinking you can nail it. So I'm really looking forward to celebrities making huge mistakes and falling on their swords. But I think it'll be great fun." 

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In The Traitors, which is dubbed the "ultimate game of deception", contestants are split into groups of Faithful and Traitors, and the aim of the game is for the Faithful to work out who are the Traitors.  

Each night the Traitors are able to "murder" one of the Faithful, but beforehand the whole group meet in roundtable banishments to send one of their co-stars home - with the majority hoping they axe a Traitor rather than a Faithful. 

Celebrity Traitors is due to be filmed early next year at Scotland's Ardross Castle, where Claudia Winkleman shot the first three seasons of the regular show.  

Traitor Life For Ricky? 

Comedian Ricky Gervais is one of the latest stars who has been linked with Celebrity Traitors, and the After Life actor appears to have all the ingredients to be the ideal contestant.  

A TV insider recently told The Sun newspaper: "The Beeb want the creme de la creme of stars for the celeb spin-off, and they ideally have to be incredibly smart, funny, and mischievous - and that’s Ricky in three words." 

Despite this, Ricky has played down speculation linking him to the show - but is all what it seems?  

He wrote on X: "I love the show and I’m very flattered, but it won’t happen. I’m too busy and there’s no way they could afford me." 

Who Could Appear On Celebrity Traitor Odds?

This is exactly the kind of thing a potential Traitor would say, of course.  

Ricky is 4/6 favourite on specials betting sites to take part in the series, while fellow comedian Jonathan Ross is 8/11 second favourite, and This Morning host Alison Hammond is Evens.  

Other popular picks include Jeremy Clarkson, who is 6/4, and national treasure Stephen Fry, who is into 13/8, from 9/1, after he was recently linked.  

Family Fortunes  

One of the biggest bombshells in the latest series of The Traitors happened when the audience discovered contestants Diane and Ross Carson were mother and son.  

And there was a similar shock, but for the contestants, in series one when they found out Tom Elderfield and Alex Gray were boyfriend and girlfriend, but had been keeping their relationship status a secret.  

As a result, it would be no surprise if a famous pairing took part in Celebrity Traitors.  

Due to their fame they wouldn't have the advantage of being able to let slip their identities on their own terms, but it could be interesting to see how it would work if one was a Traitor and the other was a Faithful.  

Strictly Come Dancing host Tess Daly and her radio presenter husband Vernon Kay are 7/4 on betting apps to be part of the first-ever Celebrity Traitors line up, while former football manager Harry Redknapp and his ex-pro footballer son Jamie Redknapp are 2/1.  

What's more, tennis coach Judy Murray and her now-retired tennis player son Andy Murray (9/4) have also been mentioned as a possible star-studded family pairing who might take part.  

A TV insider told The Sun newspaper: "Although the famous couple won’t have any secrecy around the fact they are linked, it will still create huge amounts of suspicion and paranoia and really test allegiances. 

"Will family ties prevent them from stabbing their relative or partner in the back? Would it warp the normal dynamic between the Traitors when it comes time to ‘murder’ their loved ones?" 

Friend Or Foe?  

Friends star Courteney Cox isn't far behind on new betting sites, with the US actor 5/2 to appear in Celebrity Traitors. 

Not only has she been linked with the programme, but Courteney is good friends with the show's host Claudia and has even appeared in a video promoting the show.  

In April 2023, the BBC posted a clip of Courteney wearing a Traitors cloak, and she could be seen saying to the TV presenter: "Claudia, can I please do it?" 

But Claudia jokingly replied: "I’ve said this to you before, it’s a no. You cannot apply if you are a celebrity, or if you’re as famous as this one." 

The clip was to encourage people to apply for the second series of the hit show, but, of course, now celebrities can take part in the upcoming star-studded version.  

Fellow US actor Anna Kendrick is also 5/2, while a politician is also likely to take part.  

Some might say they already have an advantage if it came to portraying a Traitor given the nature of their job.  

Health Secretary-turned-I'm A Celebrity...Get Me Out Of Here! star Matt Hancock (3/1) and fellow former jungle star Nigel Farage (33/1) could be in the Celebrity Traitors conversation, as could Liz Truss.  

The former PM, who is 9/1 for a castle appearance, holds the unwanted record of being the shortest-serving prime minister in Britain's history at just 49 days - and she no doubt encountered a few Traitors during that stint.  

* Reminder: These are hypothetical odds provided by industry experts.