The Celebrity Traitors breaks BBC records with 6.1m viewers after star-studded line-up

The Celebrity Traitors launch has been nothing short of a TV phenomenon, and now the numbers prove it.

The highly anticipated celebrity spin-off drew a jaw-dropping 6.1 million live viewers, making it the biggest-ever launch in The Traitors UK history.

And that's not even counting BBC iPlayer streams.

Has Celebrity Traitors broken BBC records?

The debut episode outperformed every previous series premiere and now ranks as the second most-watched instalment of the franchise, just behind the series three finale earlier this year.

Jonathan Ross is one of the Traitors (Picture: BBC)

According to the BBC, viewership peaked at 6.5 million, with an impressive 52.7 per cent of households tuning in. The average audience of 6.1 million also secured a 46.4 per cent share — numbers most prime-time shows can only dream of.

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With iPlayer figures yet to be included, experts predict the final tally could soar beyond 10 million. Cementing the show as one of the BBC's most successful reality debuts in years.

Who's in the Celebrity Traitors line-up?

The celebrity edition, hosted by The Traitors queen Claudia Winkleman, has gathered 19 famous faces in the Scottish Highlands for a high-stakes battle of strategy and suspicion.

Among the stars vying for £100,000 for charity are Alan Carr, Kate Garraway, Jonathan Ross, Charlotte Church, Tom Daley, Stephen Fry, Celia Imrie, and Cat Burns.

The Celebrity Traitors line-up is brilliant (Picture: BBC)

Just like the original format, contestants are split into Faithfuls and Traitors, with the Faithfuls tasked with exposing the liars before being "murdered" one by one.

Meanwhile, the Traitors must charm, deceive, and survive the game without being unmasked.

What happened on The Celebrity Traitors episode one?

Viewers were left howling as Charlotte Church dramatically dove into a grave during the first challenge, leaving little to the imagination.

While the other celebs sensibly grabbed shovels, Charlotte went rogue, clawing at the dirt with her bare hands. Ruining her white dress in the process.

One viewer called the moment "TV gold", while another joked: "Whoever put Charlotte Church's medal deep in that grave deserves a medal themselves."

Who are the Traitors this season?

In a dramatic reveal, this year's secret Traitors were unmasked as Jonathan Ross, Alan Carr, and Cat Burns.

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Meanwhile, Alan seemed particularly flustered by the twist, admitting: "I have a sweating problem and I can't keep a secret. What am I going to do?"

Afterwards, fans were quick to call it "the most premium celebrity cast a celebrity format has ever seen."

One social media user wrote: "This is such a stellar cast, TV will never be this good again." Another added: "I'm actually obsessed with this cast already — 10/10 from the BBC!"