The first glimpse of The Celebrity Traitors season 2 has already left fans worrying about one particular contestant.

Michael Sheen has barely entered the game, but viewers are already convinced that his intelligence, acting experience and familiarity with deception could make him an obvious target.

The Welsh actor is among 21 celebrities heading to the Scottish Highlands for the second series of the BBC reality game show, with Claudia Winkleman once again presiding over a competition built around trust, suspicion and betrayal. The new series begins on October 1, 2026, with an extended opening episode on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.

Michael Sheen already looks like a player to watch

The format remains familiar. The celebrities will be divided between the Faithfuls and the secret Traitors, with the Faithfuls attempting to identify the people working against them while the Traitors try to remain undetected.

For the Traitors, survival means convincing everyone else that they can be trusted. For the Faithfuls, one wrong decision at the Round Table could send an innocent contestant home.

The first celebrity series became a major success, with Alan Carr ultimately surviving as the final Traitor and taking the charity prize after a dramatic run. Its finale attracted a peak audience of 15.4 million viewers, according to figures reported by the BBC.

Now a new group of celebrities is preparing to enter the castle, including Richard E. Grant, Bella Ramsey, Maya Jama, Miranda Hart, James Blunt, Jerry Hall, Leigh-Anne Pinnock, James Acaster, Joe Lycett, Romesh Ranganathan, Ross Kemp and Michael Sheen.

And it is Sheen who has already attracted plenty of attention.

Why fans think Michael Sheen could be in danger

The 57-year-old Good Omens star has several qualities that could make him particularly dangerous in the game.

For one thing, Sheen is already a longtime fan of The Traitors. His enthusiasm for the show has been well established, and civilian-series favourite Diane even sent him a birthday message several years ago.

In the newly released trailer, Sheen makes his feelings about the game clear, saying: “I am huge fan of this game… now it’s my turn.”

That enthusiasm could prove useful once the game begins. It could also make him stand out.

Sheen also has something else working in his favour: years of experience playing characters who are capable of deception.

His screen roles have included Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, Emperor Nero and Twilight vampire Aro. That experience could be valuable whether Claudia Winkleman chooses him as a Traitor or leaves him among the Faithful.

Then there is Sheen himself. His appearances on programmes such as The Assembly, his work in interviews and his new role as presenter of House of Games have given viewers plenty of opportunities to see his quick thinking and ability to hold his own in conversation.

Put all of that together and it is easy to see why fans are already wondering whether he could become one of the game’s biggest targets.

‘Too smart’ could be Michael Sheen’s biggest problem

Being good at The Traitors can sometimes come with a downside.

A contestant who appears particularly perceptive can quickly attract suspicion, especially if the other players become worried that they are capable of identifying the Traitors before everyone else.

That was the fate fans remember from the first celebrity series, when Stephen Fry, a Faithful, made a surprisingly early exit.

With Sheen now entering the same environment, viewers have started to wonder whether history could repeat itself.

Some fans have already declared that they want to see him make it all the way to the end. Others are worried that his reputation for intelligence could make him an immediate target.

Fans are already campaigning for him to survive

The reaction began even before the new trailer gave viewers their first proper glimpse of the cast in action.

One YouTube commenter joked that they would be protesting if Michael Sheen were killed off in the first episode. Another simply said they hoped he would win.

A third viewer took the threat of an early exit even further, joking that if Sheen failed to win, they would be sending a “very stern letter” to the BBC.

The same concern has appeared on Reddit, where one commenter summed up the danger with the observation that “clever people tend to be murdered first”.

Another fan suggested that Claudia could be tempted to choose Sheen as a Traitor, arguing that his personality and reputation might make him an obvious choice. Someone else wondered whether he would dominate if given the Traitor role or instead be targeted early because the other contestants considered him “too smart”.

Those are, of course, predictions from viewers rather than indications of what will actually happen in the game.

The official first-look teaser confirms that Sheen is among the celebrities arriving in the Scottish Highlands, but it does not reveal whether he is a Traitor or Faithful, nor how long he will remain in the competition. The BBC has kept the central mystery of Claudia’s selections under wraps.

The new series is almost here

The second series brings together 21 celebrities, with Sheen joined by Amol Rajan, Bella Ramsey, James Acaster, James Blunt, Jerry Hall, Joanne McNally, Joe Lycett, Julie Hesmondhalgh, King Kenny, Leigh-Anne Pinnock, Maya Jama, Miranda Hart, Myha’la, Professor Hannah Fry, Richard E. Grant, Rob Beckett, Romesh Ranganathan, Ross Kemp, Sebastian Croft and Sharon Rooney.

The celebrities will once again be based at the Scottish Highlands castle as they attempt to work out who among them is secretly plotting against the group.

The new series launches on Thursday, October 1, 2026, with an extra-long opening episode airing from 8pm to 9.15pm. Further episodes will follow on Thursdays and Fridays.

Until then, Michael Sheen’s fate remains unknown.

For now, fans can only watch the first-look footage, speculate about which side he will be on and hope that the actor’s apparent intelligence does not make him one of the first names written down for elimination.