Andy Murray held talks with Celebrity Traitors bosses as rumoured series two contestants emerge

As the first series of the BBC’s celebrity spin-off comes to an end, attention is already turning to who could enter the iconic Traitors castle next

Murray held talks with BBC bosses over appearing on The Celebrity Traitors(Image: Jan Kruger/Getty Images)

The Celebrity Traitors reaches its thrilling climax tonight, with Alan Carr, Cat Burns, Joe Marler, Nick Mohammed and David Olusoga battling it out to get their hands on a huge jackpot prize.

After weeks of sleuthing, murdering and banishing, the stakes could not be higher, with the titular ‘traitors’ – Carr and Burns – still in the game. They will claim the prize pot of up to £100,000 for themselves unless the remaining ‘faithful’ team of Marler, Mohammed and Olusoga rumble them at the eleventh hour.

The celebrity spin-off of the show has been a huge success for the BBC and, as viewers wait for the conclusion of the series, attention is already turning to the programme’s future. BBC bosses are yet to officially commission a second series of the show but they are already said to be casting names, according to radio DJ Chris Evans.

The Virgin Radio UK presenter revealed that he was approached to take part in a new series of the show while interviewing former England football manager Sir Gareth Southgate, who was coy himself when he was quizzed on whether he had also been asked to join the BBC programme.

“Now, I know they’re putting out feelers for next year’s Celebrity Traitors,” said Evans, before asking Southgate: “Have they reached out to you?”

When the former Three Lions boss hesitated and laughed, the presenter added: “They’ve reached out, I love it! Yes, you’ve got to do it!” However, Southgate then replied that, having played a version of the game within the England camp, he knew that he was a “hopeless traitor”.

Gareth Southgate said he makes a “hopeless traitor”(Image: Julian Finney/Getty Images)

The manager has now revealed that the idea to play the game in camp came from Wrexham defender Conor Coady, with the former Liverpool, Wolves and Leicester man potentially another target for the BBC given his enthusiasm for the format.

“Thanks to Conor Coady, we also had ‘Traitors’ to play — our version of the popular TV game,” Southgate wrote in his newly-released memoir.

“All of the players were involved, taking the role of either ‘traitor’ or ‘faithful,’ and all spending their downtime engaging in the deception, trying to eliminate their opponents or remain undetected. Conor’s innovation was so popular, in fact, that in future tournaments, such as Euro 24, the wider staff started playing too.”

However, there could be more than one famous face from the world of football involved in a future series, with Chelsea and England legend Frank Lampard also said to be an avid fan of the show.

Harry Clark, who won the second series of the regular show as a traitor, revealed earlier this year that the Premier League icon had sent him a message on Instagram after the series ended.

“Frank said he was impressed with how I played the game,” the 24-year-old said. “He actually asked me where I learned the tricks I used to get everyone on my side on the show. I said, ‘I learned them from watching you on the football pitch’. He’s actually a mastermind!”

Travis Kelce has expressed interest in taking part in The Traitors(Image: Bryan M. Bennett/Getty Images)

Outside of football, Sir Andy Murray is another potential candidate for a follow-up series, having reportedly pulled out of the current series alongside his mother Judy. The duo had been linked with appearing on the spin-off for some time but talks fell through last year, according to the Scottish Sun.

With the tennis legend now making the most of his retirement, there is a chance he could be tempted back into talks with BBC bosses and become the latest knight of the realm to enter the castle.

Elsewhere, NFL star Travis Kelce has also expressed interest in taking part in a version of the show, with his mother Donna taking part on the latest US series.

“I just want to play the game,” he told his brother Jason on their New Heights podcast. “Like, it’s a show that I think I would have fun with.”

Away from the world of sport, other names being linked with taking part in a second series include Gavin & Stacey actress Ruth Jones, comedian Bob Mortimer, singer Lily Allen and Friends star Courteney Cox.