The Celebrity Traitors’ cliffhanger ending over who will be the next to leave the castle drew a peak audience of 9.7 million viewers on Friday night.
The BBC said the episode of its reality gameshow, presented by Claudia Winkleman, also saw an average audience of 9.5 million and a 57.2% audience share.
Friday night’s figures represent a small dip in viewership after a peak audience of 10.3 million watched EastEnders actor Ross Kemp be murdered in plain sight by the traitors on Thursday.
It comes after the show’s launch episode achieved the largest TV audience so far in 2026, with an average of 15.41 million according to ratings organisation Barb.
The Celebrity Traitors is hosted by Claudia Winkleman (Euan Cherry/Studio Lambert/BBC/PA)
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Friday’s episode ended with actress Sharon Rooney and comedian Joanne McNally facing banishment at the roundtable, with the show concluding before content creator and traitor King Kenny could cast his deciding vote on their fate.
Earlier in the episode, comedian Miranda Hart fell victim to the traitors as she was killed off for being “a good detective”.
Hart became emotional after finding out the news, as she said the show had allowed her to “get back and do the thing that I love professionally, and do the things I love personally, wandering round the Scottish Highlands and connecting in nature”.
She added: “There was times I didn’t think that would be possible again.”
Miranda Hart left the show on Friday’s episode (Studio Lambert/BBC/PA)
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Hart has previously spoken about the fatigue she suffers as a result of her chronic illness, which she has previously linked to her Lyme disease diagnosis.
The show sees 21 celebrity contestants take part, with those assigned as faithfuls attempting to seek out those who have been made traitors, who “kill off” players in the middle of the night.
The celebrities are playing the game at Ardross Castle in the Highlands, with a cash prize of up to £100,000 for a charity of their choice up for grabs.
The Celebrity Traitors returns on BBC One and iPlayer on Thursday at 8pm.