Sebastian Croft’s Celebrity Traitors plan starts as hoped — but there’s a catch

Sebastian Croft began The Celebrity Traitors’ second series as a Faithful when the BBC show returned on 1 October 2026, with 21 celebrities competing at Ardross Castle in the Scottish Highlands. That matched the first part of the actor’s stated game plan: start out innocent, then get recruited as a Traitor.

His other dream involved fellow contestant and friend Bella Ramsey. “I love Bella! Imagine us in the turret together. That would be the dream,” he said before the series, according to TV Guide. But the premiere placed Ramsey among the Faithfuls too, and its recruitment cliffhanger centred on two different contestants.

What Sebastian Croft wanted from Celebrity Traitors

Croft was explicit about his preferred route through the game. “I think the best course of action, the dream scenario for me, is to be a Faithful and then get recruited,” he told the BBC in pre-show comments reproduced by Radio Times.

His reasoning was that beginning as a Faithful would let him express a sincere belief in his innocence early on. He also acknowledged the limit of all that preparation: he could consider the possibilities, but could not control which role he would receive.

The preparation was extensive. Croft described talking through strategies, previous series and rule changes with his brother. He also said he had been reading the rules and revisiting twists including the deadlock, the Chest of Chance and a dagger giving a player two round-table votes. Those were examples of his homework, not announcements about this series.

His interest predates the casting. In the interview reproduced by Radio Times, Croft said his family plays the game at Christmas and that his previous December birthday party had a Traitors theme before he knew he would join the programme.

How Sebastian Croft knows Bella Ramsey

Croft and Ramsey both appeared in Game of Thrones season six, although TV Guide reports that they did not share a scene. Croft played young Ned Stark. Their shared credit is established; the precise beginning of their friendship is not.

Croft openly discussed his affection for Ramsey before entering the castle. His turret comment described something he wanted to happen. It does not establish that they had agreed to work together or entered the show with a secret alliance.

Ramsey brought their own experience of similar games. “I’ve been playing a version of The Traitors since I was 10 years old,” they said in Helen Bushby’s BBC News launch report, which described games at drama clubs and at home. That explains Ramsey’s interest in taking part, rather than confirming Croft’s hoped-for partnership.

Where you’ve seen Sebastian Croft before

The 24-year-old actor and singer may be familiar to Netflix viewers as Ben in Heartstopper. Netflix’s official cast guide lists Croft among the actors from previous seasons who do not appear in season three.

That departure was explained well before Celebrity Traitors. “Ben’s role in Heartstopper is now complete,” creator Alice Oseman told Netflix’s Tudum in August 2023. The article identifies season two’s seventh episode as the character’s farewell.

Netflix also records Croft’s young Ned Stark role across two Game of Thrones episodes in 2016. His other credits include a Penny Dreadful guest arc, voice work in Love, Death & Robots season two and an appearance in Doom Patrol.

What the Celebrity Traitors premiere confirmed

The Standard’s premiere recap names Maya Jama and Richard E Grant as the two initial Traitors, with Croft and Ramsey among the Faithfuls. That was a change from the first celebrity series, which began with three Traitors: Alan Carr, Jonathan Ross and Cat Burns.

The immediate opportunity to join Jama and Grant went to Amol Rajan and James Acaster. According to The Standard, both made their cases before lying in coffins while the Traitors discussed their choice. One would be recruited; the other would be eliminated. The recap left that outcome unresolved.

For Croft, the confirmed position is narrower than his ambition: he began as a Faithful. The premiere recap does not establish that he was subsequently recruited or that his proposed turret partnership with Ramsey happened.

When Celebrity Traitors returns

The next episode is scheduled for Friday 2 October at 8pm BST on BBC One and iPlayer, with Uncloaked following. BBC News reports that the series runs on Thursdays and Fridays across ten episodes, one more than the first celebrity series.

The contestants are playing for a charity prize of up to £100,000, with the final amount dependent on their performance in tasks. BBC News reports that Alan Carr won the first celebrity series, which drew 15 million viewers and was the UK’s most-watched television programme of 2025. Those figures describe the previous series, not Croft’s debut.