Noor Nanji
Culture correspondent

With now just 20 minutes to go until the new series begins, lets turn our attentions back to tonight. Here's culture correspondent Noor Nanji with some of the contestants she's looking forward to seeing.

I haven’t watched a second of this series yet, but I’m already laughing at James Blunt. I know he’s going to be hilarious.

I’m also obsessed with seeing how the close friendship of comedians Rob Beckett and Romesh Ranganathan will be put to the test by the show.

Will Rob become a traitor, and lie point-blank to Romesh? Or the other way around? Either would be TV gold.

Elsewhere, I think Bella Ramsey is worth keeping an eye on.

It’s sometimes been said the younger celebs are disadvantaged, as they know fewer people before entering the castle – but I think Ramsey (like Cat Burns last year) might fly beneath the radar and play a clever game.

Imogen James
Live reporter

Image source, Getty Images

As a local to Inverness, I get a little bit nerdy about the Traitors.

The Highlands is a close-knit community, so from the minute the series came out, it was all over local Facebook groups.

People try and figure out the hotel the contestants stay at - there's a fleet of blacked out cars, you know the ones, parked up outside it for weeks at a time.

When a challenge is filmed, the locations are often posted by locals online.

I tend to shout "I've been there" at the telly when it's somewhere I know.

I've spoken to nearby residents too, who have even been invited on screen, playing the characters in some of the games and challenges.

Seeing the local beauty spots on the screen is never tiring, from Fyrish Monument, to the Pink House on Loch Glass.

But, if I may, it always bugs me when they arrive via train. That train line is not near the castle...

Regardless, people across the world are now paying attention to this corner of Scotland, bringing business and enthusiasm, along with a faithful dedication to the show.

Charlotte Hadfield
Live reporter

Image source, BBC/Studio Lambert/Euan Cherry

This post contains spoilers about past seasons of the Traitors and Celebrity Traitors

Everything is on the (round) table when it comes to this year's Celebrity Traitors, but one thing is certain - we can expect plenty of shock twists and devious beytrals.

The parting gift: When it comes to the Traitors, drama has been guaranteed from the very beginning. Way back in series one, Kieran told the remaining players he had written fellow traitor Wilf's name on his slate as a "parting gift", shortly before being banished at the final roundtable.

But Ross is: The most memorable moment of series two saw Diane privately turn to the camera and tell viewers, following speculation from other players, that Paul was not her son, "but Ross is".

A fake accent: In a hilariously pointless plot twist at the start of series three, Londoner Charlotte told viewers: "I've been putting on a Welsh accent because my mum's from Wales, it's one of the most trustworthy accents."

Secret traitor: Meanwhile, series four saw Fiona become a "secret traitor" who was given various powers, such as being able to compile a shortlist of players the other traitors were allowed to murder.

A civil war soon erupted as Fiona tried to outst fellow traitor Rachel after accusing her of lying about a secret conversation she had with banished contestant and former detective Amanda.

Murdered in plain sight: And how could we forget the devious moment celebrity traitor Alan Carr chose to murder his best friend, singer Paloma Faith, in plain sight on last year's Celebrity Traitors. As host Claudia Winkleman slammed Faith's coffin lid shut, Carr couldn't help a guilty grimace.

Paddy Ross
Associate professor of psychology at Durham University, and Traitors obsessive

One interesting aspect of the celebrity version of The Traitors is the prior knowledge contestants bring in with them.

If they don’t know each other personally, they’ll certainly know each other professionally or be big fans of one another. This creates a problem psychologically.

We are all very susceptible to a cognitive bias known as the halo effect. This is when we take some positive attribute about someone and assume it means they have other positive qualities.

See the curious case of national treasure and champion murderer Alan Carr in series one. His ability to make people laugh made people assume, through the halo effect, that he was also trustworthy.

We are also weak to confirmation bias, which is when we ignore evidence that conflicts with our already held beliefs.

These two effects were so strong that - even after giggling when having to say he was faithful - people couldn’t bring themselves to change their minds about Alan’s trustworthiness.

So, if a celebrity wants to win, they’ll have to park all their previous knowledge of each other at the castle door. Something that is much easier said than done…

Eleanor Shearwood
Newsbeat presenter

Image source, BBC/Studio Lambert/Euan Cherry

As we've just been reporting, one of the main differences between the regular series and celebrity one is that some contestants know each other quite well before they go into the castle.

So who better to ask what that’s like than Ellie Buckley and Ross Garshong, who hid their relationship in the most recent series in January.

"We thought going in ‘this is great, we’ve got an accomplice’ but you’re so worried about how they’re doing, I got super distracted,” Ellie says.

“It made it so much harder.

“But I think it’ll be different for the celebrities because their connections are known, they’re not trying to cover anything up.”

Ross agrees and says he thinks knowing someone else in the show can be “a false confidence”, as the game can change people.

“What will be really fun with the celebrities is how they are in the castle will be completely different to how they are in person,” he says.

Their advice to the celebs going in this year? “Don’t overthink it,” says Ellie.

“I think all the people who do lots of academic thinking, we all overthink the game and you have to rely on instinct and make quick decisions.”

We've been hearing from you this evening, with the new Celebrity Traitors series set to get under way shortly.

With around an hour to go, Layla Carvellfrom Tamworth gets in touch to say she "cannot WAIT for the series to start".

Beverly in Coventry is just as excited after enjoying last year's inaugural Celebrity Traitors.

She tells us she has "really high hopes that this second series is going to be just as superb", and is particularly "excited to see how Julie Hesmondhalgh and Miranda both play the game".

Well Layla and Beverly, not long to go now...

Freya Scott-Turner
Live reporter

We've spent a bit of time digging into the connections between this series' contestants prior to entering the castle - unearthing friendships, professional collaborations and interviews.

Some - like Joe Lycett and Romesh Ranganathan - appear to have more exisiting connections, compared to figures like Sharon Rooney or Myha'la.

Could they enjoy a significant advantage, or will this make them targets?

It's possible that there are some celebrity connections not marked on this diagram.

For instance, Ross Kemp and Julie Hesmondhalgh are both titans of the soap scene - but lacking concrete evidence of a meeting, we've left these suspected connections off the diagram.

No doubt, all will become clear when episode one gets under way.

Noor Nanji
Culture correspondent

Image source, BBC / Celebrity Traitors

Last year was all about the viral moments.

Who can forget Tom Daley’s side eye, Celia Imrie’s fart, and that epic finale with Alan Carr in floods of tears?

I’m personally excited for those big telly moments, which are guaranteed to set social media alight again.

It’s also going to be fascinating to see the dynamics between the cast evolve.

In Celebrity Traitors, the players aren't just on-screen competitors – many are actually friends outside the show.

Like last time, this series is full of people who are connected in different ways, adding a whole new layer of drama.

More on that in our next post...

Doug Martin
University of Aberdeen psychology professor and avid Traitors fan

Before anyone enters the castle, before the traitors and faithful have even been selected, players and viewers start forming instant impressions:

Is that person trustworthy or treacherous, are they warm and friendly or cold and calculating, are they sincere or savage?

We form first impressions within milliseconds, often based on prior experience or societal stereotypes.

Crucially, as soon as we categorise someone as “good guy” or “bad guy” we start seeking evidence to support our impression. Evidence supporting our impression is remembered, evidence that doesn’t is forgotten.

However, all this is filtered through the lens of our existing impressions. One to watch out for is how people interpret the classic breakfast table question: “How did you sleep?”

Depending on a player’s existing impression, “I had a great sleep” is interpreted as evidence of the clear conscience of a faithful or the smug assurance of a traitor.

“I had a terrible sleep” is interpreted as a faithful worried about being murdered or a traitor whose conscience is getting the better of them after a late-night scheming in the turret.

There is much more than pastries and fruit to digest at the breakfast table!

Image source, PA Media

The short version

• Put simply: 21 celebs spend several weeks in a Scottish castle lying and murdering one another and it's all in the name of charity
• Some caveats: the murders aren't real, but the lying is - and so is the cash prize, worth up to £100,000 for charity

The long version

• The game begins with host Claudia Winkleman selecting several "traitors" from the group. The remaining players - the "faithful" - don't know who has been selected
• All players gather daily at the "round table" to try to vote out the traitors - the eliminated player then reveals their true identity, faithful or traitor
• Each night, the traitors meet in secret in the castle's turret and decide who to "murder". That person is eliminated from the game
• If there are any traitors left at the end of the game, they take home the cash prize (for their chosen charity, we should add...)
• If only faithful remain, they split the money between them (again donating it to their charities)
• Oh... and there are some challenges along the way which allow players to add more money to the jackpot

Of course, it wouldn't be the Traitors without if things were that simple - so expect plenty of twists and turns along the way.

Eleanor Shearwood
Newsbeat presenter

We've been holding our own mini round table with Traitors superfans at BBC Newsbeat’s castle – fine, it's an office – in Birmingham.

Ed Dunmore, 23, has just graduated from university in the city and also does stand-up comedy, so no prizes for guessing which group of contestants he’s interested in.

"With the comedians, it's quite a good group of them that are already friends so I think it’ll be quite interesting to see how those dynamics play out, [and] whether they’ve got a good read on each other," he says.

Reiss Singh, a 23-year-old videographer, agrees and is a big fan of Rob Beckett and Romesh Ranganathan.

"I love their dynamic and hope they bring that to the screen," he says.

Outside of the comedians, Reiss hopes the younger celebs - like King Kenny - get "more screen time", after fellow YouTuber Niko Omilana was banished first in the last series.

"I was such a big fan of his and for him to be one of the first ones out, it was a shame," he says.

Noor Nanji
Culture correspondent

Image source, BBC/Studio Lambert

This series has big shoes to fill after last year - and has booked a strong line-up of famous faces.

We were all wondering how this Celebrity Traitors could possibly compete with the likes of Stephen Fry, Alan Carr and Celia Imrie last year.

Enter Richard E Grant, Jerry Hall, Maya Jama and Michael Sheen. Okay… this year’s line-up is JUST as star-studded.

And like last time, there’s a good mix of old and young, broadcast regulars, comedians and stars of the small and big screen.

Twenty-one celebs are trading the red carpet for a draughty castle with one of the highest mortality rates in Scotland (that last bit is unverified...).

Host Claudia Winkleman said she "couldn't get over it" when she heard who was taking part, adding that her bosses "had to repeat the names at least three times".

Get to know this year's contestants a little better below:

Caitlin Doherty
Live editor

Image source, BBC/ Studio Lambert

Here we are again...

It seems not all that long ago we were watching Alan Carr clinch it at the last moment in last year's first ever Celebrity Traitors.

Gather your Big Dogs, because the next bunch of celebrities are about to be welcomed to the castle.

Twenty-one famous faces will shortly walk through the doors at Ardross Castle in the Scottish Highlands, vying to take home up to £100,000 for their chosen charity.

The first episode will start in a couple of hours - at 20:00 BST on BBC One, iPlayer or by pressing watch live at the top of the page.

You'll be able to follow along here with us, alongside an extra special Traitors guest.