Celebrity Traitors: The Traitors is back - and Richard E. Grant is already causing chaos in the castle

Here to keep us glued to our sofas every Thursday and Friday for the next month, the second series of the celebrity edition of the show - by now a certified national obsession - kicked off on Thursday night in deliciously mischievous fashion.

Last year’s run was a triumph, and the second series is even more star-studded.

With national treasures like Michael Sheen and Coronation Street’s Julie Hesmondhalgh, at least five of British and Ireland's biggest comedy names plus some brilliantly rogue picks in James Blunt and Jerry Hall - this year’s bunch is an impressive and intriguing bag.

Clearly, the show is the TV ticket every mainstream celebrity is vying for. And who can blame them? Alan Carr’s profuse sweating upon getting the tap on the shoulder from Claudia, and his uncontrollable giggle when asked in the final to declare himself a Faithful, have become iconic TV moments.

Since the list of this year’s 21 contestants dropped, The Traitors superfans have been busy cooking up calculated and complex theories.

Who are this year’s “big dogs”? How will the show’s producers exploit the close friendship of Rob Beckett and Romesh Ranganathan? Could Leigh-Anne Pinnock and Bella Ramsey emerge as dark horse players?

The first episode saw the giddy celebrities strut one by one down the aisle of a church - not the usual setting we’re used to meeting the contestants in.

Then came an ominous knock at the door, followed by a coffin carried in by six terrifying masked druids. Who could possibly be inside? None other than Claudia Winkleman, her fringe as shiny as ever.

When the celebrities gathered around the round table for the first time, it was the moment everyone had been waiting for. Tension filled the room as Claudia circled the blindfolded contestants, choosing her Traitors one by one.

It was Love Island presenter Maya Jama and actor Richard E. Grant, two of the bookies favourites, who receive the all-important tap on the shoulder.

But, in a wild and totally unprecedented turn of events, just moments after discovering his role, Richard E. Grant - later dubbed the “Lord of Chaos” by journalist Amol Rajan - blurted out to the rest of the group that he was a traitor.

It’s impossible to tell in the chaos and confusion that ensues whether his bombshell admission has been a stroke of genius, or will turn out to be a fateful mistake.

While still recovering from Richard’s mind-boggling revelation, the contestants take on their first challenge, securing £15,000 of earnings to add to the money pot.

As Maya and Richard convene in the turret for the first time, Maya clearly bewildered by his rogue outburst, it’s revealed they have just 24 hours to recruit another contestant to their murderous mission.

The treacherous pair summon Amol and James Acaster, and in a nail-biting climax they decide who will join them and who will be the first celebrity to leave the castle.

It’s a classic Traitors cliff-hanger. Rest assured, we’ll be watching on Friday night.

All new episodes of The Celebrity Traitors will air on BBC One at 8pm. Viewers can also watch live on BBC iPlayer, with episodes arriving on the streaming platform shortly after the initial broadcast time.