Fresh insights into the making of The Celebrity Traitors are starting to surface as the BBC programme continues this evening.
After winning over viewers nationwide when the civilian version debuted in 2022, the cherished whodunit gameshow has made a triumphant comeback that's even more gripping than before.
With Alan Carr's dramatic reveal alongside fellow Traitors Cat Burns and Jonathan Ross in the tower, Charlotte Church digging her own grave, and Clare Balding's costly blunder in the opening challenge, this series looks set to surpass all expectations thanks to its stellar celebrity line-up.
Whilst BBC executives have successfully secured household names including Celia Imrie, Stephen Fry, Kate Garraway and Paloma Faith, it's now emerged that the famous faces received exactly the same treatment as ordinary contestants.
Just like the original format and its American counterpart, The Celebrity Traitors is shot at Ardross Castle in Alness, situated north of Inverness in the Scottish Highlands, reports the Daily Record.
But the beautiful setting, which boasts 100 acres of parkland perfect for all the challenges, isn't actually where the celebrities sleep.
According to reports, the stars stayed in the same hotel used as the non-celebrity version, close to Inverness airport.
The Daily Mail notes the celebrities were all located on one floor with a "lockdown-style curfew" with mobiles confiscated.
"There was to be no social media, just old-fashioned phone calls," a source claimed.
Though the hotel was open to the public, the stars were allowed out at certain times for cigarette breaks and short walks, with security guards keeping an eye.
An insider added: "They must have had a shock, some of them would never have stayed anywhere that s*** before, it was hardly salubrious."
The BBC declined to comment when approached.
The Celebrity Traitors was filmed earlier this year in spring, around April.
Though the cast had not been confirmed at the time, suspicions arose when the celebrities then-rumoured to be taking part were away from their day jobs, with the likes of Kate Garraway missing from Good Morning Britain at the time.
Filming of the civilian series followed shortly after, which is due to air in January with its fourth season.
Talking about how filming is kept so "secretive", like a "military operation", executive producer Mike Cotton told The Daily Mail: "When they're not at the castle they're on lockdown in individual lodgings. They don't have access to the internet or telephones. They can't communicate with one another or the outside world in any way."
During an episode of The Rest Is Entertainment podcast, Marina Hyde and Richard Osman addressed the fees for the celebrities taking part.
Marina explained that all the celebrities were given "a blanket fee" of £40,000, meaning a total of £760,000 was spent on the cast alone.
This vastly differs to reports about how much the contestants on the civilian show get paid, with The Sun claiming their expenses are covered working out to around £100 per day.
The civilian series sees the Faithfuls or Traitors win a prizepot of £100,000, with money gained or lost during the challenges set by Claudia throughout the series.
This version is no different, but instead of winning for themselves or their loved ones, the celebrities will play the ultimate game of detection, backstabbing and trust in the hope of winning a cash prize for a charity of their choice.
The Celebrity Traitors began last week, and the next episode airs tonight, Wednesday October 15, at 9pm on BBC One and iPlayer.
The second this week will air tomorrow night at the same time, with two episodes following each week.
With nine episodes in total, the final is expected to air at the beginning of November.