Celebrity Traitors, a popular game show centered on deception and strategy, is set to welcome a new kind of contestant: Professor Hannah Fry, a mathematician and educator from the University of Cambridge. Fry is known for her engaging science communication on BBC TV and radio programs, including The Secret Genius of Modern Life. In preparation for her appearance, she used statistical analysis to study past seasons of the show. Her approach involved identifying patterns in how the Traitors—contestants secretly working against the group—behave, drawing parallels to the mathematical techniques used by Alan Turing during World War II to crack the Enigma machine. Fry noted that Traitors often perform a “burn vote” early in the game, voting someone out randomly to create confusion and misdirection. Fry admitted that her statistical strategies might not guarantee success. “Whether it’s going to work or not, honestly, your guess is as good as mine!” she told the BBC. She described how deeply she has immersed herself in the data, saying she has “spreadsheets coming out of my eyeballs” and that “numbers are tattooed on the inside of my eyelids.” However, she acknowledged a challenge: the Faithfuls—contestants trying to identify the Traitors—often struggle to detect the hidden players due to inconsistent behavior. “They are so all over the place that it’s really hard to pick out what the signal is,” she said. Fry’s fellow contestant, comedian James Acaster, expressed concern about her analytical approach. He joked that Fry might calculate the probability of at least one comedian being selected as a Traitor, given the number of comedians on the show. Acaster also noted that comedian Alan Carr’s victory in the first celebrity version of the game has made it harder for comedians to be trusted. “I think we’re going to be the first ones under the magnifying glass being looked at,” he said, adding that suspicions might focus on comedians forming alliances early in the game. This season’s lineup includes a mix of actors, musicians, and celebrities. Notable participants include Bella Ramsey from The Last of Us, Michael Sheen from The Damned United, and Richard E. Grant from Withnail and I. Other stars set to appear include Myha’la (from Industry), Sharon Rooney (from Two Doors Down), and former soap stars Julie Hesmondhalgh and Ross Kemp. Musicians such as Leigh-Anne Pinnock of Little Mix and James Blunt will also compete. The show will be hosted by Claudia Winkleman, who returns for the second season, which begins on Thursday, 1 October, at 8pm. The series will air two nights a week, on Thursdays and Fridays.