The Celebrity Traitors, Joe Wicks: Licensed to Kill and Frauds: TV highlights this week

The Celebrity Inner Circle (Saturday 04/10/25, BBC One, 5.35pm)

Words by Sarah Morgan

Is British TV big enough to cope with two ‘backstabbing’ programmes in one week?

Millions are eagerly awaiting the launch of The Celebrity Traitors on Wednesday, but before that comes a new quiz show that also features an element of trust (or should that be distrust?) within its format.

The Celebrity Inner Circle begins tonight, and will run for six Saturdays, which the Beeb hopes will prove intriguing enough to entice viewers into watching the weekday day-time version, which starts on Monday.

The famous faces taking part are certainly interesting – it features a number of former Strictly Come Dancing contestants and, if we were being cruel, we’d suggest it comprises of those who missed out on a place in a certain Scottish castle…

Former pop star JB Gill, TV presenters Zara McDermott, Jason Mohammad, Jeff Brazier, Owain Wyn Evans and Kaye Adams, comedians Lou Sanders and Maisie Adam, sports stars past and present Sam Quek, Hannah Cockroft and Colin Jackson, Gladiator Montell Douglas, actors Sarah Parish and Nina Wadia, news anchor Charlotte Hawkins and drag performer Lawrence Chaney are among those to have all signed up.

And no celeb-based show would be complete without the presence of DJ Melvin Odoom; it feels as if he’s popped up in pretty much all of them at some point…

If those names aren’t enough to tempt you, maybe the presence of presenter Amanda Holden will. She says: “I’m so excited to be part of this thrilling new quiz that challenges contestants and entertains viewers in equal measure. It’s a fantastic opportunity to bring something fresh and fabulous to weekday afternoons and Saturday night TV, and I can’t wait to see the audience reactions!”

Some critics have likened the format to ITV’s The Fortune Hotel, with the contestants split into teams of two before going head-to-head in tension-filled battles.

In a mix of general knowledge and strategic thinking, the duos will not only be tested on what they know, but on their ability to figure out which of their fellow players can be relied on not to stab them in the back. Throughout each show, they tackle a number of games and challenges; they can join forces with their opponents if they wish, giving them a greater chance of winning the cash prize, but in the grand finale, if they’ve made a mistake, they could face the ultimate betrayal.

“We’re delighted to be joining forces to bring viewers a gripping new quiz that, for the first time, they’ll be able to play along with not only during the week, but on a Saturday tea time too,” claim Rob Unsworth, Head of BBC Daytime and Early Peak, and Kalpna Patel-Knight, the broadcaster’s Head of Entertainment.

“Getting the answers right on this show is only half the battle – contestants also need to decide who they trust enough to keep in the game, all under the watchful eye of the brilliantly mischievous Amanda Holden.”

Expect no punches to be pulled in either the celebrity version or its daily counterpart – let the battles commence!

Frauds (Sunday 05/10/25, ITV1, 9pm)

Words by Sarah Morgan

Want to know what ITV1’s latest big drama is all about? Let’s ask one of its stars, Suranne Jones, who also co-created it (with Anne-Marie O’Connor) and is among the production’s executive producers.

“Frauds is essentially a heist show that centres on toxic female friendship. It is an emotional heist as well as a physical heist featuring a bunch of outlaws who are all running from something. Together they’re trying to pull off stealing a painting from (Madrid’s) Reina Sofia Gallery.”

Sounds promising, right? It gets even better when you discover that appearing opposite Jones is none other than Jodie Whittaker. The duo play former best friends Bert and Sam, who appear to have always brought out the worst in each other.

“Sam and Bert have known each other throughout their entire lives essentially,” says Whittaker of the two women. “They met in their late teens and they’d been living in southern Spain, leading a life of crime and having a right laugh. But that was then.

“Now we meet Bert and Sam on the first day of Bert’s release from a 10-year prison stretch which was the result of a job they’ve done that went wrong. In those 10 years Sam hasn’t visited and now Bert’s out early on compassionate leave because she has cancer.”

Sam feels guilty about abandoning her pal, but her own life is far from simple – she gave up a child when she was young and has spent the decade since last seeing Bert trying to become the kind of person her daughter might like to get to know. She’s tempted to get involved with Bert again through a mix of feeling she owes her something, and for the money – if they can pull off the heist, the cash it generates would potentially set up her and her daughter for life.

It certainly didn’t take the former Doctor Who star long to make up her mind to sign up: “There are no female parts that I’ve read for a really long time that come anywhere near the dynamic of Bert and Sam. And particularly the fact that it crosses into a genre we don’t often see on TV. There’s the female-led genre, it’s a play on a heist and it’s not set in the UK. Everything felt really exciting.”

Jones and Whittaker formed a close bond on set; Jones describes her co-star as “hilariously funny, kind, loyal,” while Whittaker calls her counterpart “amazing”. Despite this mutual admiration, they have not, thankfully, followed in Bert and Sam’s criminal footsteps…

As for the show itself, Jones’s fellow executive producer, Katie Kelly, has high hopes for it: “Frauds is a story about a collaboration between women and the making of it has also been spearheaded by a really collaborative team of women. I think particularly when you’re talking about heist or action or anything which is more thrilling, often people sort of default to watching male-led stuff.

“Hopefully this will change that.”

Joe Wicks: Licensed to Kill (Monday 06/10/2025, Channel 4, 8pm)

Words by Richard Jones

While the Covid lockdowns were incredibly strange and dark times for a lot of people, there were some positives. People came together in new ways and learnt new hobbies, whether it be baking banana bread, hosting zoom quizzes or going walking or running (during the one hour of outdoor exercise we were permitted daily).

Some people also did well out of the pandemic, professionally. Among them was Joe Wicks, who was already posting lifestyle and recipe videos on social media, but then helped to keep the nation’s spirits up with his regular workouts.

The Body Coach was even awarded a Guinness World Record for ‘most viewers for a fitness workout live stream on YouTube; after achieving over 950,000 viewers on March 24, 2020.

“It will always be that moment of my career I look back on with great memories,” he said in a recent interview with Round & About Magazine.

Since then, Joe has done other good deeds for the nation, posting dozens of videos containing exercise and nutrition advice, and completing a 24-hour workout challenge which raised over £2million for BBC Children in Need in 2020.

This Christmas, the TV and social media personality is due to take part take part in the Gladiators Celebrity Special alongside Vogue Williams, Nicola Adams and Sam Thompson, which is set to boost his profile even further.

He is also returning as a guest panellist on Dragons’ Den on BBC One on Thursday. But before that, he is on the box in an effort to improve the nation’s food habits and expose the laws (or lack of them) around nutrition.

Joe, who lives with his wife former glamour model Rosie Jones and their four children, says he eats well these days.

“We love trying different foods as a family, getting the kids involved in cooking to make it fun,” he says.

However, that not always been the case. Recalling his childhood in Surrey, he says: “We didn’t have a lot of money so I remember a lot of meal deals, frozen pies, crispy pancakes, potato waffles and a lot of Sunny Delight.”

Speaking on the BBC Radio 5 Live Headliners podcast last year, Joe also controversially claimed that a surge in childhood ADHD diagnoses could be linked to poor diets and Ultra Processed Foods (UPFs).

In one-off documentary Joe Wicks: Licensed to Kill, he teams up with doctor and scientist Dr Chris van Tulleken for an outrageous experiment.

The duo plan to expose the truth of ultra-processed food by carrying out a highly provocative stunt designed to convince the government into changing our food laws for good.

After Joe learns about the country’s health crisis due to our over-consumption of UPFs – linked to 14 per cent of premature deaths in the UK – he is determined to do something about it.

So he and Professor Chris creates the UK’s most dangerous health bar.

Joe’s KILLER protein bar includes notorious ingredients, all of which are entirely legal in the UK and commonly found in other products, but are actually linked to cancer, strokes and early deaths.

And Joe’s not just going to make the bar: he’s going to sell it to the public, and attempt to hold the government to account for not doing enough to protect us.

So what on earth will consumers, the Press, the food industry, and the government make of it all?

Joe is bound to upset a few people along the way, but just like his efforts during Covid, it’s for the good of the nation.

Murder Before Evensong (Tuesday 07/10/25, 5, 9pm)

Words by Rachael Popow

It’s set in the 1980s, features a sleuthing vicar and is based on a bestselling book written by a celebrity author (in this case, pop star-turned-broadcaster-and-clergyman the Rev Richard Coles). So, 5’s new drama Murder Before Evensong might seem like the textbook definition of ‘cosy crime’.

However, Matthew Lewis, who plays the lead role of Canon Daniel Clement, believes there’s much more to the series than that.

The actor, who has carved out an impressive CV since first finding fame as Neville Longbottom in the Harry Potter movies, says: “I think this will subvert expectations; if people come looking for that type of story, I hope they’re not put off by the series, and I also hope people who would enjoy the mystery aren’t put off from watching because they think it’s ‘cosy crime’.

“The story deals with a lot of very real social issues which are still relevant today, and there’s a darkness to the story. There’s a whole lot in here which gives it depth.”

In fact, it seems there’s more to the series than even he realised.

Matthew laughs: “I’ve really enjoyed watching the series. I had about three days off the entire shoot, so I’m actually quite surprised by how much of the series I’m not in. When I watched [it] back, I thought, ‘When on earth did they film all this?’

“To see everybody else’s work was really cool, and one of the first things I said during filming was how lucky I was to work with the calibre of actors we have in large supporting roles and guest roles.”

It certainly has an impressive cast, which was also includes Amanda Redman, Amit Shah, Adam James, Tamzin Outhwaite and Nina Toussaint-White.

It’s Matthew though who takes centre stage as Daniel, who when the series begins, is leading a quiet existence at the Champton rectory with his two dachshunds, Cosmo and Hilda.

His life is about to become a lot less peaceful in more ways than one. First, his widowed, highly opinionated mother Audrey (Redman) moves in. Then Daniel’s plan to install a lavatory in the church proves unexpectedly controversial and leads to battle lines being drawn amongst his parishioners.

All that seems to pale into insignificance though when Daniel discovers a body behind the church, which has been stabbed in the neck with a pair of secateurs. As he begins trying to find who was behind the murder, the clergyman is left wondering who he can trust, especially when he begins to suspect he was the killer’s intended target…

It’s a meaty role, and Matthew has done his research, including attending church services, talking with a real-life vicar, and speaking to his character’s creator, the Rev Coles, which was especially useful.

Matthew says: “I spent a lot of time chatting to Richard about Daniel, to find out about his life and how he’s reached where he is, and Daniel isn’t Richard. Richard’s very adamant Daniel isn’t him.

“That said, I think there is perhaps a little more of Richard in Daniel than he realises.”

The Celebrity Traitors (Wednesday 08/10/25, BBC1, 9pm)

Words by Rachael Popow

The Traitors has been one of the biggest British TV hits in years. If you want proof, you could look at the ratings, the awards it’s won, or the host of imitators that have flooded our screens – The Inheritance, Destination X and Fortune Hotel all owe a little something to the format.

Or you could look at the big names that have signed up to take part in the first UK celebrity version.

The famous faces who will be moving into the castle are comedian Alan Carr, singer-songwriter Cat Burns, actress (and star of the recent Thursday Murder Club film) Celia Imrie, singer and activist Charlotte Church and broadcaster Clare Balding.

They’ll be joined at the round table by historian David Olusoga, former England rugby player Joe Marler, comedian Joe Wilkinson, and presenters Jonathan Ross and Kate Garraway.

Comedians Lucy Beaumont and Nick Mohammed, actors Mark Bonnar and Ruth Codd, content creator Niko Omilana and singer Paloma Faith are also taking up the challenge.

The line-up is rounded off by presenter and writer, Stephen Fry, EastEnder Tameka Empson and Olympian Tom Daley.

And of course, Claudia Winkleman will be returning to preside over it all – and she’s certainly impressed by the calibre of the contestants.

She says: “We’re incredibly lucky these brilliant people have said yes. I’d love to say we’ll take it easy on them and they’ll just wander round the castle and eat toast for a couple of weeks but that would be a lie.”

So, what will they be doing instead? Well, if you’ve missed the previous three non-celeb runs of The Traitors (and the international versions), the premise is deceptively simple.

The players will work as a team in various tasks to build-up their prize jackpot. However, some of them will be designated as Traitors, who must ‘murder’ the other contestants, known as the Faithful. It’s up to the Faithful to identify the Traitors in their midst and vote them out.

If the final arrives and only Faithful remain, they will split the money between them, but if a Traitor is still in the running, they will take it all.

Unlike the non-famous version, the celebs are playing for the charities of their choice, so will that make them think twice about backstabbing each other, or will they be even more ruthless?

There’s already speculation about how the celebs will perform, and whether the actors will have a natural advantage when it comes to playing innocent.

Stephen Fry may be known as one of Britian’s brainiest celebs, but will that make him a target rather than a contender? Will the celebs naturally want to believe everything Clare Balding says? And could Joe Wilkinson and Lucy Beaumont’s comedy personas work to their advantage as they lull their rivals into a false sense of security?

We should get our first hints tonight, as Claudia welcomes them all to the Castle, and reveals (to the audience at least) the identity of the Traitors.)

There’s then post-match analysis on The Celebrity Traitors: Uncloaked, before the next episode airs on Thursday.

George Clarke’s Homes in the Wild (Thursday 09/10/2025, Channel 4, 8pm)

Words by Richard Jones

Not satisfied with casting his architect eye over Britain’s Amazing Spaces, George Clarke is now travelling the world to view spectacular properties on and around New Zealand’s coastline and Australia’s eastern seaboard.

For his new six-part series, which began on Channel 4 last week, he has swapped old boats, dilapidated caravans, aircrafts and woodland cabins in the UK to embark on an epic journey to some of the wildest homes on the hundreds of Antipodean islands.

Ahead of the series, George posted on Instagram, saying it is “one of the most incredible and most emotional programmes I’ve ever made” and “that will make you smile and make you cry”.

“There has never been a home building TV series quite like it,” he added.

Each episode sees the 51-year-old presenter visiting isolated islands, including Great Barrier Island, Kawau Island, Marlborough Sounds and Rākino Island.

While some of the areas are home to hundreds or thousands, others have just a few dozen residents, but all of them are home to some architectural marvels.

As well as viewing the properties, The Restoration Man also discovers just what it takes to reside and thrive in an offshore island home.

Taking a leaf out of Ben Fogle’s book, George meets some of incredible people who have chosen to live more sustainably and ‘off the grid’ and asks: what exactly does it take to live in a small community hours from the nearest city?

Just how self-sustaining does a home need to be when supplies are weeks away by boat, and what might the construction of your dream home look like when building materials are limited to what can be sourced on an island?

George says: “What makes Homes in the Wild so special is that it’s not just about the architecture – it’s about people, their connection to nature and how they’ve built lives in some of the most remote and stunning locations.

“Every place we visited had a story that left us in awe.”

In last week’s opener (available to stream), George was on the weather-beaten Great Barrier Island off the coast of New Zealand.

He explored three remarkable homes that push the boundaries of design in extreme conditions.

First up, there was an award-winning home that redefines the traditional courtyard, before George nosied around a house based on a love of circles and discovered an open-plan sculptural marvel.

Along the way, he stumbled upon an unexpected gem: a unique solar-powered Irish pub.

There’s more unique stories of creativity, resilience and a deep connection to a wild landscape tonight in New Zealand, as George visits one of the Hauraki Gulf’s best-kept secrets – Rakino Island.

With fewer than 30 full-time residents, this island has no shops or services, just a self-reliant community who thrive on connection and co-operation.

George explores a one-of-a-kind tiny home with a clever stowaway interior, and a house perched so close to the ocean that the tide feels like a front doorstep. He also meets the island’s rubbish collectors and is welcomed into a Rakino Island legend’s charming cottage.

Finally, he visits the amazing home of an immigrant-come-resident, who proves that belonging really can be found at the ends of the Earth.

DIY SOS (Friday 10/10/25, BBC1, 8pm, BBC2 in Northern Ireland)

Words by Rachael Popow

It’s hard to remember now, but DIY SOS hasn’t always been one of the most emotional shows on TV. When it first started way back in 1999, the emphasis was on rescuing viewers who had tried to carry out their own home renovations and made a mess of them.

Eventually though, the format evolved to the one we know today, which sees Nick Knowles (who has been with the show through all its incarnations) and his team taking on much more ambitious builds with the help of an army of volunteers, trades and local suppliers, and in the process improving the lives of some remarkable people.

It’s proved to be hugely popular, winning awards and running for more than 240 episodes. Now, it’s back with four new editions, as well as Children in Need and Christmas specials.

If you tuned in last week, you might have seen some new faces. This time around, regulars Nick, designer Gabrielle Blackman, electrician Billy Byrne and plasterer Chris Frediani are joined by woodworker Radha Siyver and gardener Ashley Edwards, who bring some fresh ideas to the projects.

The mission though remains the same. Nick says: “I’m so excited to have DIY SOS back on our screens – I think it will remind people how many good, generous people there are across the country willing to help out others in their time of need.

“We also share much more of what it takes physically and emotionally to fulfil the promises we make to families and communities with our huge builds. Still emotional and fun as it always has been, there’s faces old and new on the team and the usual cast of thousands.”

Cal Turner, BBC Commissioning Editor, Factual Entertainment, adds: “DIY SOS is so much more than a building show — it’s about hope, kindness and what can be achieved when people come together. This series is full of extraordinary families and communities, and I think viewers will be really moved by the heart, the humour and the life-changing impact of these builds.”

In this edition, the team are in South Wales to transform the home of Dan and his partner Anna, after a freak accident shattered their dreams of moving in together.

After spending nearly a year in hospital, Dan is now a wheelchair user and his goal is to walk again. Unfortunately, his terrace house no longer meets his needs and is making it hard for him to focus on his rehabilitation.

The team are determined to change that, but despite their hard work, the build proves challenging as the property seems to stubbornly fight back at every turn.

Future episodes will also see the team coming to the aid of the Scott family, following the tragic loss of mum Zoe, to create an accessible home that will support Seth, who is blind and autistic, alongside his four older siblings.

They’ll also take on a remarkable build in Bracknell, which involves some major construction work.