Joanne McNally on Celebrity Traitors: ‘We’re more than willing to throw each other under the bus’
Joanne McNally has declared comedians will be “more than willing to throw each other under the bus” on The Celebrity Traitors . The 43-year-old Irish comedian is among the 21 stars taking part in the second season of the BBC show, which returns this week. Born in Co Roscommon and raised in Dublin, McNally’s breakthrough came with the one-woman show Bite Me. While she is busy touring Ireland and the UK until December with her new show Pinotphile , McNally has found the time to appear on the celebrity spin-off of The Traitors, which is hosted by Claudia Winkleman . This season there are six comedians in the line-up – many of whom have worked together before. However, McNally said they had not planned strategies together before filming. “We haven’t been in cahoots at all. There’s been no chatting because we know that we’re more than willing to throw each other under the bus,” McNally said. “So, it’s not like we’re making fake allegiances. They are professional entertainers, and they will absolutely kill each other off for the craic.” The other comedians featuring in this season of The Celebrity Traitors are James Acaster, Joe Lycett, Miranda Hart, Rob Beckett and Romesh Ranganathan. Asked about signing up for the series, McNally said her main drive was for the “social circle”. Traitors winner to use €22,925 prize to fund IVF treatment “It’s all about the celebrity WhatsApp group. And what an eclectic cast we have. Like, you couldn’t predict it. It’s like lining up all my ex-boyfriends. There’s no consistency to it at all. I love it. It’s so frantic. It kind of has a bit of everything,” she said. Aiming to be chosen as a Traitor, McNally said she was “quietly competitive”. “I’m great at spotting lies. I can read body language, and I’ve dealt with a lot of snakes,” she said. The comedian added that her friend and My Therapist Ghosted Me podcast co-host Vogue Williams encouraged her to do whatever it takes to go far in the game. “She’s delighted. She’s like, get it, girl. She said it would be really funny if I went in fully two-faced. It’s not a bad game plan,” McNally said. Beckett said he would probably find being on the show “hilarious”. The Traitors Ireland: What makes this intoxicating show so utterly gripping? “It’s just so surreal to be around that group of people, and to be with a few people I know,” he said. “Romesh, obviously everyone knows we’re such good friends, but Joe Lycett and James Acaster, I did gigs with them nearly 20 years ago, in pubs in Soho in front of eight people, and now all of a sudden we’re in this situation. “So it’s quite a reflective moment to consider this journey we’ve all gone on to now be on the biggest show on TV. “Everyone wants to be on it, and we’re very lucky to be here and to be here with friends and people that I’ve come through the ranks with and been able to confide in over the years. It’s quite nice to see all of us here as grown-ups.” But Beckett added he would be able to betray any of them if the game required it. Joanne McNally: ‘In my early 30s I quit my job, moved into my mam’s attic and cocooned at the top of the house’ “Oh yes, if it’s part of the game. And I’d expect vice versa. If I get done, I get done. “I’ll be competitive, but if I get murdered or banished or whatever the situation is, of course I’ll be disappointed for a minute, and then I’ll think, do you know what? I’m going home and I’ve got a couple of weeks off!” He added: “I’ve got no qualms about killing people off.” Other stars set to join them in the castle include The Last of Us star Bella Ramsey, singer James Blunt, Little Mix’s Leigh-Anne Pinnock, Love Island host Maya Jama and actors Richard E Grant and Michael Sheen. The first season of The Celebrity Traitors aired on the BBC last autumn, with the finale hitting a peak of 15.4 million viewers, according to the broadcaster. The spin-off series brought in an average audience of 14.9 million people during its run, the biggest TV audience of 2025. The Celebrity Traitors starts on October 1st at 8pm on BBC One and BBC iPlayer. – PA The Celebrity Traitors contestants Amol Rajan Bella Ramsey James Acaster James Blunt Jerry Hall Joanne McNally Joe Lycett Julie Hesmondhalgh King Kenny Leigh-Anne Pinnock Maya Jama Michael Sheen Miranda Hart Myha’la Hannah Fry Richard E Grant Rob Beckett Romesh Ranganathan Ross Kemp Sebastian Croft Sharon Rooney