WHEN Maya Jama was announced as part of The Celebrity Traitors line-up, many would have found it a surprising choice.
After all, a chunk of the contestants on the One show are showbiz veterans — such as , Jerry Hall and Richard E Grant — doing it for the love of the game.
And another large portion are less well-known actors and — including Sharon Rooney, King Kenny and Sebastian Croft — whose time on the contest, which returns next week, could launch a mainstream career.
But Maya is already an established star thanks to fronting ITV2’s and starring on ITV1’s .
And obviously she has an even brighter future ahead of her.
So why has she signed up for the second run of the reality game of Faithfuls and Traitors?
The answer is that she is a classic example of someone whose career could go from successful to stratospheric thanks to being on the show.
After all, that is just what happened for , who started hosting in 2022 — her biggest solo gig to date — and then last year announced she was quitting Strictly, which she co-hosted with for 11 years.
For proof, look no further than last year’s inaugural winner Alan Carr, who this month bagged the Special Recognition Award at the NTAs.
Crucially, he also has TEN TV shows across six different channels and streamers — and half of them have been announced since doing The Celebrity Traitors.
It has even given him international appeal, with some American tourists recognising him while he was on his regular holiday in Mexico.
Alan said: “I am never spotted over there. But I was on the way to the pool and I heard this woman from the balcony, ‘I see you, Traitor’.
“She said, ‘Don’t you hide your face from me. Who are you going to murder today?’. People who don’t know I was in The Traitors must think I’m a serial killer.”
Being on The Traitors can introduce a celebrity to a truly global audience because the show has different versions in various countries, and there are fans of all of them in different locations.
In Alan’s case, he went on to bag projects with three international streamers after appearing on the series last October.
And it is not just in this year’s line-up who could see her established career turbocharged.
, , , and would all appreciate the profile-raising appearance, for differing reasons. They will have been watching carefully as series one players such as former rugby star , chat show host and actors Celia Imrie and all experienced a boost over the past 12 months.
And it is small wonder given that every episode was watched, on average, 14.9million times when catch-up figures are taken into account.
It is not just the volume of viewers, either.
The variety of people tuning in allows older stars to be introduced to a younger market via streaming, and for younger stars to endear themselves to traditionally older TV viewers.
A classic example is Celia Imrie who, at 74, might only have been known to a certain section of society.
But now she’s a household name, even if it is because of a surprise moment of flatulence which captured the nation’s hearts and remained in our memories long after the show concluded.
Seven months after the first series, at the TV in May, Hollywood actor Seth Rogen took to the stage to receive an award, and even he could not help but mention it.
With Celia watching from the audience, he said: “I assume this woman in the green dress is a very skilled and talented woman . . . all I know is that she farted on a reality show.”
He added: “I’m interested in your other work now. What else have you done?”
That sentiment was echoed by plenty of other people after The Celebrity Traitors, because suddenly she and her fellow contestants were at the forefronts of minds like never before.
Thankfully, that included producers and casting directors of some major projects, ranging from podcasts and books to TV shows, movies and even stage shows.
Already, the new contestants for the upcoming series have been making the most of the bounce that comes with just being announced in the line-up.
It is perhaps no coincidence that Professor Hannah Fry this week announced her UK tour, Come Fry With Me, with tickets going on sale today.
Meanwhile, has just unveiled his comedy show, The Lycett Arms, on Channel 4; Romesh Ranganathan’s UK tour launches on November 7; and James Blunt’s eighth studio album, Airplane Mode, is due to be released on November 6. Of course, as some celebrities discovered on the show last year, they are not guaranteed a boost.
And it depends on how long they stay in the competition — as poor old , murdered by pal Alan Carr early in the process, will confirm.
It also depends on them making a big impression, which is going to be quite a challenge this year since the volume of dominant stars — or “big dogs” as they have become known — is even higher in 2026.
But Maya and the rest know the murderous show is a once-in-a- career opportunity that could help them make a killing.
- The Celebrity Traitors returns to BBC One on October 1.
