'The Traitors' Host Alan Cumming Joins 'Boarders' Season 2

A Scottish castle won't be the only place to catch Alan Cumming in 2025: The Traitors host has signed on to appear in the second season of the British series Boarders. 

The show was an instant hit when it premiered on BBC Three in the U.K. and gave FAST channel Tubi its first genuine critical and popular hit when it crossed the pond to America, Boarders follows the story of five inner-city London teens selected to attend one of the UK's most elite boarding schools on scholarships that were clearly only offered as a form of image management. But they're each determined to make the most of the (PR) opportunity they've been given, and band together to shake up the status quo along the way.

"I've always said that letting people know you are a fan of theirs is a good idea," Cumming said in a statement. "And, so it was with Boarders. I mentioned this to the producers (who also happen to produce The Traitors), and very soon after, I found myself on the set having such a fun time!"

Cumming will play a character named Alan, a man described as having "very high standards for both the party he’s hosting and the St Gilbert’s students who find themselves there." The Traitors host won't be the only recognizable new face in the halls during the series' second season, however. EastEnders star Natalie Cassidy has signed on to play Sharon Hall, a teacher at a rival school. 

“Welcoming the fantastic Alan Cumming and Natalie Cassidy to St. Gilbert's was an absolute pleasure and they were a joy to work with," Boarders creator Daniel Lawrence Taylor said. "I can’t wait for viewers to see what they got up to on campus!”

Here's the series' synopsis. 

Boarders follows five talented black inner-city teens transported to an alien world – a British boarding school – after gaining scholarships to the prestigious St. Gilbert’s. They set out to make the most out of the opportunity despite their places only being offered as a poorly disguised PR exercise to improve the school's reputation.

Season 2 sees a new era for St Gilbert’s, with headmaster Bernard - who had brought the scholarship students into the school - suspended following a school rebellion. Now acting headmistress Carol Watlington-Geese (who also happens to be the mother of Jaheim’s nemesis, Rupert) is at the helm - and she wants them gone.

Season 1 saw these five outsiders begin to thrive. Season 2 asks how much they’re willing to sacrifice just to survive.

Josh Tedeku (A Town Called Malice), Jodie Campbell (No Return), Sekou Diaby (100 Mistakes), Myles Kamwendo (The School for Good and Evil), and Aruna Jalloh (Much Ado About Nothing) are all back as Jaheim, Leah, Toby, Omar, and Femi, respectively. They're again joined by Harry Gilbert (Tolkien) as Rupert, Tallulah Grieve (Cinderella) as Beatrix, Rosie Graham (Sanditon) as Florence, and Assa Kanouté as Abby. 

New faces for Season 2 include Wunmi Mosaku (Passenger) as Jaheim’s mum, Grace; Cara Theobold (Downton Abbey) as St Gilbert’s new writer-in-residence Jude, Michael Salami (Supacell) as Femi’s Uncle Teju; and newcomer Kendra Brown as American exchange student, Devon’yè.

Taylor serves as lead writer on Season 2 with Yemi Oyefuwa, Jeffrey Aidoo, and Racheal Ofori writing additional episodes. It is directed by Joelle Mae David and Sarmad Masud, with Ali MacPhail returning as the Producer,  Carleen Beadle-Larcombe as Line Producer, and Mykaell Riley as the Musical Director. Taylor is also an executive producer alongside Madeleine Sinclair for Studio Lambert, and Nawfal Faizullah and Katherine Bond for the BBC.

Boarders Season 2 is set to premiere on BBC Three and BBC iPlayer in February, before premiering on Tubi later in 2025.