The Traitors (British TV series)

Last updated

The Traitors
The Traitors UK logo.png
Also known asThe Traitors UK
Genre
  • Reality
  • Game show
Based on
De Verraders
by
Presented by Claudia Winkleman
Theme music composerSam Watts [1]
Country of originUnited Kingdom
Original languageEnglish
No. of series3
No. of episodes32
Production
Camera setupMulti-camera
Running time59 minutes
Production company Studio Lambert
Original release
Network BBC One
Release29 November 2022 (2022-11-29) –
present

The Traitors (also known as The Traitors UK outside of the UK) is a British reality television series broadcast on BBC One, based on the Dutch series De Verraders , which premiered on 29 November 2022 and is hosted by Claudia Winkleman.

Contents

Following the premise of other versions of De Verraders, the show features a group of contestants participating in a game similar to the party game Mafia in a historic Scottish castle. A small group of contestants become the titular "Traitors", and must work together to eliminate the other contestants in order to win a grand prize, while the remaining contestants become "Faithful" and are tasked to discover and banish the Traitors by voting them out, to win the grand prize.

After the first episode aired on BBC One, it and the next two episodes were uploaded onto BBC iPlayer, with each subsequent episode being available on BBC One only, before being uploaded one at a time to iPlayer. [2] [3] [4]

Format

A group of contestants arrive at a castle in the Scottish Highlands as "Faithful" contestants – hoping to share a prize fund worth up to £120,000. Among them are the "Traitors" – a group of contestants selected by host Claudia Winkleman on the first day, whose goal is to eliminate the Faithfuls and claim the prize for themselves.

On most nights, the Traitors come together and decide upon one Faithful contestant to "murder" – and that person will leave the game immediately. The remaining Faithful contestants will not know who has been eliminated until the following day when that person does not enter the Castle for breakfast. The group then participates in missions to win money for the prize fund. In series one some challenges offered an opportunity for players to visit the Armoury – during which one player will randomly and secretly be awarded the shield. From series two there was no armoury; instead, shields are hidden during the missions, and it is usually possible to see who had claimed them.

Holding a shield awards a player immunity from being Murdered, but not from the banishment vote. An attempted murder on the shield holder will result in no player being eliminated by murder.

At the end of each day, the players will participate in a Round Table, where the players discuss who to vote out before individually voting for a player to be banished. Players cast their votes privately before revealing their votes to everyone once all votes are locked in and may give a brief rationale for the vote. The person who received the most votes for banishment is banished from the game and must reveal their affiliation. [a] During the game, if the number of remaining Traitors drops to two then they will be given the option to "seduce", recruiting a Faithful to join them in lieu of committing a murder. Seduced Faithfuls may decline to become a Traitor. [5] If only one Traitor remains, they must seduce face-to-face before committing another murder; if a player declines a face-to-face seduction they are immediately murdered.

After the final round table, the remaining players vote whether to end the game. A unanimous vote to end the game is required; if there is even one single vote to continue, another banishment vote is immediately conducted, before repeating the vote to end the game with the remaining players. When a unanimous vote to end the game occurs, or when there are only two players left, the remaining players reveal whether they are Faithful or Traitors. Should the Faithful contestants have eliminated all the Traitors, they will share the prize fund, but if any Traitors make it to the end, they take it all for themselves instead.

Production

The series was filmed at Ardross Castle (pictured in 2003) Ardross Castle - geograph.org.uk - 1234702.jpg
The series was filmed at Ardross Castle (pictured in 2003)

The UK show was commissioned by the BBC in October 2021 following the airing of the Dutch series earlier that year. The series was to be produced by Studio Lambert Scotland. [6]

The first series was recorded in May 2022, [7] and action took place at Ardross Castle [8] in Scotland.

Presenter Claudia Winkleman was initially hesitant to host the programme but after watching the Dutch series became "obsessed" and jokingly "booked a train to Scotland". [9]

Applicants had to submit a video application and go through several rounds of interviews, as well as a psychological assessment. Contestants were filmed constantly over a long day, finding out just before breakfast whether they had been 'murdered'. 'Murdered' contestants were driven away immediately and sent home, without being able to say any goodbyes. Contestants were assigned a welfare person to help with their well-being. [10]

On 27 February 2023, the BBC announced that the show had been renewed for a second series, with Winkleman returning to host. [11] In May 2023, Studio Lambert revealed 40,000 people had applied to take part in the second series, in comparison with 1,500 who had applied for series one. [12] On 1 September 2023, it was announced that filming had begun. [13]

On 3 November 2023, it was revealed that a third series had been commissioned. [14] In January 2024, it was announced that applications for Series 3 had begun, with almost 300,000 applications received. [15] [16] The series was filming as of May 2024. [17]

In August 2024, ahead of the release of the third series, the BBC announced that the show had not only been renewed for a fourth series but a celebrity series will also be produced. Filming for both versions will commence during 2025. [18] Applications for the fourth series opened on 22 August 2024 and will close on 9 February 2025. [19]

Series overview

Series overview
SeriesContestantsEpisodesOriginally releasedWinner(s)Runner-UpPrizeTraitorsAverage viewers (millions)
First releasedLast released
1 221229 November 2022 (2022-11-29)22 December 2022 (2022-12-22)Aaron Evans
Hannah Byczkowski
Meryl Williams (Faithfuls)		Wilfred "Wilf" Webster (Traitor)£101,050Alyssa Chan
Amanda Lovett
Wilfred "Wilf" Webster
Kieran Tompsett (from
ep. 11)		3.65
2 22123 January 2024 (2024-01-03)26 January 2024 (2024-01-26)Harry Clark (Traitor) Mollie Pearce (Faithful)£95,150Ash Bibi
Harry Clark
Paul Gorton
Miles Asteri (from ep. 2)
Andrew Jenkins (from ep. 8)
Ross Carson (from ep. 9)		6.76
3 25 [20] 121 January 2025 (2025-01-01)24 January 2025 (2025-01-24)TBATBATBAArmani Gouveia
Charlotte Berman (from ep. 8)
Linda Rands
Minah Shannon		TBA

Series 1 (2022)

No.
overall		No. in
series		Title  [21] Original release dateUK viewers
(millions)  [22]
11"Episode 1"29 November 2022 (2022-11-29)3.88
22"Episode 2"30 November 2022 (2022-11-30)3.14
33"Episode 3"1 December 2022 (2022-12-01)<2.71 [b]
44"Episode 4"6 December 2022 (2022-12-06)3.33
55"Episode 5"7 December 2022 (2022-12-07)3.13
66"Episode 6"8 December 2022 (2022-12-08)3.37
77"Episode 7"13 December 2022 (2022-12-13)3.76
88"Episode 8"15 December 2022 (2022-12-15) [c] 3.75
99"Episode 9"16 December 2022 (2022-12-16) [c] 3.60
1010"Episode 10"20 December 2022 (2022-12-20)4.09
1111"Episode 11"21 December 2022 (2022-12-21)4.32
1212"Episode 12"22 December 2022 (2022-12-22)4.73

Series 2 (2024)

No.
overall		No. in
series		Title  [23] Original release dateUK viewers
(millions)  [24]
131"Episode 1"3 January 2024 (2024-01-03)5.94
142"Episode 2"4 January 2024 (2024-01-04) [d] 5.78
153"Episode 3"5 January 2024 (2024-01-05) [d] 5.81
164"Episode 4"10 January 2024 (2024-01-10)6.48
175"Episode 5"11 January 2024 (2024-01-11)6.36
186"Episode 6"12 January 2024 (2024-01-12)6.50
197"Episode 7"17 January 2024 (2024-01-17)7.11
208"Episode 8"18 January 2024 (2024-01-18)7.03
219"Episode 9"19 January 2024 (2024-01-19)7.11
2210"Episode 10"24 January 2024 (2024-01-24)7.40
2311"Episode 11"25 January 2024 (2024-01-25)7.61
2412"Episode 12"26 January 2024 (2024-01-26)8.03

Series 3 (2025)

No.
overall		No. in
series		Title  [25] Original release dateUK viewers
(millions)  [26]
251"Episode 1"1 January 2025 (2025-01-01)9.23
262"Episode 2"2 January 2025 (2025-01-02) [e] 8.54
273"Episode 3"3 January 2025 (2025-01-03)8.64
284"Episode 4"8 January 2025 (2025-01-08)TBD
295"Episode 5"9 January 2025 (2025-01-09)TBD
306"Episode 6"10 January 2025 (2025-01-10)TBD
317"Episode 7"15 January 2025 (2025-01-15)TBD
328"Episode 8"16 January 2025 (2025-01-16)TBD
339"Episode 9"17 January 2025 (2025-01-17)TBD
3410"Episode 10"22 January 2025 (2025-01-22)TBD
3511"Episode 11"23 January 2025 (2025-01-23)TBD
3612"Episode 12"24 January 2025 (2025-01-24)TBD

Reception

Critical reception

The series was generally well received by critics, who praised the programme for being "fresh, yet familiar", likening it to party games such as Mafia or wink murder. [27] [28] Rebecca Nicholson of The Guardian says the format "feels like a revival of the early, more innocent days of reality TV", calling it " The White Lotus meets Big Brother 1 ". [29] The Tab believed that social media helped the success of the show: "The memes and everyone live-tweeting it has played a big part in its success. Nobody wants to miss out on a reality TV show that everyone is talking about." [27] Isobel Lewis of The Independent was more critical, however, saying it "definitely isn't a perfect reality show, or even the best in its genre right now, but it is pretty entertaining." [30]

Viewership

The series saw an average audience of 5.4 million, with a peak of 6.2 million for the first episode. By the end of February 2023, The Traitors had been viewed over 34 million times on BBC iPlayer. [11]

The BBC stated that The Traitors was the biggest new series for young audiences across all BBC content in 2022, with a 1.3 million average audience across the series and a peak of 1.5 million for the final. [11]

Awards and nominations

YearAwardCategoryNominee(s)ResultRef.
2023 28th National Television Awards Reality CompetitionThe TraitorsWon
Edinburgh International Television Festival Best EntertainmentThe TraitorsWon
2023 TV Times AwardsBest PresenterClaudia WinklemanNominated
Best Entertainment ShowThe TraitorsWon
Favourite TV MomentWilf Webster revealed as a traitorNominated
British Academy Television Awards Best Reality and Constructed Factual The TraitorsWon
Best Entertainment Performance Claudia WinklemanWon
Memorable Moment The Traitors: The final roundtableNominated
Royal Television Society Programme Awards EntertainmentThe TraitorsWon
Entertainment PerformanceClaudia WinklemanWon
20242024 TV Choice AwardsBest Reality ShowThe TraitorsNominated
29th National Television Awards Reality CompetitionThe TraitorsWon
Televisual Bulldog AwardsEntertainmentThe TraitorsWon

The Traitors: Uncloaked

To accompany the second series in January 2024, a follow-up television programme and BBC Sounds podcast was introduced, called The Traitors: Uncloaked produced by Listen. The first episode aired on 5 January 2024. It was hosted by Ed Gamble and broadcast on BBC Two. [31] The final episode of Uncloaked which aired on BBC2 directly after the final received 3.97 million viewers. [32]

Aftermath

Series one contestant Maddy Smedley urged others to think carefully about applying for the next series, and said she "wouldn’t recommend it for people for their sanity and mental health". [33]

After the first series, the BBC published a Traitors card game and puzzle book. In September 2023, a board game, called The Traitors, was released. [34]

For Series 2, a Traitors app was released, allowing users to predict what will happen in the series and gain points for correct predictions. It was described as "the perfect synchronicity between programme content and interactive platform". [35]

International broadcast

In Australia, the series was made available to stream on 10 Play in March 2023, as a companion to the Australian version aired by the network. [36]

In the United States, the show is available to stream on Peacock, the broadcaster of the American version. [37]

In Canada, the show is available to stream on Crave. [38] The Canadian version of the series began on 2 October 2023 on CTV.

In New Zealand, the show is available to stream on ThreeNow, the same broadcaster as the New Zealand version. [39]

In Sweden, the first series was made available with Swedish subtitles on TV4 Play not long after the premiere of Förrädarna, TV4's own version. Many other countries have followed the same route.

In Poland, in December 2024, the first series was broadcast on TVN 7 in nightime slot and each episode (after it had aired) was made available to watch on a streaming service Player.

The Croatian network RTL, which is set to broadcast the Croatian edition of the series, began releasing The Traitors UK on its streaming service Voyo on 1 January 2025. [40]

Notes

  1. ↑ In the event of a tie, the tied players make a final plea before the remaining players vote between them again – if a second tie occurs, one player is chosen for banishment randomly among the tied players.
  2. ↑ This episode did not make it into the top 50 most viewed programmes of the week and therefore full figures are not available.
  3. 1 2 This episode was originally scheduled for the night before, however it was rescheduled due to changes to the BBC schedule for this week due to the 2022 Qatar World Cup.
  4. 1 2 This episode was released on BBC iPlayer on 3 January 2024.
  5. ↑ This episode was released on BBC iPlayer on 1 January 2025.

Related Research Articles

<i>The Weakest Link</i> (British game show) British television quiz show

The Weakest Link is a British television quiz show, mainly broadcast on BBC Two and BBC One. It was devised by Fintan Coyle and Cathy Dunning and developed for television by the BBC Entertainment Department. The game begins with a team of nine contestants, who take turns answering general knowledge questions within a time limit to create chains of nine correct answers in a row. At the end of each round, the players then vote one contestant, "the weakest link", out of the game. After two players are left, they play in a head-to-head penalty shootout format, with five questions asked to each contestant in turn, to determine the winner.

<i>Australian Survivor</i> Television series based on the reality show Survivor

Australian Survivor is an Australian adventure reality game show based on the international Survivor format. Following the premise of other versions of the Survivor format, the show features a group of contestants, referred to as "castaways" as they are marooned in an isolated location. The castaways must provide food, water, fire, and shelter for themselves. The contestants compete in various challenges for rewards and immunity from elimination. The contestants are progressively eliminated from the game as they are voted off the island by their fellow castaways. The final castaway remaining is awarded the title of "Sole Survivor" and the grand prize of A$500,000.

<i>Survivor</i> (British TV series) British reality television series

Survivor is a British adventure reality game show based on the international Survivor format. Following the premise of other versions of the Survivor format, the show features a group of contestants, referred to as "castaways" as they are marooned in an isolated location. The castaways must provide food, water, fire, and shelter for themselves. The contestants compete in various challenges for rewards and immunity from elimination. The contestants are progressively eliminated from the game as they are voted off the island by their fellow castaways. The final castaway remaining is awarded the title of "Sole Survivor" and a large monetary prize.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Claudia Winkleman</span> English television presenter (born 1972)

Claudia Anne Irena Winkleman is an English broadcaster and writer. She has been nominated three times for the British Academy Television Award for Best Entertainment Performance for co-presenting the BBC One dancing competition show Strictly Come Dancing (2010–present). Winkleman received her fourth BAFTA nomination and first win for presenting the BBC One reality show The Traitors (2022–present). She previously hosted the Saturday mid-mornings show on BBC Radio 2.

The Great British Sewing Bee is a BBC reality show that began airing on BBC Two on 2 April 2013. In the show, talented amateur sewers compete to be named "Britain's best home sewer". A spin-off of the format of The Great British Bake Off, the programme was presented by Claudia Winkleman for the first four series, with judges Patrick Grant, May Martin, and Esme Young.

<i>RuPauls Drag Race UK</i> British reality competition television series

RuPaul's Drag Race UK is a British reality competition television series based on the American television series of the same name. The television series, a collaboration between the BBC and World of Wonder, premiered on 3 October 2019. The show is the fourth installment of the Drag Race franchise, and the second fronted by RuPaul. The show documents RuPaul and a panel of judges' search for "the United Kingdom's next drag superstar", the first series title dubbed "UK's First Drag Superstar". RuPaul plays several roles on the show including host, mentor and head judge for the series, as the contestants are given different challenges to participate in each week. The show also employs a panel of judges: RuPaul, Michelle Visage, Alan Carr, and Graham Norton.

<i>De Verraders</i> Dutch television show

De Verraders is a Dutch television show broadcast by RTL 4 which premiered in 2021. The format of the show is similar to the party game Mafia and the show is presented by Tijl Beckand. The first and second season took place at and around Castle Erenstein in Kerkrade, Netherlands. The third and fourth seasons were filmed in France.

The Traitors is an Australian reality television series broadcast on Network 10, based on the Dutch series De Verraders, which premiered on 16 October 2022.

The Traitors is an American reality competition series based on the Dutch series De Verraders. It is hosted by the Scottish actor Alan Cumming. The first season was released on Peacock on January 12, 2023. In February 2023, the series was renewed for a second season, and the first three episodes were released on January 12, 2024. In February 2024, the show was renewed for a third season. In August 2024, the show was renewed for two additional seasons taking it through season 5.

<i>Rise and Fall</i> (TV series) British reality television series

Rise and Fall is a British reality television series broadcast on Channel 4, which premiered on 19 March 2023 and was hosted by Greg James.

Oi Prodotes is a Greek reality television series broadcast on ANT1, based on the Dutch series De Verraders, which premiered on 7 June 2023 and is hosted by Konstantinos Markoulakis.

<i>The Traitors</i> (American TV series) season 1 Season of television series

The first season of the American television series The Traitors premiered on Peacock on January 12, 2023, with all episodes being released. The season was won by Survivor contestant Cirie Fields, as a traitor, with Quentin Jiles and Andie Vanacore, placing as runners-up, as faithfuls. The season won Outstanding Casting for a Reality Program at the 75th Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards.

<i>The Traitors</i> (American TV series) season 2 Season of television series

The second season of the American television series The Traitors was announced on September 21, 2023. The first three episodes premiered on Peacock on January 12, 2024.

The Traitors Canada is a Canadian reality television series, that is based on the Dutch series De Verraders. It is hosted by the French-Canadian actress Karine Vanasse.

<i>The Traitors</i> (British TV series) series 1 Season of television series

The first series of The Traitors premiered on BBC One on 29 November 2022 and concluded on 22 December 2022.

<i>The Traitors</i> (British TV series) series 2 British reality television series

The second series of The Traitors premiered on BBC One on 3 January 2024. Claudia Winkleman reprised her role as the show's presenter from the previous series. The series was also accompanied by a spin-off show The Traitors: Uncloaked, presented by Ed Gamble.

<i>The Traitors</i> TV series franchise

The Traitors is a reality game show franchise created by the All3Media company IDTV which originally aired on RTL 4 in the Netherlands in 2021.

The third season of the American television series The Traitors was announced on February 7, 2024. The season premiered on January 9, 2025.

Diane Carson is a Northern Irish television personality and retired teacher, who was a contestant on the second series of The Traitors and the nineteenth series of Celebrity MasterChef in 2024.

<i>The Traitors</i> (British TV series) series 3 Season of television series

The third series of The Traitors premiered on BBC One on 1 January 2025. Claudia Winkleman returned to present the series, accompanied by the returning spin-off show The Traitors: Uncloaked, presented by Ed Gamble.

References

  1. ↑ "Sam Watts | Composer – Film and television composer" . Retrieved 23 December 2022.
  2. ↑ Dubey, Shivani (11 November 2022). "Strictly's Claudia Winkleman to host BBC's psychological reality competition The Traitors". Digital Spy . Retrieved 8 December 2022.
  3. ↑ Duke, Simon (8 December 2022). "The Traitors remaining episodes dates confirmed by BBC". ChronicleLive. Retrieved 8 December 2022.
  4. ↑ "The Traitors: Why viewers became so loyal to the BBC reality series". BBC News. 22 December 2022. Retrieved 22 December 2022.
  5. ↑ "BBC One – The Traitors – The Traitors: How the Show Works". BBC. Retrieved 12 December 2022.
  6. ↑ Shaun Linden (5 October 2021). "Psychological adventure series 'The Traitors' for BBC One". ATV Today. Retrieved 22 December 2022.
  7. ↑ Brett, Ivan (21 December 2022). "Ivan 🗡️ The Traitors on Twitter". Twitter. Retrieved 21 December 2022.
  8. ↑ Metro (26 November 2022). "The Traitors: Where is the BBC One series filmed? All about Ardross Castle". MetroUK. Retrieved 9 December 2022.
  9. ↑ "Claudia Winkleman originally turned down The Traitors hosting role". Radio Times. Retrieved 1 January 2023.
  10. ↑ Baxter-Wright, Dusty (11 January 2024). "'I was on The Traitors, and this is what it's actually like' - Alex Gray from season one reveals all". Cosmopolitan. Retrieved 12 January 2024.
  11. 1 2 3 "The BBC is 100% faithful to The Traitors as series two confirmed". www.bbc.co.uk. 27 February 2023. Retrieved 27 February 2023.
  12. ↑ Lewis, Isobel (17 May 2023). "The Traitors producers tease series 2 tagline after 40,000 people apply". Independent.co.uk. Retrieved 18 October 2023.
  13. ↑ Nisbet, Megan (1 September 2023). "BBC The Traitors bosses warn 'the game is going to be different' in exciting series 2 update". Wales Online. Retrieved 18 October 2023.
  14. ↑ Stedman, Emily (3 November 2023). "The Traitors renewed for season 3". Digital Spy. Retrieved 11 January 2024.
  15. ↑ "How to apply for The Traitors: Registration details and application". Radio Times. Retrieved 29 January 2024.
  16. ↑ "Celebrity Version of 'The Traitors' Set to Launch Next Year on the BBC". 18 April 2024.
  17. ↑ "'The Traitors' Producer Wants Former Prime Minister Liz Truss for BBC Celebrity Series". 12 May 2024.
  18. ↑ "Celebrity Series of The Traitors is coming to BBC One and BBC iPlayer with fourth series also confirmed from Studio Lambert". BBC. Retrieved 9 January 2025.
  19. ↑ "Applications are now open for The Traitors series 4". Rayo. Retrieved 9 January 2025.
  20. ↑ https://www.digitalspy.com/tv/reality-tv/g63312030/traitors-season-3-cast/
  21. ↑ "The Traitors – Series 1". BBC . Choose appropriate episode. Retrieved 15 December 2022.
  22. ↑ "Most Viewed Programmes (See relevant week(s))". BARB.
  23. ↑ "The Traitors – Series 2". BBC . Choose appropriate episode. Retrieved 15 December 2022.
  24. ↑ "Most Viewed Programmes (See relevant week(s))". BARB.
  25. ↑ "The Traitors – Series 1". BBC . Choose appropriate episode. Retrieved 15 December 2022.
  26. ↑ "Most Viewed Programmes (See relevant week(s))". BARB.
  27. 1 2 McIntosh, Steven (22 December 2022). "The Traitors: Why viewers became so loyal to the BBC reality series". BBC News . Retrieved 22 December 2022.
  28. ↑ Long, Camilla (4 December 2022). "The Traitors: I'm a TV critic, get me out of here" . The Times . ISSN   0140-0460 . Retrieved 22 December 2022.
  29. ↑ Nicholson, Rebecca (19 December 2022). "I'm 100% faithful: The Traitors is the most exquisite reality TV of the year". The Guardian . Retrieved 22 December 2022.
  30. ↑ Lewis, Isobel (29 November 2022). "The Traitors might not be very Christmassy, but it sure is fun – review". The Independent . Retrieved 22 December 2022.
  31. ↑ "Sleep with One Eye Open: Traitors US and Traitors UK Now Available on 10 Play". TV Zone. 3 January 2024. Retrieved 29 January 2024.
  32. ↑ "Four-screen dashboard (7-day data)". BARB . Retrieved 6 February 2024.
  33. ↑ Jamie Body (23 January 2023). "Traitors star Maddy Smedley cautions actors against appearing in reality series". The Stage.
  34. ↑ Kate Goodacre (September 2023). "The Traitors board game is finally available to buy". Digital Spy . Retrieved 21 October 2023.
  35. ↑ Keith Stuart (10 January 2024). "Pushing Buttons: Why the Traitors online game is a new frontier for the way we watch TV". The Guardian. Retrieved 12 January 2024.
  36. ↑ "Uncloaked: Ed Gamble to host The Traitors spin-off on BBC Two". 23 March 2023.
  37. ↑ "UK, Australian versions of the Traitors uncovered by Peacock for US".
  38. ↑ "U.K., U.S. & Australian Versions of "The Traitors" Now Streaming on Crave". 9 April 2023.
  39. ↑ "New to streaming: What to watch on Netflix NZ, Neon and more this week". 4 September 2023.
  40. ↑ "The Traitors UK | RTL". rtl.hr (in Croatian). RTL . Retrieved 6 January 2025.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.