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.
| The Traitors | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Also known as | The Traitors UK |
| Genre |
|
| Based on | |
| Presented by | Claudia Winkleman |
| Theme music composer | Sam Watts[1] |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Original language | English |
| No. of series | 2 |
| No. of episodes | 24 |
| Production | |
| Camera setup | Multi-camera |
| Running time | 59 minutes |
| Production company | Studio Lambert |
| Original release | |
| Network | BBC One |
| Release | 29 November 2022 – present |
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]
On 27 February 2023, the BBC announced that the show had been renewed for a second series, with Winkleman returning to host.[5] On 3 November 2023, it was revealed that a third series had been commissioned,[6] as well as a celebrity version in the works. On 22 August it was announced that the series has been renewed for a fourth series with a celebrity edition also commissioned. [7]
Format
editA 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 a mission 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. In series two there was no armoury. Shields were hidden during the missions instead, and it was 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 amount of remaining Traitors drops to two then they will be given the option to recruit a Faithful to join them in lieu of committing a murder. The Faithful will have the option to decline, and declining may or may not result in them being Murdered immediately. If the Faithful accepts, they become a Traitor from that point on.[8]
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 win the money instead.
Production
edit
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.[9]
The first series was recorded in May 2022,[10] and action took place at Ardross Castle[11] 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".[12]
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.[13]
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.[14] On 1 September 2023, it was announced that filming had begun.[15]
In January 2024, it was announced that applications for Series 3 had begun, with almost 300,000 applications received.[16][17] The series was filming as of May 2024.[18]
Series overview
edit| Series | Contestants | Episodes | Originally aired | Winner(s) | Runner-Up | Prize | Traitors | Average viewers (millions) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| First aired | Last aired | |||||||||
| 1 | 22 | 12 | 29 November 2022 | 22 December 2022 | Aaron Evans Hannah Byczkowski Meryl Williams (Faithfuls) | Wilfred "Will"/"Wilf" Webster (Traitor) | £101,500 | Alyssa Chan Amanda Lovett Wilfred "Will"/"Wilf" Webster Kieran Tompsett (from ep. 11) | 3.65 | |
| 2 | 22 | 12 | 3 January 2024 | 26 January 2024 | Harry Clark (Traitor) | Mollie Pearce (Faithful) | £95,150 | Ash Bibi Harry Clark Paul Gorton Miles Asteri (from ep. 2) Andrew Jenkins (from ep. 8) Ross Carson (from ep. 9) | 6.76 | |
| 3 | 22[19] | 12 | 1 January 2025 | 24 January 2025 | TBA | TBA | TBA | TBA | TBA | |
Series 1 (2022)
edit| No. overall | No. in series | Title [20] | Original air date | BBC One broadcast [21] | UK viewers (millions) [22] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | "Episode 1" | 29 November 2022 | 29 November 2022 | 3.88 |
| 2 | 2 | "Episode 2" | 30 November 2022 | 30 November 2022 | 3.14 |
| 3 | 3 | "Episode 3" | 1 December 2022 | 1 December 2022 | <2.71[b] |
| 4 | 4 | "Episode 4" | 6 December 2022 | 6 December 2022 | 3.33 |
| 5 | 5 | "Episode 5" | 7 December 2022 | 7 December 2022 | 3.13 |
| 6 | 6 | "Episode 6" | 8 December 2022 | 8 December 2022 | 3.37 |
| 7 | 7 | "Episode 7" | 13 December 2022 | 13 December 2022 | 3.76 |
| 8 | 8 | "Episode 8" | 15 December 2022[c] | 15 December 2022 | 3.75 |
| 9 | 9 | "Episode 9" | 16 December 2022[c] | 16 December 2022 | 3.60 |
| 10 | 10 | "Episode 10" | 20 December 2022 | 20 December 2022 | 4.09 |
| 11 | 11 | "Episode 11" | 21 December 2022 | 21 December 2022 | 4.32 |
| 12 | 12 | "Episode 12" | 22 December 2022 | 22 December 2022 | 4.73 |
Series 2 (2024)
edit| No. overall | No. in series | Title [23] | Original air date | BBC One broadcast [21] | UK viewers (millions) [24] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13 | 1 | "Episode 1" | 3 January 2024 | 3 January 2024 | 5.94 |
| 14 | 2 | "Episode 2" | 3 January 2024 | 4 January 2024 | 5.78 |
| 15 | 3 | "Episode 3" | 3 January 2024 | 5 January 2024 | 5.81 |
| 16 | 4 | "Episode 4" | 10 January 2024 | 10 January 2024 | 6.48 |
| 17 | 5 | "Episode 5" | 11 January 2024 | 11 January 2024 | 6.36 |
| 18 | 6 | "Episode 6" | 12 January 2024 | 12 January 2024 | 6.50 |
| 19 | 7 | "Episode 7" | 17 January 2024 | 17 January 2024 | 7.11 |
| 20 | 8 | "Episode 8" | 18 January 2024 | 18 January 2024 | 7.03 |
| 21 | 9 | "Episode 9" | 19 January 2024 | 19 January 2024 | 7.11 |
| 22 | 10 | "Episode 10" | 24 January 2024 | 24 January 2024 | 7.40 |
| 23 | 11 | "Episode 11" | 25 January 2024 | 25 January 2024 | 7.61 |
| 24 | 12 | "Episode 12" | 26 January 2024 | 26 January 2024 | 8.03 |
Series 3 (2025)
editReception
editCritical reception
editThe 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.[25][26] 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".[27] 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."[25] 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."[28]
Viewership
editThe 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.[5]
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.[5]
Awards and nominations
edit| Year | Award | Category | Nominee(s) | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 28th National Television Awards | Reality Competition | The Traitors | Won | |
| Edinburgh International Television Festival | Best Entertainment | The Traitors | Won | ||
| 2023 TV Times Awards | Best Presenter | Claudia Winkleman | Nominated | ||
| Best Entertainment Show | The Traitors | Won | |||
| Favourite TV Moment | Wilf Webster revealed as a traitor | Nominated | |||
| British Academy Television Awards | Best Reality and Constructed Factual | The Traitors | Won | ||
| Best Entertainment Performance | Claudia Winkleman | Won | |||
| Memorable Moment | The Traitors: The final roundtable | Nominated | |||
| Royal Television Society Programme Awards | Entertainment | The Traitors | Won | ||
| Entertainment Performance | Claudia Winkleman | Won | |||
| 2024 | 2024 TV Choice Awards | Best Reality Show | The Traitors | Nominated | |
| 29th National Television Awards | Reality Competition | The Traitors | Won | ||
| Televisual Bulldog Awards | Entertainment | The Traitors | Won |
The Traitors: Uncloaked
editTo 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.[29] The final episode of Uncloaked which aired on BBC2 directly after the final received 3.97 million viewers.[30]
Aftermath
editSeries 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".[31]
After the first series, the BBC launched a Traitors card game and puzzle book were released. In September 2023 a board game, called The Traitors, was released.[32]
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".[33]
International broadcast
editIn 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.[34]
In the United States, the show is available to stream on Peacock, the broadcaster of the American version.[35]
In Canada, the show is available to stream on Crave.[36] 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.[37]
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.
Notes
edit- ^ 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.
- ^ This episode did not make it into the top 50 most viewed programmes of the week and therefore full figures are not available.
- ^ a b 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.
References
edit- ^ "Sam Watts | Composer – Film and television composer". Retrieved 23 December 2022.
- ^ Dubey, Shivani (11 November 2022). "Strictly's Claudia Winkleman to host BBC's psychological reality competition The Traitors". Digital Spy. Retrieved 8 December 2022.
- ^ Duke, Simon (8 December 2022). "The Traitors remaining episodes dates confirmed by BBC". ChronicleLive. Retrieved 8 December 2022.
- ^ "The Traitors: Why viewers became so loyal to the BBC reality series". BBC News. 22 December 2022. Retrieved 22 December 2022.
- ^ a b c "The BBC is 100% faithful to The Traitors as series two confirmed". www.bbc.co.uk. 27 February 2023. Retrieved 27 February 2023.
- ^ Stedman, Emily (3 November 2023). "The Traitors renewed for season 3". Digital Spy. Retrieved 11 January 2024.
- ^ "Celebrity Series of the Traitors is coming to BBC One and BBC iPlayer with fourth series also confirmed from Studio Lambert".
- ^ "BBC One – The Traitors – The Traitors: How the Show Works". BBC. Retrieved 12 December 2022.
- ^ Shaun Linden (5 October 2021). "Psychological adventure series 'The Traitors' for BBC One". ATV Today. Retrieved 22 December 2022.
- ^ Brett, Ivan (21 December 2022). "Ivan 🗡️ The Traitors on Twitter". Twitter. Retrieved 21 December 2022.
- ^ Metro (26 November 2022). "The Traitors: Where is the BBC One series filmed? All about Ardross Castle". MetroUK. Retrieved 9 December 2022.
- ^ "Claudia Winkleman originally turned down The Traitors hosting role". Radio Times. Retrieved 1 January 2023.
- ^ 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.
- ^ Lewis, Isobel (17 May 2023). "The Traitors producers tease series 2 tagline after 40,000 people apply". Independent.co.uk. Retrieved 18 October 2023.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "How to apply for The Traitors: Registration details and application". Radio Times. Retrieved 29 January 2024.
- ^ "Celebrity Version of 'The Traitors' Set to Launch Next Year on the BBC". 18 April 2024.
- ^ "'The Traitors' Producer Wants Former Prime Minister Liz Truss for BBC Celebrity Series". 12 May 2024.
- ^ https://www.tvzoneuk.com/post/thetraitors-seriesthree-teaser1
- ^ "The Traitors – Series 1". BBC. Choose appropriate episode. Retrieved 15 December 2022.
- ^ a b "The Traitors – Episode guide". BBC One. Choose appropriate episode. Retrieved 8 January 2024.
- ^ "Most Viewed Programmes (See relevant week(s))". BARB.
- ^ "The Traitors – Series 2". BBC. Choose appropriate episode. Retrieved 15 December 2022.
- ^ "Most Viewed Programmes (See relevant week(s))". BARB.
- ^ a b McIntosh, Steven (22 December 2022). "The Traitors: Why viewers became so loyal to the BBC reality series". BBC News. Retrieved 22 December 2022.
- ^ 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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ Lewis, Isobel (29 November 2022). "The Traitors might not be very Christmassy, but it sure is fun – review". The Independent. Retrieved 22 December 2022.
- ^ "Sleep with One Eye Open: Traitors US and Traitors UK Now Available on 10 Play". TV Zone. 3 January 2024. Retrieved 29 January 2024.
- ^ "Four-screen dashboard (7-day data)". BARB. Retrieved 6 February 2024.
- ^ Jamie Body (23 January 2023). "Traitors star Maddy Smedley cautions actors against appearing in reality series". The Stage.
- ^ Kate Goodacre (September 2023). "The Traitors board game is finally available to buy". Digital Spy. Retrieved 21 October 2023.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "Uncloaked: Ed Gamble to host The Traitors spin-off on BBC Two". 23 March 2023.
- ^ "UK, Australian versions of the Traitors uncovered by Peacock for US".
- ^ "U.K., U.S. & Australian Versions of "The Traitors" Now Streaming on Crave". 9 April 2023.
- ^ "New to streaming: What to watch on Netflix NZ, Neon and more this week". 4 September 2023.