Claudia Winkleman teases 'bigger and better' new series of The Traitors as it returns to screens
The ultimate game of deception and intrigue is making a comeback as The Traitors returns! After a year's hiatus, a fresh batch of contestants from diverse walks of life are heading to a Scottish Highlands castle, all eyeing the hefty £120,000 cash prize. As they step into the castle, some will be anointed as Traitors with a mission to covertly "murder" their fellow contestants without being exposed.
The others, known as the Faithful, will have the task of identifying the Traitors. At the edge-of-your-seat nightly round tables, the Faithful will aim to expel any Traitors before falling victim themselves. If a Traitor manages to stay undetected until the end, they snatch the entire prize pot. Overseeing the suspense over 12 episodes is Claudia Winkleman, who's keeping schtum about what's in store for the new series.
"I would love to tell you all about series three, but then I will get fired so I can tell you absolutely nothing," Claudia quips, "What I will say is that things are different this year. There are some really exciting things that have changed, which keeps everyone on the toes and feeds into the central premise of trust. I can’t wait for everyone to see."
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At 52, Claudia has traded Strictly's glitz for Highland chic, yet continues to set trends with her distinctive style, complete with jumpers and signature fingerless gloves. "Expect more knitwear, quite a lot of tweed, and I sleep in fingerless gloves," Claudia reveals with a smile, giving us a glimpse of her wardrobe choices for the show.
She added: "More big sweaters and at one point I try to look like a yeti. I’ve snuck home a couple of pairs of gloves, but sadly most of it, I have to give it a little kiss while not wearing lipstick, and send it back."
As the presenter, Claudia gets to witness all the emotional twists and turns first-hand. "I love every single part of it," she gushes. "I love the show so much, and I feel incredibly lucky to do it. I love meeting all the contestants for the first time, and I particularly love trying to be invisible at the round table and watching it all unfold."
Fans will remember the shocking moment when series two winner Harry Clark, who was a Traitor, won the cash prize after betraying his best mate on the show, Mollie Pearce. In the previous year, a team of three Faithfuls won by banishing a Traitor at the last moment.
So, with the new contestants having watched two series, they must know how to play the game by now, right? "The new contestants can watch previous series, but that doesn’t mean it will necessarily help them, how can it?" Claudia questions. "Every series has a whole new bunch of players, with different minds, and different interpretations of the game. And like any good murder mystery, the plot is always full of twists and turns. There’s one twist this year which will hopefully have viewers on the edge of their seat."
"The missions in series three are really exciting. I love the missions and I really hope that people love them. They keep getting bigger," she adds.
The stakes are higher than ever in this year's game, according to Claudia. When asked how she would fare in the game, she confesses,: "I used to say that I’d prefer to be a Traitor, but I actually think it’s harder work. I don’t know, I’d love to be a Traitor and I’d love to be a Faithful. There are some people who’ve taken part, and they’ve been recruited, and I often think, gosh, that’s amazing, because you can see the game from all sides. I wouldn’t have a clue how to find a Traitor. I genuinely don’t, I think I would be the worst player in history."
The show has become a massive hit, with millions of viewers across the UK. Claudia admits, "I don’t know why people love The Traitors," but "I know why I love it, and that’s because the game is so clever, and you can never predict what’s going to happen. Watching people work other people out is fascinating. The other thing that’s so interesting, is that we’re told all our lives to trust our guts, but The Traitors suggests that maybe our guts don’t know as much as we think they do."
The Traitors returns on New Year's Day, 9pm, BBC One.
