THESE days very few TV shows command more than 10million viewers per episode – you’re talking a football match, Gavin & Stacey or a Coronation.
But Claudia Winkleman’s murder mystery The Traitors has achieved just that.
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Tonight I’ll be among the masses tuning into the final of the BBC juggernaut as this year’s crop of chancers try to nail the Traitor in their midst and take home a £75k+ prize pot.
Series three will be remembered for many things.
It’s only January but already vying for TV Moment of 2025 is surely last night’s insane twist when Francesca was made The Seer.
It more than made up for the mid-series droop when the much-hyped Death Match failed to shock in the same way Diane’s fizzy pinkwine hit in series two.
But I reckon it’s the action away from the format points which captivate viewers so completely.
The casting – always so diverse in an entertaining way, rather than just a socially aware tickbox – delivered a bunch of quirky characters that viewers have got behind.
I’m a TV expert and here’s my top five moments of The Traitors, series three.
TWO OF THE WORST TRAITORS, EVER.
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“Oh my god, who could it be!”, I ask, to quote the brilliantly histrionic Linda.
It’s you, Linda.
The OTT OAP’s horrific acting in the breakfast room and beyond went down in history as the series’ worst effort to deceive.
Until Freddie came along, of course, with such a bodged effort to dodge capture after being recruited – then booted – by Charlotte, it made my skin crawl.
We were all taken back to the time we’d got caught by a lie, I am sure.
Both Linda and Freddie deserve a rotten tomato for their terrible turns as Traitors.
ALEXANDER. FULL STOP.
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Is it the interesting job as a British diplomat? The posh accent and acute intellect? The sumptuous knitwear and effortless country casual?
Either way, Alexander Dragonetti has become this year’s standout star with fans flocking to back him online.
As one of the train trio, he won his place in the castle with cool, calm reasoning in the cage.
He shone in the doll nursery rhyme mission and then gifting Francesca his coins to help her become The Seer was a masterstroke.
But for me, he’ll always be remembered for falling in that bush.
MISSIONS
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It is true that The Traitors’ missions have become more and more complex and some fell entirely flat.
The scary clown maze was a flop and the Death Match, for me, a waste of budget.
Such a moment hinging on the luck of a card flip was a travesty.
But the chess game, viking boat and statue challenge led to brilliant backstabbing, relevant to the gameplay and visually fun for viewers.
Special mention for the nursery rhyme doll challenge and its resurrection last night.
Too greedy.
SISTER SISTER
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Maia Gouveia and her sister Armani decided to be up front about their relationship from the off, which led to surely the only ending possible – one knifing the other.
By their final reckoning, Armani had made herself unpopular with her fellow Traitors through her up-front attitude and Maia smelt a rat.
When she turned on her at the round table it was the first shocking moment of the series – made all the better cos viewers were a little bored of Armani’s bolshiness, too.
GAMEPLAY
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Harry Clark was so impressive last season because he was four steps ahead of the rest with strategy and influence.
He blew everyone out the water because he focussed on proactive action rather than reacting – something most players on The Traitors fall into.
But this year a handful of players have more than risen to that.
Minah was an exceptional Traitor, only bested by backstabbing Charlotte.
Alexander displays similar qualities, though, foresight and strategy being at the forefront rather than a “twinkle in the eye” or a “gut feeling”.
It’s levelled up the game beyond anything a format twist could achieve.
How does The Traitors work and who hosts it?
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The Traitors first launched in the UK in 2022, after the Dutch format was acquired by the BBC.
Claudia Winkleman is the show’s host, and has now hosted all three series to date.
How does it work?
It is a reality game show that involves 22 contestants, and some of them are chosen to be The Traitors.
The Traitors sees a group of contestants taking part in “the ultimate game of truth and deception”.
The group of contestants are competing for the chance to walk away with a huge cash prize.
While navigating through a series of challenges, the team are also tasked with figuring out who the Traitors are in the group (usually three contestants).
Each night, the Traitors gather to “eliminate” one of the Faithful, removing them from the competition
Meanwhile, the traitors can be “banished” if they’re successfully outed as a traitor by a faithful.
The winners of the show are either the Traitor who remains undetected or the Faithfuls if they successfully eliminate all the Traitors.
The prize sees the winner could get £120K.