Q and A with Claudia Winkleman

The Traitors keeps getting bigger and better! What can you tell us about series three?

I would love to tell you all about series three, but then I will get fired so I can tell you absolutely nothing. What I will tell you 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.

Why do you think people are so captivated with The Traitors?

I don’t know why people love The Traitors. 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.

What is your favourite part of hosting The Traitors?

I love every single part of it. 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 roundtable and watching it all unfold.

As the new contestants can watch the previous series, how do you keep them on their toes?

The new contestants can watch previous series, but that doesn’t mean it will necessarily help them… How can it? 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.

Were you impressed by the strategy and game play used by this year’s contestants?

I am impressed by way the contestants play the game each year, it often almost takes my breath away, and this year is no different.

What is the most important characteristic a Traitor should have?

I think charm and nous.

Previously you have mentioned that you would rather be a Traitor than a Faithful. Has your opinion changed?

I used to say that I 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.

If you were a Faithful, how confident are you in your own intuition that you would be able to identify a Traitor?

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 previous missions have been so exciting. Can you tell us something about what we can expect this series?

The missions in series three are really, really exciting. I love the missions and I really hope that people love them. They keep getting bigger and better, and this year have more stakes in the bigger picture of the game than ever before.

What looks can we expect to see from this series? Have you kept anything from your Traitors wardrobe?

Definitely more knitwear, quite a lot of tweed, and I sleep in fingerless gloves. Expect more tweed, more big sweaters and at one point I try and look like an actual yeti. I’ve snuck home a couple of pairs of gloves, but sadly most of it, I have to give it a little kiss whilst not wearing lipstick, and send it back.

Have you had any surprise messages from celebrity fans of the show?

To be honest I love it when I meet anyone who loves the show, because all I want to do is discuss it and the gameplay and what they think of the episodes. We really, really hope people like series three, and we never take it for granted.

In this nail-biting award winning, reality series, Claudia Winkleman greets a group of strangers as they arrive at a beautiful castle in the Scottish Highlands to play the ultimate game of detection, backstabbing and trust, in the hope of winning up to £120,000.

But hidden amongst them are the Traitors whose job is to secretly murder their fellow players, without getting caught.

It’s up to the others, the Faithful, to try to detect who the traitors are, and banish them from the game, before they become their next victim.

For the lucky ones who survive to the end, they have the chance of winning that life-changing cash. But if a Traitor remains undetected, they’ll take it all. New series, and a whole new game. But who will make it through?

Watch The Traitors series 3 on iPlayer and BBC One from 1 January 2025