BBC
Claudia Winkleman teases highlights from second series of The Traitors
Claudia Winkleman greets 22 strangers as they arrive at a beautiful castle in the Scottish Highlands with the hope of winning up to £120,000…
In this nail-biting psychological reality competition, Claudia Winkleman greets 22 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 a player every night, without getting caught. It’s up to the others, the Faithfuls, 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 steal all the money.
How excited are you for everyone to see series two?
So excited. I’m obviously terrified people won’t like it as much as series 1, but that’s normal right?
Favourite moment of the last series?
I have too many! The first round table, the Traitors meeting in the conclave the first time. The Traitors turning on each other was extraordinary and something we did not predict. But there were brilliantly funny moments too, when they’d all laugh together on the missions. I love the friendships that were created in a mad world of betrayal.
Did you find it hard to keep secrets last series? Were any celebrity fans asking you for the inside scoop?
I am rarely not in my bed so it was easy to keep the secrets of the final. I also know that giving away the ending or any part of it would have ruined it so I just kept schtum.
The contestants last year were incredible, can you tell us anything about this year’s hopefuls?
They are all excellent. They come having seen the first series so are more quick to suspect but they all play a brilliant game. I wish I could say more but I’ll be fired…
Can you give us any hints on anything new to come in this new series?
I wish I could. I think I’m allowed to say the armoury has gone and now there’s a kitchen. That’s it!
Can you tell us a bit about this year’s challenges? They were tough last year but have they ramped up?
The missions this year are epic. The producers are so clever as the missions are incredibly important as it is a chance for the contestants to switch off from strategising and plotting. They get fresh air, they run around, they work as a team. The scale this year is beyond.
How was the nerve of this year’s contestants? Was it even more tense in series two?
It definitely gets extremely tense, it did in the first series too but there’s one round table in this episode when I came out shaking.
Are there any stand out moments from this series?
There are. I can’t say anything else.
You were back in the castle in Scotland once again, how did it feel to return to the highlands?
I love Scotland so much. Where we film might just be the most beautiful place on earth, the landscape is breath-taking. But also the people you meet are so welcoming and kind and hopefully happy we’re back. I got off the train and the lovely man who worked at the station just casually said to me “I hope you’ve got your cloak”.
The Traitors series 2 comes to BBC One and BBC iPlayer from 3 January 2024.
