COME ALL YE FAITHFULS...

Celebrity Traitors is a must-watch TV show for the autumn, but what's it all about? BETHANY WHITTINGHAM delves into the murder mystery game that is now pitching famous faces against each other

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ARE you one of the millions of Faithful viewers yet to tune in? The first series of Celebrity Traitors may be only two episodes in but it's already become the subject of discussion around school gates and office water coolers (sorry, Strictly).

While the BAFTA-winning BBC murder mystery series is now in its fourth series, its inventive mix of gameplay and trickery puts it in a different league to typical run-of-the mill reality TV formats. Often compared to the children’s classic game “wink murder”, the show involves hidden killers (the Traitors) trying to eliminate a group of innocents (the Faithfuls) without being caught, and while negotiating a series of elaborate psychological games.

Viewers have been hooked since the first series in 2022, which depicted ultimate traitor Wilfred Webster’s downfall by three Faithfuls. By the time of Jake Brown’s emotional victory in this year’s third series, more than 10 million viewers were tuning in to every twist and turn.

And it’s not just the Britons who are in thrall. The show, which originated in the Netherlands, has been a huge international hit, with versions in more than 30 countries = the US version has Scottish actor Alan Cumming as host, adding to the theatricality.

WHAT TO EXPЕСТ

HOST Claudia Winkleman is back, of course, but there’s a glamorous twist — with 19 famous faces swapping their lavish lifestyles for murder and mischief at Ardross Castle in the heart of the Scottish Highlands.