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A retired police detective, a crime writer and a psychologist are among the next cohort of contestants to enter The Traitors’ castle, as the BBC revealed details of the latest series of its smash-hit sleuthing show.
A sweet shop assistant, a cybersecurity expert and a personal trainer are also among those to be divided into plotting “traitors” and the “faithfuls” tasked with unmasking them.
The latest series, starting on New Year’s Day on BBC One and iPlayer, will once again see contestants engage in shared missions, nightly “murders” and frequently misfiring attempts to identify and banish the traitors among them, as they battle over the £120,000 prize fund.
Host Claudia Winkleman has already said the “brutal” latest series contains a new twist.
It follows the huge success of the celebrity edition of the show in October and November, in which comedian Alan Carr charted an unlikely path to victory.
This year’s lineup of 22 contestants includes a bestselling author well-versed in shaping deadly narratives. Thriller writer Harriet Tyce, 52, who is also a former criminal barrister, admits her CV has given her “the skill set that could be quite useful”.
Her previous books include Lessons in Cruelty and the appropriately titled The Lies You Told.
“I spend my life making up horrible ways for people to die and killing people on the page,” she said.
“The idea that I might get to actually plot to kill people or to track down a murderer, but, you know, without actual blood being shed, it’s the closest that I’d get to that experience in real life. So quite honestly, what’s not to like?
“I’m really good at putting clues together, but I say all of this and I could collapse into a puddle of angst and it might be a complete disaster.”
Despite her experience in treachery and misdirection, she said her plan is to play down her skills as a novelist and “dial up” her role as a housewife and mother, to keep the heat off her early on. “I’m not going to be dishonest,” she said. “I’m just going to play it down.”
Accompanying her within the Scottish castle that hosts the show will be Amanda, a 57-year-old retired police detective from Brighton, who spent a career uncovering deceit and observing shady behaviour.
“I’ve done lots of interviews with criminals and victims. You have to put the pieces together to find the truth and see through the lies,” she said.
“To be a traitor, you have to be good at lying, have a good poker face and be a master of deflection to prevent you being identified. I’ve learned a lot about being deceptive, devious and cunning.”
Another contestant, Ellie, 33, is thought to be the first psychologist on the show. She said she hoped to bring a “psychological perspective” to the infamous roundtable discussions, after which a contestant is voted out of the game.
She said she was hoping to deploy those skills as a traitor – with a tactic of winning over friends early on.
“It’s absolutely about trying to form bonds with people early on, because we know that voting around the round table isn’t just about who’s suspicious, it’s also about the bonds that you’ve made with people,” she said.
“I am also going to be hiding my occupation as I don’t want people to make assumptions about me.”
Also among the hopefuls are Adam, an outspoken builder, James, a poker-playing gardener, and Reece, a 27-year-old sweet shop assistant.
