It’s set in a castle in Scotland and I have to wear tweed... I was all in
Claudia Winkleman hosts new psychological game show The Traitors. Jane Haase finds out why the Strictly star couldn’t resist the job
Strangers meet in a beautiful Scottish castle – and among them are three ‘murderers’.
Each night they will try to eliminate one of the group, without getting caught.
It sounds like an Agatha Christie mystery but this is new reality game show The Traitors.
Hosted by Strictly Come Dancing’s Claudia Winkleman, she explains why she got involved: “I’m obsessed by psychological games and I couldn’t stop watching the Dutch version of the show.
“The fact that the BBC version is set in a castle in Scotland and the producers want me to wear tweed meant I was all in.”
In the game, the players have to work together to complete physical and mental challenges to add money to a prize pot, that is worth up to £120,000.
But hidden amongst the group are some Traitors – players who have been secretly selected by Claudia at the start. Everyone else is known as ‘The Faithful’ and none of The Faithful know who The Traitors are. The Traitors must murder one of their fellow players every night and remain undetected by the rest of the group.
The Faithfuls’ role is to try and work out who is betraying them and eliminate them from the game.
For the lucky ones who survive to the end, they have the chance of winning that lifechanging cash. But if a Traitor remains undetected, they’ll take all the money.
Claudia, 49, says it was difficult trying not to reveal anything herself.
“That’s why I had to be quite cold because, especially at the round table where they’re all barking up the wrong tree. and I don’t want to give anything away but there was one example when someone kept on going I know it’s you and all the 21 others just laughed at her and I just had to keep my distance, it was really hard.”
Does Claudia think she would be a good traitor? “I’d absolutely want to be a Traitor. But I don’t think I’d be very good at it as it’s really hard, but I think the gameplay and scheming would be amazing.”
Claudia’s tweed outfit is obviously quite a departure from Strictly and the sequins.
“Well, I mean, this is my dream wardrobe and what I have wanted to wear but I’ve never been to the countryside so I’ve never worn it before,” she says.
“I have got a brilliant girl who gets all my clothes for Strictly and we were like let’s go for a touch of Ronnie Corbett, a bit of Princess Anne and Madonna when she married Guy Richie.”
And the mum-of-three enjoyed getting a chance to show her dark side.
“I really wanted to just be a little ball of positivity, but that wouldn’t have worked,” she reveals.
“That would have ruined the game. If I’d have gone yes, you’re right and you’re doing brilliantly and by the way, you chose a traitor... it would have ruined it. So I had to do it in a different way.
“I slightly had to take a step back and watch them kill each other.”
■ The Traitors starts on Tuesday, BBC1, at 9.30pm