Friday, 23 August 2024

The Traitors: BBC Announces Fourth Series and Star-Studded Celebrity Edition at Edinburgh TV Festival 2024 hosted by Claudia Winkleman

Image: BBC Press

By Jon Donnis

The hit psychological game show The Traitors, hosted by Claudia Winkleman, has officially been greenlit for a fourth series alongside a brand-new nine-part celebrity version. The exciting news was revealed at the Edinburgh TV Festival 2024, further cementing the show's status as a standout in the world of reality TV.

Produced by Studio Lambert, part of All3Media, the double commission comes as anticipation builds for the third series, which was filmed amidst the dramatic landscape of the Scottish Highlands. Since its debut on BBC One and BBC iPlayer in 2022, The Traitors has captured a dedicated and growing fanbase, achieving breakout success in its first series and skyrocketing to new heights in its second season, with an impressive 46 million views on BBC iPlayer and an average of 8.1 million views per episode. It remains the most successful new entertainment show for the coveted 16-34 demographic.

Beyond its viewer numbers, The Traitors has garnered critical acclaim, sweeping a host of prestigious awards. These include the BAFTA TV Award for Best Reality & Constructed Factual, the NTA for Reality Competition, and the RTS Award for Entertainment, among others. Claudia Winkleman's performance as host has also earned her accolades, including the BAFTA TV Award for Best Entertainment Performance and the RTS Award for Entertainment Performance.

Kalpna Patel-Knight, Head of Entertainment at the BBC, expressed her enthusiasm for the show's continued success: "The Traitors has well and truly established itself as an unmissable highlight of the year. The news of a fourth outing, alongside a brand-new celebrity version, will take the series to a whole new level. It will once again be fascinating for our audiences to see who'll outwit, outplay, and outlast. Let the mind games begin!"

The celebrity edition of The Traitors promises to bring even more intrigue as famous faces take on the mental and strategic challenges of the game. Mike Cotton, Creative Director Unscripted at Studio Lambert and Executive Producer for The Traitors, teased the excitement to come: "Seeing famous faces navigate the round table or don the infamous green cloaks will be unmissable TV. And with Series 4 confirmed, there's a whole lot of exciting treachery and deception yet to come from the Highlands… Claudia's going to have to pack some extra knitwear."

In addition to the fourth series and celebrity version, fans can look forward to The Traitors: Uncloaked, a companion podcast and show hosted by comedian Ed Gamble. The Traitors: Uncloaked will return with 12 new episodes alongside the third series, available on BBC Sounds, BBC Two, and BBC iPlayer, offering deeper insights and behind-the-scenes commentary on the high-stakes game.

Casting is currently open for those daring enough to compete in the ultimate battle of strategy, suspicion, and trust. Applications for the upcoming series are available at BBC Casting. Celebrity casting is also underway, with filming scheduled for 2025. Broadcast details for The Traitors, Celebrity Traitors, and The Traitors: Uncloaked will be announced at a later date.

Originally created in the Netherlands by IDTV, an All3Media company, The Traitors has become a global phenomenon. The format was developed in cooperation with RTL Creative Unit and first aired on RTL4 as De Verraders. All3Media International handles the format's global distribution.

As The Traitors continues to grow its fanbase and influence, the next chapter of deception, mind games, and betrayal promises to be more gripping than ever—whether played by ordinary contestants or celebrities. Fans can expect plenty of thrills, drama, and shocking twists when The Traitors returns to BBC One and BBC iPlayer.

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