Why I am totally addicted to The Traitors, some of the best TV of the year

Comedy gold and no nastiness? The Beeb’s new game show is just my kind of reality TV, writes Jessie Thompson

Wilfred on BBC’s breakout hit ‘The Traitors’ (BBC)

When I ask people if they’re watching The Traitors on BBC One, there are only ever two answers. I either get an unbothered, indifferent shrug. Or a fervent hand reaches out and grabs mine, the person’s eyes widen and they whisper, “I. Am. Addicted.”

The Beeb’s new game show will conclude tonight with a dramatic final. The Traitors, essentially a televised 12-part game of Wink Wink Murder, has been something of a sleeper hit, but those in the know agree that it’s delivered some of the best telly of the year. Fronted by Claudia Winkleman wearing knitwear so snug it increasingly looks like it might smother her entire face, it puts a group of strangers in a castle and divides them into “faithfuls” and “traitors”. No one knows who the traitors are; each night the motley crew collectively vote to “banish” the person they are suspicious of, before the traitors regroup at night to “murder” one of the gang. They play silly escape-room-type games in between, building a prize of pot of money for the eventual winner. So far the faithfuls have had a ‘mare, unwittingly turning on one another time and time again.

That’s partly because they’re preoccupied with people’s personalities instead of looking for possible game plans. Breakout star and now fallen traitor Amanda pulled the wool decisively over everyone’s eyes by playing the role of Sweet Maternal Welsh Lady, before disappearing in a velvety cloak to plot her next move, enabling her to fly under the radar for weeks. I hope someone is etching her name into a Bafta as we speak. Meanwhile, her co-conspirator Wilfred, palpably nervous about being discovered, has been manically chatting about possible suspects like he’s done a gram of coke at a house party at 3am. The final should be explosive, with Wilfred, having thrown Amanda under the bus, seeming to believe he can win this thing alone. When the pair had to sacrifice their fallen traitor buddy Alyssa to throw faithfuls off Wilfred’s scent, Amanda gave him a warning that stands out as one of the best moments of the series. “Wilfred, can I just tell you something? What is on the flag of Wales?” she asked him. “A dragon…” he replied meekly. “”You throw me under the bus,” she said, in a voice that made the blood run cold, “that is what I will be.” In the end, she took her betrayal in remarkably cheery spirits.

The Traitors is addictive because it’s fascinating to see how people behave under pressure, forced to make brutal decisions, and how easily (or not) they can lie. But it’s also a great show because, although it’s about deception, it’s never actually nasty. Unlike many a reality TV show that trades on exploitation and vulnerability, everyone’s behaviour is confined to the rules of the game, easy to understand – and sometimes even possible to admire. We actually don’t know very much about who the contestants really are – although when septuagenarian Andrea spoke movingly about wanting to challenge herself after becoming a widow, it made it impossible not to root for her.

There have also been moments of comedy gold. Such as when wannabe criminal mastermind Maddy invited suspicion by needlessly confessing that although she mainly works as a receptionist, she’s also an actress. (She once played a homeless person on EastEnders.) Or when pink-haired magician Tom bragged of his ability to read people, meaning that he would know exactly who the traitors were. His “reads” were wildly off, but he sold them with such impeccable confidence that the group knocked out poor, man-bunned Ivan – another faithful. Suffice to say, Tom was brown bread the next day, with Derren Brown resting easily in his bed.

It’s Gogglebox kind of telly – best enjoyed with a friend or family member while you make dumb jokes or jump up and down on your sofa at the latest outlandish twist. This is why, upon discovering a set of pals who are addicted as I am, we promptly set up a WhatsApp group (named, of course, “faithfuls”) to dissect every episode, as well as thirsty Insta pics of handsome woolly hat wearing faithful Matt (RIP) and the question of whether Alex and Tom are still together. If, god forbid, one of us has social plans when an episode airs, the group must be ruthlessly muted. But on Thursday evening, the night of the final, we will be – as the most common line of defence goes – “100 per cent faithful”.

The last episode of ‘The Traitors’ airs on BBC One on Thursday 22 December