Sure, there are lies, betrayal and manipulation; however this is not actuality TV’s traditional lazy storyline of contestants screeching at one another. When the traitors are uncloaked or faithfuls banished, there are not any laborious emotions (possibly except when traitor Harry received season 2 – Mollie, my ideas are nonetheless with you!)
What additionally units the present aside is that the contestants do not seem fame-hungry – apart from Diane touchdown a number of fizzy drink sponsors (well-deserved) and a Lidl Christmas marketing campaign alongside Martine McCuthcheon – they appear like they simply need to play the sport. Take silent murderer and my stand out MVP up to now on this sequence – Minah, a name centre supervisor from Liverpool – who needs to get her palms on the attainable £120,000 jackpot to get a home deposit and a surprising honeymoon however loves mendacity alongside the best way.
Then in fact there’s queen of the citadel, Claudia Winkleman, who rejoices in bringing us piping scorching drama and camp one-liners whereas doing issues like asking an owl to assist her select crimson leather-based gloves, and carrying outsized knits, tartan skirts and a correct good boot. Her enthusiasm for the sport is aware of no bounds – she cheers the contestants on through the challenges and chastises them over breakfast, notably when the traitors have gotten away with murdering her favorite devoted. Give that girl a BAFTA.
While this all has the makings of an epic TV present, The Traitors is actually particular as a result of it’s doing the work many actuality TV exhibits – particularly Love Island – refuse to do: it casts contestants from all ages, all backgrounds and all personalities. Within the course of, it harks again to the origins of actuality TV exhibits just like the OG Large Brother, which was all about making a must-see sociological experiment – not making a launch pad for the following face of Fairly Little Factor.
As The Traitors season 3 will get into its stride, I can’t look forward to extra scrumptious drama. Not less than it’s going to get my coronary heart price going with out having to decide to a January health regime.
The Traitors airs at 9pm on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.