The Traitors series three: return of 'completely riveting' reality TV

First show of new series is as 'compelling' as ever, with – of course – a few wicked twists

Claudia Winkleman, presenter of BBC's The Traitors, in front of a collage of views of the TV show's castle at night and by day
'So compelling': The Traitors is an entirely 'captivating' study of human psychology
(Image credit: BBC / Studio Lambert)

Season three of "The Traitors" kicks off with an "utterly gutting twist", said Rachel Aroesti in The Guardian.

As the new group of contestants "merrily bond" on a steam train bound for the Scottish Highlands, Claudia Winkleman makes the shock announcement that there isn't room for all of them in the game, and three players must be ejected. After a stretch of "awkward silence", three "noble souls take one for the team and clamber [down] to the tracks". The message is "crystal clear": in this reality TV show, "goodness gets you nowhere".

The premise of the show will be familiar to many: Winkleman, clad in "ridiculously chunky" knitwear, welcomes a (now smaller) group of contestants to an "immaculate Scottish castle", and secretly picks three Traitors, who are tasked with "murdering" one person each night in order to win a jackpot of up to £120,000. Meanwhile, the remaining "Faithfuls" must "sniff out and vote to banish alleged Traitors during a daily round-table ceremony".

Irenie Forshaw is a features writer at The Week, covering arts, culture and travel. She began her career in journalism at Leeds University, where she wrote for the student newspaper, The Gryphon, before working at The Guardian and The New Statesman Group. Irenie then became a senior writer at Elite Traveler, where she oversaw The Experts column.