The Traitors: the best reality show on television?

With the gripping second season now under way, critics say the hit game show has entered the canon of 'truly great reality TV'

The Traitors
The first series of the game show was 'spectacularly successful'
(Image credit: BBC)

The BBC's hit game show "The Traitors" has returned to British screens with a new cast of contestants and some tweaks to the format that the producers hope will keep audiences hooked.

The first series was "spectacularly successful", said the i newssite's TV editor Emily Baker. It was "100% the best reality show on TV", winning a National Television Award and two Baftas, and was watched more than 34 million times on iPlayer. 

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Arion McNicoll is a freelance writer at The Week Digital and was previously the UK website’s editor. He has also held senior editorial roles at CNN, The Times and The Sunday Times. Along with his writing work, he co-hosts “Today in History with The Retrospectors”, Rethink Audio’s flagship daily podcast, and is a regular panellist (and occasional stand-in host) on “The Week Unwrapped”. He is also a judge for The Publisher Podcast Awards.