The Traitors has proved to be a huge holiday hit for the BBC, with fans enthralled by the reality TV show based on Dutch series De Verraders.
Led by Claudia Winkleman, 50, the program sees candidates selected as “The Traitors” before having to secretly plan each night to “murder” and attempt to “murder” their fellow cast members – known as “The Believers” – without their knowledge , they steal prize money.
The gripping, tactical series will come to a dramatic conclusion on Thursday, as viewers will find out whether it will be a traitor or a creditor who will pocket the prize money – which currently stands at just over a whopping £82,000.
The end is near: The riveting BBC series The Traitors will come to a dramatic conclusion on Thursday, as viewers will find out whether it will be a Traitor or a Faithful (LR Hannah, Kieran, Meryl, Aaron, Wilfred)
And with five determined finalists struggling to uncover (or hide) the truth, the game is for everyone.
Here’s everything you need to know about the BBC program as fans will be glued to their TV screens…
When will The Traitors air?
The final episode of the 2022 series airs on BBC One on Thursday 22 December at 9pm and comes after The Great British Sewing Bee.
Success: Starring Claudia Winkleman (pictured), 50, The Traitors has proved to be a huge holiday hit for the BBC, with fans enthralled by the reality TV show, which is based on Dutch series De Verraders
How does the show work?
For the show, contestants sign up before a small number of players are secretly chosen by Claudia to be The Traitors. The rest of the players are known as “The Faithful” and none of the Faithful know who the Traitors are.
Players are then eliminated when the traitors secretly meet and decide to “murder” one of the believers. When the group meets for breakfast the next morning, the “murdered” player does not appear.
Mystery: The Show features contestants signing up before a small number of players are secretly chosen to be The Traitors. The rest of the players are known as “The Faithful” and none of the Faithful know who the Traitors are
Then, later in the day, all players must meet at the “Round Table” and “banish” the player they suspect to be a traitor.
The person they choose then reveals whether they are a traitor or a believer before being eliminated from the show.
At the end of the game, the few remaining players share the prize pot if they are all loyal, but if there is one traitor left among them, the traitor takes all the prize money.
Who are the finalists?
Finals: Of the 22 original nominees, only five are still fighting for the prize money (LR Kieran, Aaron, Claudia Winkleman, Meryl, Hannah, Wilfred)
Of the original 22 contestants, only five are still fighting for the prize money after Faithful Maddy Smedley was banned from the castle in the penultimate episode.
There are two traitors left – Wilf Webster and Keiran Tompsett – who must convince the Faithfuls that they are innocent and one of them.
And after playing a very clever and often underhanded game – in which he conspired against fellow traitor Amanda Lovett, resulting in her shock banishment – Wilf is determined to come out on top.
Truth and Lies: There are two other traitors left – Wilf Webster and Keiran Tompsett – and after a very clever and often underhanded game, Wilf (pictured right) is determined to get the upper hand
While three believers remain – Hannah Byczkowski, Aaron Evans and Meryl Williams – the trio must work hard as a group to identify the killers.
What happens in the final?
In Wednesday night’s penultimate episode, Claudia revealed a shocking, game-changing twist ahead of the finale.
As attendees celebrated making it into the final five following actress Maddy’s banishment, the presenter interrupted her champagne-filled celebrations to announce no one would be murdered that night, before adding another revelation.
Not over yet: In Wednesday night’s penultimate episode, Claudia revealed a shocking, game-changing twist ahead of the finale
She told them: “Tomorrow you will face the mission to finish all missions. Not only that, your evening still has the highest stakes.”
She continued: “There will be a round table tomorrow and after that you will decide when the game ends.
“If you are sure there are no more traitors, just tell me and the game ends.
Twist: Claudia interrupted their celebrations and told them: “Tomorrow there will be a round table and after that you will decide when the game ends.”
Risky Business: “Remember, if one or more traitors remain, they take all of the prize money and it’s a lot of money.”
“Remember, if one or more traitors remain, they take the entire prize fund and it’s a lot of money.”
This means that the participants are under real pressure as they need to be 100% sure there are no traitors left in their midst in order to win the money.
While the believers will work hard to uncover the truth, the traitors will have to work harder to hide their deception and ensure they stay under cover until the end.
Who is the host?
Calling the shots: Strictly speaking star Claudia Winkleman is the series’ host, leading the missions as well as the very tense round-table sessions
Star star Claudia Winkleman is the host of the series and leads the missions as well as the very tense round table sessions.
Speaking about hosting the series, Claudia recently admitted she had to do something that made her “very uncomfortable” when speaking of having to be “mean” in her role.
Speaking on The Graham Norton Show, Claudia cryptically said: “I’m not always mean, but I had to do something in the beginning that made me very uncomfortable.
“I loved them all, but I knew too much about everyone, so I had to stay away from them all.”
Claudia went on to admit that she initially turned down the opportunity to host the reality game show before changing her mind while watching the original Dutch version.
She said: “I said no at first, but then I looked at the Dutch version and cried. I loved it so much and said, ‘Please let me do it.’ I was so lucky to do it.’
Oh no! Speaking about hosting the series, Claudia admitted she had to do something that made her “very uncomfortable” when speaking of having to be “mean” in her role