“The Traitors” U.K. fans are in for a treat as the BBC today confirmed a fourth season of the hit show as well as a celebrity edition.
The news, unveiled at the Edinburgh TV Festival today, comes ahead of a third season of the show, which has already been been shot in the Scottish Highlands.
No participants or broadcast date have yet been confirmed for the nine-part celebrity version or Season 4, which will consist of 12 episodes.
Hosted by Claudia Winkleman, the U.K. edition of the psychological gameshow is produced by Studio Lambert, part of All3Media.
“’The Traitors’ has well and truly established itself as an unmissable highlight of the year and the news of a fourth outing, alongside a brand new celebrity version coming to the BBC, will take the series to a whole new level,” said Kalpna Patel-Knight, the BBC’s head of entertainment. “It will once again be fascinating for our audiences to see who’ll outwit, outplay, and outlast. Let the mind games begin!”
Mike Cotton, creative director for unscripted at Studio Lambert and an executive producer on “The Traitors” added: “We are thrilled to be inviting some celebrities into our castle to come and play the game. Seeing famous faces navigate the round table or don the infamous green cloaks will be unmissable TV, and what a double treat for the fans with [Season] 4 also confirmed too. There’s a whole lot of exciting treachery and deception yet to come from the Highlands… Claudia’s going to have to pack some extra knitwear.”
A companion podcast, “The Traitors: Uncloaked,” is also set to unveil 12 new episodes from podcast agency Listen, hosted by comedian Ed Gamble.
“The Traitors” was originally created in the Netherlands by IDTV. All3Media rep global rights for the format and tape sales.
During their Edinburgh panel, the BBC also announced a new sitcom with Dawn French, titled “Can You Keep a Secret?” And a new two-part documentary titled “Signs for Living” from Rogan Productions starring Rose Ayling-Ellis, in which Ayling-Ellis guides a group of older people through learning British Sign Language.
“Can You Keep a Secret” stars French as a militant granny who embarks on an insurance scam. It’s written and created by Simon Mayhew-Archer (“This Country”) and also stars Mark Heap (“Friday Night Dinner).
Other news to come out of the panel is that the BBC’s hit dance show “Strictly Come Dancing” will be signed live with British Sign Language for the first time in its 20 year history. The show already offers audio description and subtitling.
Both Ayling-Ellis’s documentary and the BSL addition to “Strictly” are part of a BBC British Sign Language season next year, which aims to celebrate signing.
