Please note this article contains spoilers from the first 2 episodes of The Traitors
Millions of viewers were glued to their TV screens last night, not to welcome in the New Year, but to watch the start of Series 3 in the award-winning TV show The Traitors.
Claudia Winkleman is back to preside over a group of 25 individuals, each given a role to play, whether it’s that of a Traitor or a Faithful. Then, over 12 episodes spread across January, the competitors will use their powers of deduction, deception, and indeed manipulation, to outwit each other in the quest to win up to £120,000.
The Traitors latest news
Episode one of The Traitors started with an immediate twist. The signs were there, as 25 people boarded the train to Ardross Castle, but host Claudia Winkleman quickly made it clear that only 22 of them would become fully-fledged participants on series 3 of the show. Three of the cast – Alexander, Fozia and Jack – perhaps foolishly nominated themselves to miss out, leaving the remainder to get on with the game’s usual shenanigans of plotting and backstabbing.
We quickly found out that two of the players, Armani and Maia, were in fact sisters, before Claudia appointed a trio of female Traitors in Linda, Minah and Armani.
They were quickly tasked with carrying out their first ‘murder’, eventually plumping for communication scientist Yin who was quickly identified as too influential and clever to ignore for any length of time.
The Traitors betting odds
While we wait for betting sites to publish odds on who’ll come out on top, we’ll put our own reputations on the line. Here are what we think the Traitors betting odds should look like, based on the first show of the new series.
| Name | Traitors Odds |
| Minah | 2/1 |
| Maia | 3/1 |
| Lisa | 6/1 |
| Jake | 6/1 |
| Leanne | 7/1 |
| Francesca | 8/1 |
| Anna | 8/1 |
| Dan | 9/1 |
| Tyler | 10/1 |
| Alex | 11/1 |
| Joe | 12/1 |
| Livi | 12/1 |
| Leon | 14/1 |
| Kasim | 14/1 |
| Freddie | 16/1 |
| Charlotte | 18/1 |
| Linda | 20/1 |
| Armani | 20/1 |
2/1 Minah – Comfortably the best of the three Traitors in terms of going under the radar. Playing a clever game out of the limelight, as her fellow Traitors flounder, and looks the one to beat so far.
3/1 Maia – Her sister is a Traitor so she could be spared murder for some time yet. She’s already correctly identified Armani as a Traitor, so pick the right moment to pounce as she could go all the way.
6/1 Lisa – Has the Anglican priest got God on her side? Taking on the motherly figure role could see her go far, as less likely to be targeted for banishment.
6/1 Jake – Shrewdly identified Linda as a Traitor almost immediately. Less shrewdly, decided to announce his suspicions very early on. Linda will be keeping a close eye on him, but could he be the new Jazatha Christie?
7/1 Leanne – Playing an interesting game early on, as the army veteran portrays herself as a ‘blonde bimbo’. Potential to progress to the latter stages.
8/1 Francesca – Playing a bit-part role on the show early on, so could be fine for a while yet.
8/1 Anna – Another that is currently going under the radar.
9/1 Dan – Currently barking up the wrong tree with some incorrect theories as to the Traitors’ identities, so could be spared murder for some time yet.
10/1 Tyler – Not too much to go on so far, but doesn’t appear to be drawing any attention to himself with early faux pas.
11/1 Alex – We haven’t seen a great deal of him yet, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing this early on in proceedings.
12/1 Joe – Not too prominent early on.
12/1 Livi – Another to take a back seat in the early stages.
14/1 Leon – Going under the radar so far.
14/1 Kasim – Appears to be putting his foot in it with the the way he’s been acting, so could find himself incorrectly targeted as a Traitor before long.
16/1 Freddie – Amongst those being considered as a candidate for murder, so his days may be numbered.
18/1 Charlotte – It appears that some of her fellow Faithful have their eyes on her for an early banishment.
20/1 Linda – Struggling to shake off suspicions in her early days as a Traitor.
20/1 Armani – Surely being so prominent is a poor tactic, and her sister already appears to be on to her.
Keep up-to-date with the latest Traitors betting odds.
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What time does The Traitors start?
The first episode in the third UK series of The Traitors 2025 was aired last night, at 8pm on BBC One. Future episodes will be shown at the slightly later time of 9pm, and there are scheduled to be three shows per week. Although the start times of the final three shows are yet to be confirmed, this means the finale is expected to be screened on Friday 24th January 2025.
| Episode | Date | Start time |
| 1 | Weds 1st January | 8pm |
| 2 | Thurs 2nd January | 8pm |
| 3 | Fri 3rd January | 9pm |
| 4 | Weds 8th January | 9pm |
| 5 | Thurs 9th January | 9pm |
| 6 | Fri 10th January | 9pm |
| 7 | Weds 15th January | 9pm |
| 8 | Thurs 16th January | 9pm |
| 9 | Fri 17th January | 9pm |
| 10 | Weds 22nd January (tbc) | tbc |
| 11 | Thurs 23rd January (tbc) | tbc |
| 12 | Fri 24th January (tbc) | tbc |
What’s the format of The Traitors?
In the previous two series of The Traitors UK, 22 contestants – rising to 25 for this series – came together at Ardross Castle in Scotland. Some were given the role of playing Traitors, whilst others are categorised as Faithful. If the Traitors can’t be identified by the final show, they will take home the entire prize pot, which is typically around £100,000. If the Faithful can successfully uncloak every Traitor, it is they who will be rewarded with the prize money.
Presenter Claudia Winkleman has spoken of plenty of new twists and turns in the build-up to series 3, as producers aim to keep the show fresh and viewers guessing right up to the nail-biting conclusion.
As with the previous two series, all the competitors are general members of the public. A number of those that have taken part before have since seen their careers and celebrity status flourish. Mollie Pearce, runner-up in series 2, gave up her job following her appearance on The Traitors, and will participate in the latest series of Dancing on Ice. The current Dancing on Ice odds again have her slated to reach the final stages, with the disability model vying for favoritism alongside Love Island’s Chris Taylor and Dan Edgar from TOWIE.
Previous winners of The Traitors UK?
There have only been two series of The Traitors in the UK so far. The first eventually saw Traitor Wilfred Webster correctly identified by a trio of Faithfuls, and so Aaron Evans, Hannah Byczkowski and Meryl Williams split the prize pot. The tables were turned in series two though, as Harry Clark deceived his rivals. They were unable to identify him as a traitor, as so he claimed the entire prize fund for himself.
| Series | Winners | Traitors Role | Prize Fund |
| 1 | Aaron, Hannah & Meryl | Faithful | £101,500 |
| 2 | Harry | Traitor | £95,150 |
| 3 | tbc | tbc | Up to £120k |
Is there a Celebrity version of The Traitors?
Although there hasn’t been a Celebrity version of The Traitors in the UK yet, that will change later in 2025. Some impressive names are rumoured to have signed up for the show, including actor Stephen Fry, comedian Alan Carr, political journalist Robert Peston, Friends star Courteney Cox and diver Tom Daley.
Seeing celebrities take part wouldn’t be a completely new thing, given US Traitors already runs with that format, but it would break new ground on this side of the Atlantic.
