Ex-detective and crime novelist among new contestants

Steven McIntoshentertainment reporter

BBC Traitors contestants Jessie, Amanda and Ross photographed outside Ardross Castle in Inverness — From left to right: New cast members include hairdresser Jessie, retired detective Amanda and personal trainer Ross

A retired police detective, a crime novel writer and a psychologist will be among the players sitting at the round table in the new series Traitors, which will start on New Year’s Eve.

The 22 new contestants also include a poker-playing gardener, a lawyer, a cybersecurity consultant, a civil servant, a builder, a kindergarten teacher and a personal trainer.

Fans began to speculate that there would be a big new development in this series after the trailers were released on Christmas. showed a figure wearing a red cloak unlike the usual villains’ green.

Claudia Winkleman will return to host the series, which launches on Thursday at 20:00 GMT on BBC One and iPlayer.

The fourth regular series follows the hugely successful celebrity spin-off, which aired in the autumn and attracted 15 million viewers.

Sir Stephen Fry, Alan Carr, Celia Imrie, Jonathan Ross, Cat Burns and Kate Garraway were some of the celebrities seated at the round table of stars.

But while the spin-off was a hit with viewers, the return to civilian series allows for more duplicity and arguably better gameplay, as the contestants’ anonymity allows them to reveal more secrets.

Claudia Winkleman returns as host to welcome 22 new contestants to Ardross Castle near Inverness

Claudia Winkleman spotted hosting the fourth series of The Traitors outdoors — Claudia Winkleman returns as host to welcome 22 new contestants to Ardross Castle near Inverness

Detective writer and former lawyer Harriet Tyce (52) is in the cast of the new series and said that her career prepared her for the series.

“I spend my life making up horrible ways for people to die and killing people on the page,” he said before the launch.

“The idea that I could actually conspire to kill people or track down a killer, but without actual bloodshed, this is the closest I’ll get to that experience in real life. Honestly, what’s not to like?”

He added: “I write books about how people are not what they seem, and The Traitors is sort of the epitome of how people are not what they seem. I can bring the ability to see patterns in people’s behaviour.”

‘Deceptive, deceptive and cunning’

The cast also includes retired police detective Amanda, 57, from Brighton, who plans to put her professional skills to use.

“I did a lot of interviews with criminals and victims,” he said. “To find the truth and see through the lies, you have to put the pieces together.

“To be a traitor, you have to be good at lying, have a good poker face, and be adept at changing direction to avoid being identified. I learned a lot about being deceptive, deceitful, and cunning.”

Detective novelist Harriet, poker-playing gardener James and psychologist Ellie will sit at the round table.

Traitors contestants Harriet, Jack and Ellie photographed outside Ardross Castle — Detective novelist Harriet, poker-playing gardener James and psychologist Ellie will sit at the round table.

Ellie, a 33-year-old psychologist, plans to keep her job a secret from her fellow contestants.

“I hope I can use all my psychological techniques to play the game as well as possible, whether it’s being traitorous or loyal, building relationships with people, deceiving people and hiding how I really feel,” he said.

“I will analyze what the other contestants are doing and try to think about what their motivations are for behaving in certain ways.”

Gardener James, 38, believes he can handle the wicket well as he has had “some success playing poker” in the past.

“A few people even nicknamed me the Librarian because I have the innate ability to read people like a book,” he explained.

And Stephen, a 32-year-old cyber security expert from the Outer Hebrides but now living in London, did the math and decided he would rather be traitor than loyal.

“I can be a bit of a control freak and I feel like a traitor, which is really the best way to take control of the game,” he said.

“Your chances of returning home are reduced by 50% because you can only get out through exile. Whereas if you are a believer, you have two chances of being exiled or killed.”