Claudia Winkleman reveals 'brutal and twisted' Traitors secrets in series 4

Claudia Winkleman and the team behind The Traitors have hinted at some unexpected twists in the upcoming fourth series, which promises to be the most challenging yet. The show is set to push its contestants to their limits, with new elements that have never been seen before.

In the opening episode on New Year’s Day, all 22 contestants will arrive at the castle unharmed. This is a departure from previous seasons where some players were eliminated before even entering the venue. Executive producers Mike Cotton and Sarah Fay have introduced fresh ideas that are sure to surprise viewers.

“I can’t wait for people to see it,” Claudia said with a laugh. “The producers have the greatest minds on earth. When they told me about the new twists, I was like, ‘woah! You’re joking?’ The people in charge always have excellent ways of changing the game. You think you know how to win – turns out you don’t. It gets pretty twisted. I love it.”

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Mike, from production company Studio Lambert, explained: “Each series is like its own murder mystery. We never change the core game but we always play with the twists around it. What I would say about this season is that we test our Traitors harder than ever, we push them really hard. And you’ll see that later in the series. Also the Faithful as well, it becomes quite brutal.”

Claudia, who is thrilled to be called the “queen of darkness” by one player, noted that this series feels different from the previous three. “The castle has many secrets,” she said. “At one point, all the hairs were standing on end. They play it in an extraordinary way. You think ‘I’ve seen this and it’s going to go down this route’ – and all I can say is, it absolutely doesn’t.”

A More Competitive Game

Claudia added that the current group of players plays with more intensity than the celebrity version. “I didn’t mean the celebs were soft in a bad way, but these players play it rather differently and it gets hard core,” she laughed. “It gets very heated. We get some very juicy roundtables, that’s what I can tell you.”

Mike emphasized that allowing the players to enter the castle at the start of the first episode was not a sign of a softer approach. “This is definitely not a kinder series,” he laughed, while Claudia added: “Just you wait.”

Some of the twists will be revealed early, while others will come later. Mike explained: “One of the brilliant things is that the contestants can come in with a secret. We don’t know when we’re going to deploy it; we wait to see how it plays out and when we want to reveal that.” One potential twist involves players who are related, such as mother and son Diane and Ross from series two.

Personal Touches and Behind-the-Scenes Secrets

Claudia, 53, keeps her family and friends completely in the dark about the show. “Never! There’s no fun in knowing,” she said. “When Alan Carr won, my husband and youngest son couldn’t stop screaming and crying and shouting, ‘but you knew!’.”

She also maintains strict control over her facial expressions during filming. “This might sound ridiculous, but we all take the game seriously. If I mess it up with my face, it’s not fair on the players,” she explained. “My youngest child watched a bit of last series and said that I pulled my 'you have to do your homework' face. That’s pretty much it.”

Her favourite moments are when the players eat together in the mornings. “I love watching them at breakfast,” she confessed. “The second they walk in and react to each other over a plate of sliced cheese is fascinating to me.”

The Wardrobe and Style Evolution

The selection process for The Traitors remains as tense as ever, with Claudia relying on one key wardrobe item for impact as she circles the roundtable. “It’s an old pair of boots that have a heavy heel and I scrape them along,” she laughed. “I get a bit flamenco and I go round about five times. They need to be incredibly loud – I’m thinking of going tap next time. Alan said I was like a carthorse.”

Claudia’s wardrobe has remained the same, with a “Cruella meets Princess Anne” vibe, but she has some new ideas for the future. “Next series we’re going full Oliver Twist,” she insisted. “Lots of patches. They said no to tea stains – I’m thinking a neck scarf.”

The Traitors will air on BBC1 on New Year’s Day at 8pm. For more of the latest showbiz news and gossip, follow Celebs on TikTok, Snapchat, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and Threads.