The Traitors: When series 4 starts as Claudia Winkleman reveals exactly how she picks the Traitors
It is just around the castle corner!The Traitors is just days away from kicking off again and Claudia Winkleman has dropped some secrets about the new series – but when does it start?
Claudia will be seen with 22 new faces as she returns to Ardross Castle for series 4 of the smash hit BBC show.
The fresh batch of contestants all have their eyes on the mega-money prize, but who has the nerves and skill to make it to the end?
The Traitors will begin with a three-night extravaganza with Claudia firmly at the helm. Here’s everything you need to know, including exactly when it starts and what Claud has to say about it.
The Traitors series 4: How many contestants? What is the prize?
The new series of The Traitors was filmed in its usual home, Ardross Castle, in the Scottish Highlands earlier this summer.
Applications for series 4 contestants opened in August 2024, shortly after the series was confirmed. It was open for a long window, too! The period ran until the end of March this year, when the next Traitors and Faithfuls were selected.
Claudia Winkleman, the cast and crew – plus the brand new batch of contestants – were then scheduled to film across a four-week period in June 2025.
There are 22 contestants taking part in series 4 of The Traitors – and the potential prize pot is £120,000.
A spokesperson said: “Hosted by Claudia Winkleman, series four of The Traitors will see 22 people from across the UK descend on a Scottish Castle to try and win up to £120k. Expect even more twists, turns, secrets, epic missions, deception, banishments and, of course, murders aplenty.”
How Claudia Winkleman picks her Traitors
Claudia has let slip exactly how she picks her Traitors – and you might be surprised to learn she has help. The star has admitted the decision doesn’t rest solely on her shoulders.
Ahead of the new series starting, Claudia said: “It’s nerve-racking but I don’t choose them alone. I interview all the players and some are absolutely desperate to be Faithful.
“Anyone who convinces me otherwise is in contention. I then go into a small room with the bosses and an enormous tin of biscuits and we pick.”
Claudia also confirmed she deliberately stomps loudly as she makes her selection at the Round Table. This is something Celebrity Traitors winner Alan Carr picked up on, too!
“The walk round the table is very tense,” she added. “I can’t tell you how many times I walk around it but I really try and build the tension which is hideously mean but also quite addictive.
“I try and wear clompy footwear to add to it. It gets a bit flamenco. Alan recently said I walk round the table like a carthorse and he’s bang on.”
Who won the last series of The Traitors?
Series 3 of The Traitors was won by Faithfuls Jake Brown and Leanne Quigley. The pair successfully outwitted the Traitors and walked away with a prize pot of £94,600 out of a possible £120,000.
The first series was won by Aaron Evans, Hannah Byczkowski and Meryl Williams. They were all Faithfuls and received £101,050 in prize money.
But it was a Traitor who struck lucky for the second. Harry Clark walked away with £95,150 after pulling the wool over his fellow Faithfuls’ eyes until the bitter end.
When does series 4 of The Traitors start?
Series 4 of The Traitors starts on New Year’s Day. The episode will air at 8pm on BBC One and BBC iPlayer this Thursday (January 1, 2026). What a way to jumpstart the new year!
The great news is, the show kicks off with a three-night extravaganza. Episode 2 will follow at 8pm on Friday January 2, with episode 3 at the slightly earlier time of 7.45pm on Saturday January 3.
The BBC has also announced that spin-off show and podcast Uncloaked is also making a comeback. Host Ed Gamble returns and will be joined by celebrities and previous contestants to dissect all that is going on.
Uncloaked will air straight after The Traitors at 9.05pm on BBC Two on New Year’s Day. But from then on, it will air on BBC One instead, straight after the main show, for the remainder of the series.
Will there be a series 2 of The Celebrity Traitors?
The BBC has already confirmed there will be a second series of The Celebrity Traitors.
Kalpna Patel-Knight, head of entertainment at the BBC, said the show had “truly captivated the nation, becoming a bona fide highlight of the year”.
She added: “In 2026 the doors of the castle will be opened again to welcome celebrity players to the game to see who can charm, who can scheme and ultimately who can survive in series two which promises to be just as unmissable as the first.”
Exciting or what?!
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