With The Traitors 2025 final almost upon us, The Mirror’s Live TV Editor Lauren Morris suggests one major change to the hit BBC show that could elevate it even more
Are you watching The Traitors? That’s the question everyone’s been asking over the last few weeks as the BBC competition’s third series brought camp chaos back to our screens.
Hosted by Claudia Winkleman – who ditches her sequinned Strictly persona for fingerless gloves and an even longer fringe – The Traitors has instilled some flavour into what is usually dull January small-talk with its constant twists, brutal betrayals and iconic characters.
Faithful-turned-Traitor Charlotte Berman bemused everyone with choice to adopt a Welsh accent in the competition to appear more trustworthy, particularly when the only authentically Welsh contestant (Elen Wyn) was the first to be banished by her fellow contestants. Meanwhile, viewers couldn’t get over Linda Rands’ hilarious take on being a Traitor – which involved shedding crocodile tears over murdered Faithfuls she wasn’t that close to and on one occasion, almost outing herself by turning her head to Claudia when she addressed the Traitors at a roundtable.
The Traitors fans will be tuning in tonight to find out who takes home the £100,000 prize (
Image:
BBC / Studio Lambert)
While it’s clear that The Traitors is still as much of a hit on its third outing, with the BBC announcing that over 10 million viewers have tuned in to the gothic game of Werewolf/Mafia, there’s one format change that both fans and myself are calling for that could push the ratings up even higher. Ditch the Friday night slot for the primetime Sunday schedule.
Since its first series in 2023, The Traitors has dominated the end of the working week – airing from Wednesday until Friday at 9pm. Typically, BBC One’s 9pm Sunday slot has been almost exclusively saved for big dramas, from SAS Rogue Heroes and Strike to The Tourist, Death in Paradise and the upcoming series Miss Austen. Meanwhile, bigger entertainment formats like Strictly Come Dancing and Survivor have become Saturday staples thanks to their family-friendly themes.
The Traitors does not qualify for either genre, with it being a reality show at its essence and too tense for a feel-good Saturday night. And yet, the show – with its jaw-dropping drama and captivating contestants – feels like a perfect fit for Sunday primetime. Why wouldn’t you want to battle the Sunday scaries by following 22 paranoid people around a Scottish castle as they gossip, interrogate and double-cross their way through the competition?
Claudia Winkleman hosts the hit BBC show – which should move to Sunday nights (
Image:
BBC/Studio Lambert/Mark Mainz)
The cat-and-mouse dynamic between the Faithfuls and the Traitors – and the contestants’ intensely emotional reactions – provide the TV thrill that we’re all seeking before we mentally prepare for a Monday morning of work. While Claudia’s witty one-liners, the Faithfuls’ ridiculous guesses and the Traitors’ camp killings bring levity to the pre-bed viewing – not to mention enough meme-worthy facial expressions to fill a Twitter timeline.
I’m not the only one who feels this way, with many fans calling for a Friday slot. “Traitors is such Sunday, Monday, Tuesday TV,” one said on X. “It has no place on a Friday night. The ultimate betrayal is the scheduling.”
Another wrote: “Kinda feel like we need a Sunday night Traitors ep just to steady ourselves for the week to come. And one on Monday just to get over Monday. And a Tuesday one just to take the edge off.”
The Traitors’ scheduling is certainly not the only flaw with its format. There have been times when contestants took the game play too seriously, leading to complaints of bullying from the public, while the show often loses its best personalities murdered early-on by Traitors who see them as a threat.
However, an easy fix to the small but simple viewer complaint about scheduling would be for the BBC to upgrade one of its biggest hits in recent years to its rightful primetime slot. We’ve seen so many Traitors twists over the last three series – from Diane and Ross being mother and son to the introduction of The Seer last night – however, one of its greatest just could be a move to Sunday nights.
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