Strictly host Claudia Winkleman is gearing up for the third series – but admits she’s still nervous over how it will be perceived despite the BBC show’s incredible success
Claudia Winkleman is getting us very excited for the next series of The Traitors (only 10 days to go!) – and she’s now spoken about a very tense moment that left her “shaking” in its aftermath.
The third series will kick off on New Year’s Day, with a celebrity version also pinned in the diary for 2025. Its success was a shock to the Strictly host and the rest of the team and she famously said that she was keen to do only one season. However, due to its near-immediate fan base, the BBC commissioned further series.
“When people loved the first one we were amazed. I said to the BBC, ‘Let’s not do it again.’ I think it’s so chic just to do something once and do it well and then to say goodbye,” she admitted. “The boss at the BBC literally came over and took my temperature and was like, ‘We go again.’ ”
However, Claudia admitted that she’s still nervous ahead of the new series airing to see how it will be perceived. She told The Sunday Times : “But you can’t take its success for granted. I’ll twitch nervously until January 24, when the series ends.”
Despite being sworn to secrecy over what exactly happens in series three, she did offer a few exciting breadcrumbs. “There’s something in it that takes my breath away,” she revealed. “Chairs are tipped over. When everybody’s gone, the crew and I stand there and shake because we’ve just witnessed real emotion, real tension, a real release.”
The show has also proven to be a big hit in the US with Alan Cumming as host. During its second season earlier this year, it became the most-watched reality TV show across the country. Both shows are filmed in the same location at Ardross Castle in Scotland.
However, Claudia admitted that neither of them can watch the other’s version of the show because they’re “both so territorial”. She quipped: “I just didn’t understand why he was in my castle and he feels the same. ‘What’s that orange woman doing in my castle with my owl?’”
Claudia joked in another recent interview that she would be “fired” if she revealed anything that happened in the new series. “What I will say is that things are different this year,” she told the Mirror. “There are some really exciting things that have changed, which keeps everyone on the toes and feeds into the central premise of trust. I can’t wait for everyone to see.”
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