I’ve watched all 10 series of The Traitors – this is the best one

When The Traitors quietly launched on BBC One, just under four million viewers tuned in. Claudia Winkleman introduced a game that was equal parts psychological warfare and gloriously camp theatre. It had promise, sure—but no one, not even the BBC, could have predicted the phenomenon it would become.

Just over three years later, The Traitors is the crown jewel of modern reality TV. In an era where the genre has struggled to reinvent itself, this show has done the unthinkable: captured the imagination of millions across the globe. Every broadcaster wants ‘the next Traitors,’ but none have come close. It’s become exhausting watching them all try.

Now, Celebrity Traitors is about to launch in the UK for the very first time—its star power a testament to how adored the format has become both in and outside reality TV circles.

Sir Stephen Fry, Clare Balding, Alan Carr, Jonathan Ross, Charlotte Church, Paloma Faith, Tom Daley. That level of talent wouldn’t have touched reality TV in 2022. But for Celebrity Traitors, it’s a badge of honour.

While nothing else has captured the public’s imagination in quite the same way, thankfully The Traitors has been such a huge hit around the world that there are currently ten series to get through on BBC iPlayer—some (though not many) even better than the three enormously successful UK versions. 

The Traitors Ireland, which has gone down a storm and by all accounts takes gold for being the sweatiest series of them all, is coming in November – hook it into my veins already. 

The show has been commissioned in over 30 territories so far and airs in more than 50.

But which is the very best series of The Traitors available to watch here in the UK?

I’m yet to be disappointed by a single version—no territory has ever let me down.

At one point, I wasn’t sure The Traitors could have a long lifespan. Once players had seen the game unfold, noted the tactics, and were privy to too much information, I thought it might lose its edge.

Turns out, I was very wrong. Every game is unique, never predictable. The U.S. was the first to throw celebrities into the game—mostly professional reality TV stars who’ve competed on the likes of Survivor, Big Brother, or Drag Race. They’re not there to be liked—they’re there to play, disrupt, and win.

Americans are unbeatable at high-stakes drama, but there’s one country that has become the true titan of reality television: Australia. Its first season of The Traitors is lightyears ahead of any other.

Australians often don’t recognise the magic in their own programming the way Brits do. MasterChef, Married at First Sight, Survivor Australia—crème de la crème of television, absolutely adored by us Brits.

Sadly, The Traitors Australia was axed after just two seasons.

It launched almost in parallel with the UK version in November 2022. But while we flocked to watch Welsh gay icon Amanda pull the wool over everyone’s eyes, Down Under it just didn’t land.

Season two is probably my least favourite of all international versions. But season one? Untouchable. Sublime.

The Aussies strip it back to basics. There are no throwaway gimmicks in episode one, no contestants banished seconds into the game only to reappear four or five episodes later to the shock of absolutely no one.

It doesn’t need to stir the pot so transparently. A great series of The Traitors lives and dies by its casting. With fantastic characters, there’s no need for meddling to create more drama—it unfolds naturally on a journey that couldn’t be scripted.

This is by far the most superior cast of any series. An exquisite selection of players—some perfectly suited to the game, others so naturally toxic they were born to be reality TV stars.

Nigel Brennan is the ultimate Traitor. It’s risky business keeping your identity secret, but few people would be more qualified than Nigel.

He was working as a consultant during filming—as far as the other players knew.

But in reality, he was a former photojournalist who’d been held hostage in Somalia for 460 days, along with a fellow journalist. He was eventually released after his family paid a $675,000 ransom.

We’ve had some extraordinary rug-pulls in the UK, but nothing comes close to Nigel.

He had an uncanny ability to make everyone trust his every word, could read a room like it was a children’s book, and was always thinking 20 steps ahead.

And yet, Nigel somehow still wasn’t the best player in the game.

That honour goes to Alex Duggan—the single best player The Traitors has ever seen. She was recruited by the Traitors purely to be thrown under the bus. But, without giving too much away, they soon realise that was a colossal mistake.

Alex wants to win the money so she can undergo IVF and raise a baby with her girlfriend. She is determined, and her motivation is so palpable that nothing will stand in her way.

Harry Clarke is the best Traitor the UK has ever seen—but I’d bet on Alex wiping the floor with Harry without leaving a single crumb.

Alex alone could make The Traitors Australia season one the best ever—but she’s surrounded by so many other incredible characters.

At the other end of the scale is clairvoyant Chloe Campbell, who relies on spirits to reveal the Traitors. You may scoff, but her presence is a constant threat—for both Traitors and Faithful. If she turns on another player, everyone’s reluctance to believe in the afterlife is suddenly put to a $100,000 test.

Every person around that roundtable brings a memorable energy—a feat very few casts can boast.

Eventually, the series culminates in by far the most thrilling final of any Traitors. It’s absolutely devastating—but couldn’t be more perfect. I had to keep pausing to catch my breath, anxiously pressing play, barely able to cope with the outcome.

The Traitors Australia season one should be the blueprint for every version going forward. From the casting to letting the game unfold without too much manipulation, it’s an astonishing achievement that deserves far more love than it received.

The only thing missing is Claudia Winkleman.

The Traitors Australia is available to stream now on BBC iPlayer.

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