The award-winning reality series returns, but this time, host Claudia Winkleman is inviting a group of celebrities to the beautiful castle in the Scottish Highlands to play this ultimate game of detection, backstabbing and trust, in the hope of winning up to £100,000 for their chosen charities.
Hidden amongst the group are The Traitors whose job is to secretly murder their fellow players, without getting caught.
It’s up to the others, the Faithful, to try to detect the Traitors and banish them from the game before they become their next victim.
The lucky players who survive to the end have the chance of winning the money. If a Traitor remains undetected, however, they’ll take it all. New series, whole new game.
- Learn more: The Celebrity Traitors - Everything You Need To Know
- Add The Celebrity Traitors to your Watchlist on BBC iPlayer
The Celebrity Traitors launches on Wednesday 8th October 9pm on BBC One and iPlayer. There will be two episodes per week on Wednesdays and Thursdays.
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Claudia Winkleman
The Traitors is back, but for its first ever Celebrity version. What were your first thoughts when the idea came about?
I was scared. Only because I’m in love with this show and I wanted to keep it small. Once a year or maybe once every two years felt like enough. My bosses thank goodness ignored everything I said.
What does it mean to you, to have celebrity fans of the show who love it so much they want to play the game themselves?
It’s an absolute honour. I could barely breathe when I saw them all in the Highlands. I’m such a fan of every single one of them. The whole team were just in awe, it was hard not to scream ‘you’re here!” When I talked to Stephen Fry I almost welled up, I told him “this was my dream”. We’re incredibly lucky to have the cast that we have. Each one of them is tremendous.
How does hosting the celebrity version compare to the regular series?
I think it was scarier, because all I wanted to do was chat to them and make them like me. But of course, I have to be extremely unlikable. It was tricky!
What surprised you the most about having celebrities play the game?
They’re incredibly smart and kind. They play the game beautifully and were fully engulfed in it. It was an extraordinary experience and we’re so so lucky this nineteen said yes. It's something we never take for granted and are so grateful for.
What was the biggest challenge with leading the game with celebrities?
The biggest challenge was being ‘strict’. All I wanted to do was chat and be friendly but my role is aloof and grumpy. I found it hard not to just sit down with them and have a cup of tea. My family and I are obsessed with Joe Wilkinson, I had to stop myself getting his autograph for my son.
Alan Cumming said he goes full Bond villain presiding over The Traitors in the US. If you had to channel a character from popular culture as you get yourself into The Traitors mode, who might they be?
Cruella de Vil with a touch of Miss Trunchbull.
Are you ever tempted to help in the Missions? Or has there been one where you’ve been desperate to have a go?
I am DESPERATE to help them all the time. Sometimes I try and drop big clues, but my producer tells me off.
Have you been tempted to, or have you in fact taken, any little keepsake from the castle?
I am always tempted but know better. They’d search my bags!
What can we expect from your wardrobe this series?
It’s absolutely nuts. Unhinged in taffeta was where we went...
Meet The Celebrity Traitors Contestants
Clare Balding
Why have you decided to take part in The Celebrity Traitors?
I love the show. Yes, I really find it fascinating; the way group thinking can be influenced. I don't know whether I can resist that or whether I can influence that and I'm kind of interested in it from a psychological perspective. Also, I really want to see the castle, I want to see the grounds and I want to meet the peacocks. Genuinely, I think it's a fascinating programme and it’s like nothing else.
We'll have a complete digital detox. We've got to connect with each other, talk to each other and how do you work out who to trust? That's different from who you like. Who you like is easier, but who you trust is really hard.
Are you quite good at reading people?
I think I am, but I can be much too trusting so that it would be very easy for somebody to convince me that they were not a Traitor. I have a few things that I'll try and look out for responses to and if I spot anyone being a bit casual about trying to get a shield, that will be very telling!
Have you got a strategy?
I mean, you can't. The trouble is, how do you strategise when, firstly, you don't know if you're a Traitor or a Faithful yet, and secondly, if you're a Faithful, how do you stop yourself getting killed? So, I think if I have a strategy, I’d be looking at the people like Harry and like Leanne, who'd been very successful and Charlotte, who could have won the whole thing. My strategy would be to try and keep myself under the radar. Do not be the loudest person in any situation. Be good at the Missions, because if you're good at those you have a value. So even if they thought you were a Traitor, would it be worth having you around? That's what I think. If you’ve got a real athlete on the team, I'd want to keep them even if I thought they were a Traitor, because they've got value.
So given the choice, Traitor or Faithful?
I just don't think I'd be a very good Traitor!
Do you have a good poker face?
You can't pretend to be something you're not and the interesting factor in this series in particular is that we’ll have some level of knowledge of each other. It's going to be very hard to put aside the knowledge you have of people, and the trust you have. Tom Daley I've known since he was very young so equally I'd want to be around him. I'd want to look out for him but then he could be a Traitor, of course.
Having interviewed so many sports professionals who are at the top of their game, has anybody ever given you a really good piece of advice? Imparted any winner’s mentality wisdom as you embark on this game?
Roger Federer, having retired, came in to do an interview at Wimbledon last year and I asked him a question about the speech he'd given to the students at Dartmouth College. He talked there about his stats - of all the matches he'd won, actually how many points did he win? And it's much lower than you think it should be proportionally. Because, he said, what you have to learn is which are the key points? I think that's a good strategy to take into this. I don't have to win every point. You look at someone like Roger Federer; he was fiercely competitive. He really cared about winning, but he never quite made it look like he did. There was an elegance to him that I think is very hard to master.
Another piece of advice Sir Alex Ferguson gave me really early on in my career was ‘don't let people rush you into a decision and don't undervalue yourself.’ I think the way that top level sports people respond to things going wrong is very educational. They don't let it stay with them. Things are going to go wrong in this. I'm going to mess up, I'm going to say something stupid, bound to, how do I not get myself dragged down in that? And part of what I do, certainly when I work, is I don't internalise much. I look out and I think that it helps me in a group.
Are you looking forward to the Missions?
Oh God, yeah! That's your chance to get a team together, working with the same aim. That side of the programme I'm all over. It's deception and the expelling of people that I'm not so comfortable with.
Do you think we might see a different side to you?
Well, it's interesting, not a different side from how I am in everyday life but how I am in everyday life is not how I am on telly, because I've got to be super charged on telly in my usual job. I have to be well researched, know the facts and be sort of seemingly in control the whole time. I'm not in control of this so I guess to the outside world, it will be a bit different.
Lucy Beaumont
Why have you decided to take part in The Celebrity Traitors?
Well, I love the show. It's the best telly I've ever seen and I’ve watched every series. You just get totally involved and it’s a really clever game.
What do you think you’ll bring to the game?
I really don't know. You can imagine what you'd be like, but until I’m in it I just can’t say. People who know me have said I’ll either be the worst person they've ever had on the show or I’ll win it. Nothing in between.
Have you got a strategy?
No, I don't think game plans work. I’ve seen people think they have a game plan but it always comes undone. I think it's just luck that they've said the right thing at the right time and were aligned with the right people. I don't have a plan for anything, I’m going to go with the flow.
Are you looking forward to the Missions? What might your strengths be in those?
No strengths! I'm not good at anything physical or logical. I will be carried during those and I’ll try to look busy.
Have you done anything to prepare?
Just lying a lot, seeing how good I can lie.
Have you got away with any of it?
Yeah, people don’t know I’m here at the castle. They think I’ve just popped down to the shops.
Do you want to be a Faithful or a Traitor?
I don’t mind which. I think there's a bit less pressure with being a Faithful, but then it'd be hard if people suspected you were a Traitor. If you are a Traitor, you can't really blame anyone for pointing the finger at you. All things considered, if I had to pick, I'd rather be a Traitor. I think it's more interesting. But I’d probably not be a very good one.
Would you say you’re good at reading people?
No. When I was a teenager, I was good at spotting 15-year-old boys that were lying but things have changed since then. I hope the skills might return in this game.
Have you got a good poker face yourself?
It depends on the situation. If I was a Traitor, I think I could convince myself that I was a Faithful and then I don't think it's so much like lying. If I could make myself genuinely believe that then I think that's what would get me through it.
As a comedian, do you think you might use some of the skills you've developed there on the other players? Diffuse a tense moment with your humour maybe?
Maybe that might help to an extent until it starts to annoy people. I think I am good at getting on with people so that's the only thing I can offer. It's a sort of fairly okay demeanour! I haven't got any type of plan and I doubt I’ll contribute much to the missions so the only thing I've got going is that I'm moderately pleasant.
Do you think we're going to see a different side to you in this game?
I was thinking about going in speaking Welsh and pretending I’ve actually been Welsh all this time. Sort of a reverse of Charlotte. You know, I've been pretending all this time that I’m not Welsh. Or I could be really posh. I have thought about that a bit, but I probably would only manage for the first hour. Really, there’s only one side to me.
Maybe you'll discover a new side. Maybe you'll be amazing at the missions...
This time next year I might be on Team GB. I might get really into archery or something. I don't know. Doesn't feel at all likely...
What do you think you’ll enjoy most about the game?
I like the side of someone telling me what to do all the time. To the point I think I probably would be OK in prison, having no communication with the outside world. I think it's just lovely.
Paloma Faith
Why have you decided to take part in The Celebrity Traitors?
I've never done something like this before, but I think it's an interesting game.
Have you got a game plan or a strategy?
I keep changing my mind, which is sort of what I'm like – adaptable! Sometimes I think my game plan is that I'm just going to be really honest, because there's no way that I can do anything else than genuinely be myself. My main concern is that when I've watched the show, I feel that the people who tend to get through to the end are the ones who have maybe been a little bit under the radar.
I'm in favour of having a voice of any kind, rather than sitting on the fence. I’d get rid of the boring ones!
Does that mean you’ve decided you’d rather be a Traitor than a Faithful?
Oh, I’d still vote out boring people if I'm a Faithful. If I don't think someone is contributing much to our entertainment, I’ll just exert my influence at the Round Table.
Would you say you're a competitive person?
I always say no to this question, and everyone who knows me says I am! I believe in doing the best you can, and I have high expectations for myself. I'm not somebody who gives up, but I don't have the desire to win. I think in my life, all the winning I've ever done has been like an alternative type of winning.
Are you looking forward to the Missions?
I am because I'm really physical. I work out four times a week and I was a trained dancer so the physical stuff I’ll love. My mind's not great when it comes to maths. If there’s a Mission that involves a lot of logic count me out.
Have you done anything to prepare?
Got some great outfits! It’ll be the first time that I've been on TV and self-styled. I can let loose and see if people like my actual style.
Would you say you're good at reading people? Can you spot a liar?
That's my worry. I'm exceptional at reading people, and I'm worried that I'll get voted off or murdered, because they'll see that in me. I need to keep it under the radar about how good at it I am. I'm at the point in my life where people don't even want to introduce me to their new boyfriend because they're worried I'll say I don't get good vibes from him.
Have you got a good poker face yourself?
No. Oh no. Really bad. I've sort of lied though, pretended if you like, because I've acted. I was Bet Sykes on Pennyworth, an actual murderer. I've stood in a courtroom and denied crimes, albeit for TV, so I can just take myself to that place and believe my own lie wholeheartedly.
I could do it, I just don't do that in real life, because I think morally it goes against what I'm like. This is a game and it's all fair in the game.
Do you think we might see a different side to you on the show?
I quite like murdering people! Haha. I might see a different side to myself. I think that I'm always very moral and on my high horse so I might be surprised if I do some backstabbing.
Niko Omilana
Why have you decided to take part in The Celebrity Traitors?
Of all shows, I feel like it is almost made for me to be on a show like this. It's right up my street. The moment the opportunity came up I said yes, 100%
What are you going to bring to the game?
I hope I'm going to bring a different way of way of thinking. I'm experienced in playing games similar to this and this is as big as it gets, really. I think I'll try and spice it up a little, bring a little bit of sauce to the game. I'll bring up the vibes, maybe a bit of chaos, just as much as I can.
You’ve dipped your toe into the world of politics, running for election and with some success so surely you have good powers of persuasion. Are we going to see those being used in the game?
I sold myself as the only honest politician a lot, so I'll hopefully play on that honesty in the game. I'm quite good at being persuasive so I'm hoping that I'll be able to use that for sure. Also, sitting back and observing, maybe stealing other people’s tactics, seeing where I might be able to manipulate.
Do you have a game plan or strategy?
Tricky to say in advance because if you're a Faithful the game plan is very different to the game plan for a Traitor. I've got things mapped out in my head, I have a game plan for both but that could completely change.
Which would you prefer – Traitor or Faithful?
I want to be a Traitor badly. If I was a Traitor, I would just go for chaos. I love chaos and that's why I love the show. I want to be planting seeds in people's heads, stirring the pot.
Are you a competitive person?
Very competitive. Anyone who knows me knows that I am so competitive. I always want to win so I'll do what it takes to win, but I just love it regardless. I love the game, even if I don't win. I don’t throw a tantrum! But I do fully commit and play to win.
What do your fellow Beta Squad members make of you doing this?
Everyone's really excited. They know me, so they know that this is literally right up my street.
Are you looking forward to the missions and what strengths do you think you might bring to them?
I'm kind of looking forward to them. I'm sure there'll be cool stuff going on, they’re always super impressive. However, I'd say I'm more looking forward to the actual talking to people, opportunities to observe other players and their behaviour, how they take on the missions, the psychological side of things and what useful information I might pick up from that.
Would you say you're quite good at reading people?
Yes, I'd say I'm decent at reading people. I mean, everyone says that, and then in this show, it seems like they're always miles off!
Have you got a good poker face?
Yes, but it's because in my job, I have to be convincing. I lied to the leader of the KKK, telling him I was with the BBC. He believed me, so yes, I have to have to have a good poker face particularly when I’m in a high-risk situation like that.
Do you think people are going to be more wary of you in the game?
I'm going to be one of the younger people and I imagine most won't actually know what to expect from me at all. I can just say I was that guy who ran for Prime Minister in children's glasses, and I don’t think they’ll have really delved into my content. I feel like you only really understand the way my mind works if you watch my content. If you look at it just on the surface, it just looks like stupid stuff. So that's what I’m hoping for, that I’ll be underestimated.
Celia Imrie
Why have you decided to take part in The Celebrity Traitors?
Well, it's the most talked about game on television, isn't it? And on both sides of the Atlantic, worldwide in fact. I just think it's such a clever invention. I'd love to meet the person who thought it up.
What will you bring to the game?
I think it's a very good thing to remain as open as possible, really. But you see people think I'm nice, which could be very useful.
Do you want to be a Traitor or a Faithful?
The thing is, I don't really mind, but if Claudia's hand goes on my shoulder, I'll be ecstatic with excitement. However, I do think it's quite a hard job.
Have you got a good poker face?
I suppose, being an actor, you do spend your life pretending to be somebody else, so that's quite an advantage. But it is also a horror, because you haven't got a character to hide behind, and so it is the same as being on a chat show, you just have to be yourself which is oddly quite a difficult thing to present without seeming to be affected or unreal. It is quite exposing to just be yourself.
You are in the Thursday Murder Club, has that given you a taste for mystery and might it perhaps be good research for taking on this game?
In a strange sort of way, yes.
How do you feel about the Missions?
I’m quite nervous about them. I watched a bit of the first series where people were upside down on one of those wheels. I really couldn't! And it's a weird thing, because I used to love fairground rides when I was younger, but not now. That would give me the absolute heebie jeebies. I wouldn't want to be a bad sport, but I really wouldn't want to do that. I’m not mad about heights.
Did you have anybody that stood out to you from previous series that you thought they're a great player?
The young soldier boy, Harry. I was so on his side all the way through, and then I thought he was a wretch at the end!
Are you good at reading people, would you say? Can you spot a liar?
Yes, but I've got to have time. I don't think it's an instant thing. I want to give myself time to scrutinise their body language.
Do you think we might see a different side to you in this?
Yes, quite possibly. I have a naughty streak that I find hard to suppress.
Well, we don't ever see you just being yourself..
In my autobiography I say that actresses are likened to Victorian young girls sitting round a ballroom on their gilt chairs waiting to be asked to dance. And that's how our life is. We all have to wait for the part to come along. Yes, I could play Hedda Gabler in my attic but there's nobody to tell me how good I am. If I was Van Gogh, I could create a painting in the middle of the night, I wouldn’t need an audience.
The only thing I have tried to do in terms of control in my career is to attempt to try and do something as different to the last thing so as not to be pigeonholed. And this, to be a player of The Traitors, is as different to anything else I have ever done.
Stephen Fry
Why have you decided to take part in The Celebrity Traitors?
I genuinely don't know. It's a complete mystery to me. I think it was probably because I've done so many things in my life that almost anything I get asked to do, I've done something like it. With this, I've never done anything like it before. I just thought it would be a new experience. Everybody kept telling me it was a very good show and it sounded interesting. I watched and I had to agree, I did think it was very good.
Do you like playing games? And would you say you’re competitive?
If I do play a game, I like to play it well. I like to see everybody playing it well. I get annoyed if people don't really throw themselves into it. As for being competitive, I didn't think so. I don't mind losing at all, but I like playing the game well. If I’m beaten because I’ve been fairly outplayed then I'm very happy, whatever the game might be.
Would you like to be a Traitor or a Faithful?
Oh, a Faithful! I just don't like the idea of having to plot against people. It's mean and it's annoying to have to find that side of oneself, because in order to play well, you have to be a bit mean. You have to decide to kill people. Really annoying. You're conspiring with others to do it, and you can't trust them either. So, you're just under much more pressure. You can see from the previous series that being a Traitor is really quite stressful.
Are you looking forward to the Missions?
It's very hard to say. Some of them may be tedious like being back at school, forced into compulsory physical education. It will be interesting to see if we can work together. I'm sure we'll get very excited if we manage to accomplish something. There are players who are strong and sporty, who will be good at strong sporty things, and then those of us who are less strong and sporty will have to try and hope that we can use our wits in some way.
Have you done anything to prepare?
No, what can one do? Watching every previous episode wouldn’t help because the people are different. It's not about the thing; it's about the people with this game.
Would you say you're good at reading people? Will you be able to spot a liar?
No, absolutely not. Nobody else will either. The idea that you can be good at reading people is absolute nonsense, and it's just like astrology or anything else. Woo woo. You just can't do it. You know, empiricism proves it. People time and time again ask those whose job it is to interrogate and to find out the truth and it’s simply not possible.
We can all be convinced nonetheless, even though the facts tell us otherwise. These notions of I just knew, it’s the way he lifted his glass, his eye doing that thing – all nonsense.
Do you have a good poker face?
Yes, I mean a reasonable poker face but that doesn't mean anything. Some people look as if they're lying when they tell the truth and look as if they're telling the truth and they're lying. So, it doesn't really matter. I think the only thing you can go by is when someone makes a mistake, they make a slip, or they themselves at the Round Table choose to get rid of people and they’re spot on in their choice.
That seems mysterious. The only reason you can think why they would want to get rid of them is because they have some treacherous reason, but that's about it. Try to use reason a bit because instinct is no good.
Do you think acting skills can play a part in how you play the game?
The fact that I've acted in films and on stage and in small screen, big screen and so on, and we have others who have acted, people think, oh, they're actors, therefore they're better liars. Actors are terrible liars! It's not an actor's job to lie. It's an actor's job to tell the truth. So, there's that side of it, and there are those who are in the sporting arena, and they're known for their competitiveness. You can't succeed in sport unless you have a drive that is way beyond that of a normal person.
So those are kind of two interesting elements. I don't know what they’ve got in mind for us, but they've obviously considered all of this and will find fun ways of torturing us over the next few weeks. We'd better get used to it, I suppose!
Nick Mohammed
Why have you decided to take part in The Celebrity Traitors?
I decided to take part because I absolutely adore the show, and always have done. This is the first thing I've ever done as myself. I did Taskmaster, which was sort of as me, but even that, I decided to dress as Dracula because I wanted to hide behind something. Because I like to act, often in character, I tend not to do as much as myself to sort of preserve an element of mystery, I guess. But there was no way I was going to give up an opportunity like this! I've always loved games like this and to hang out with such a wonderful, fascinating bunch too - what a privilege.
So, your character Mr. Swallow won't be making an appearance?
Sadly, I think Nick Mohammed was booked rather than Mr. Swallow. But also, can you imagine how irritating that would be, not just for the people taking part, but for the nation?! I mean, I'm not saying I won't slip into Mr. Swallow at some point, but no, that would have been too much.
That said, your acting skills may come into play in playing the game...
The idea of keeping up a pretense for that long is interesting but I don't know if it's even really possible. It would be too exhausting, surely.
Well, there’s always potential learnings from your work be that from a spell at GCHQ for your show Intelligence or giving a rousing team talk in Ted Lasso...
Maybe that would be good at the Round Table. A sort of Gladiator-style motivational speech. I don't know though, you don't want to draw too much attention to yourself or make yourself a target. There's an element of wanting to blend into the background a little bit, whilst not being too much of a wallflower. Otherwise, people will think you're deliberately hiding. I don't know if I'd want to do anything too overconfident, because it’s like when Kas did a toast to the first person who went and then was immediately suspected as being a Traitor. He was clearly a lovely, lovely guy, I just don’t want to fall into the same trap.
It's a fine line to tread. In the first instance, it's just statistics. It's just random so never worth taking too personally or seriously in the first instance. But then little cliques and certain personalities will start to emerge and various connections made, I'm sure.
Have you got a strategy?
Not really. I think I’ll just try and be quite easy breezy in the first instance. Because, you know, people are going to go right from the off. A little further down the line you can maybe start considering strategy – and it also depends on whether I’m made a Traitor or a Faithful. There’s a certain thrill of being made a Traitor, of course. If I'm a Faithful, I'll have that constant worry each night whether I’ll be murdered. You can of course be discovered and banished as a Traitor, but I feel that in the first instance, you're in a little bit more control. So, I would enjoy that element to a degree and I'd love to make the final. That said, I've got lovely family at home, so it's sort of a win, win. When my time is up, I get to go back home and see them!
Have you done anything to prepare?
Not really. I've shaved this morning. I’ve thought about it a lot. It was strange watching series three, knowing I was going to be doing it in a few months’ time. That was really interesting watching that and seeing how they played but it's always different with a different group of people so you can’t compare or copy what previous players have done. I had a couple of dreams about it. One was that I had to do the whole thing in an American accent! That was possibly me remembering Charlotte and her faked Welsh accent.
Would you say that you're good at reading people?
Well, I think I can smell bullshit, but I think there is a difference. I think someone lying specifically about whether they're a Traitor or not is a very different thing because it's quite abstract. It's an intangible quality at the start. In reality, it doesn't matter. You've not earned it. You've been selected. And some people might be amazing at it. That's the thrill of it, I guess, and that's why we're all here.
Do you think you've got a good poker face?
Well, no, I don't. My problem is I do find things very funny, and a lot of people who I've worked with will testify that I do often get the giggles. My biggest worry is the moment when the blindfolds are taken off at the start. Because irrespective of whether I’ve been made a Traitor or a Faithful, I’ll struggle not to smile. So that is a real, genuine worry.
Are you looking forward to the Missions?
Loads! I love all of that. And how camp the whole show is, the kind of gothic, Wicker Man vibe that they have. Yeah, can't wait for that.
Cat Burns
Why have you decided to take part in The Celebrity Traitors?
It’s just one of those opportunities and situations that just never really happens, a once in a lifetime offer really. And I have always been really intrigued to see if I would, one, be able to work out who the Traitors are, and two, if I was a Traitor, if I would be able to keep up the mystery of it.
This is rather different to your usual world as a musician, how are you feeling as you go into the game?
I'm actually quite excited. I think it's going to be fun to meet everyone and just talk to people. With so many players in the game with so many different backgrounds and varied life experiences, it’s going to be really fun and fascinating. I'm just excited to get out of my world and step into this one. It feels like we’ll be a group of big kids going and playing a big game.
Do you like games generally? Or tend to be competitive?
I do but I'm not really that competitive. Some people are very intense when they play Monopoly and stuff. I don't have a competitive bone in my body. I'm just there for the fun of it really,
Do you want to be a Traitor or a Faithful?
I've said to myself, I’ll leave it up to the universe and whatever I'm meant to be is what I'll be. If I feel Claudia tap my shoulder, then that's what it's meant to be.
Have you got a strategy?
My strategy, if I am a Traitor, would be to just try and go under the radar, not draw too much attention to myself, but also give out names of people who I think could be Traitors. I think you run a risk if you don't say anybody's name at all of arousing suspicion. If I am a Faithful, I think I will just try and observe without looking weird, because I'm a massive observer. I stare at people anyway, so I’d need to figure out a way to stare at people when they don't know that I'm staring at them! I think that would be my best way of working out what game a person might be playing, observing people's mannerisms and stuff, try to suss out whether they're a bit nervous or they're up to something!
How are you feeling about the Missions?
I'm excited to do them. I'm excited to see how strong my mental strength is because I'm quite physically fit, but my mental strength can be what lets me down. I want to see if I can push myself, be mind over matter in a sense with that strength in belief, to be able to do some of the more physical types of challenges. I’m really interested to see how I do.
Have you done anything to prepare?
I've just been in the gym, working on my general stamina and strength.
Would you say you're a good reader of people?
I would say, so, yeah. I think I'm good at reading people, but that comes from just being an observer. And I think being neurodivergent I have a tendency to have that approach in social situations, watching people more than speaking.
Have you got a good poker face?
I don't know, because I giggle. I giggle when I'm nervous, so I could giggle because I'm nervous about being a Faithful or I could giggle about being a Traitor. I need to not giggle! If I don't giggle, I'll be fine.
Do you think we might see a different side to you in the game?
I think people will just get to know me a bit more. I think my songs are very soul bearing and very emotional and there’s a vulnerability to them in that regard. But most people who know me personally know that I'm the least serious person ever. I laugh before I cry. I think people will see that side to me; the lighter side that doesn't take things too seriously and is here for fun.
Joe Marler
Why have you decided to take part in The Celebrity Traitors?
I'm a massive fanboy of The Traitors. Ever since getting the call I’ve been giddy because I want to play the game that I love the most. I want to be part of it, and I want to know how it all works. I’m living out my dreams,
Clearly, you’ve watched all previous series...
Oh yes and re-watching it all. Revising ready for the final exam! I can't wait and I love meeting different people.
Well, you do that with your podcast, don't you? We really get an insight there into your fascination with people and finding out more about their worlds...
Yes, totally fascinated with the jobs and things people do and that extends to celebrities as well, although people might know them for what they do, I still want to dig a little bit deeper. Where are you from? What do you do? What can I find out? Yeah, people fascinate me. And with this game I wonder, is it psychological warfare? That's where you see, the best and potentially the worst in people, because they panic.
Would you say you're quite good at reading people and spotting a liar?
No, I don't think I am good at reading people, but I would say I'm good at asking people the right question. If I do have a sense, I wouldn't trust my gut because my gut’s not always right! I’ll lfeel comfortable calling people out if I have an idea though. I like awkward conversations. Awkwardness is sort of my favourite. I think you can find the most out of people when they’re put into an awkward situation, pack them into a corner and see what happens. You find the real person, how they deal with it.
What's your poker face like?
Awful. Remember Linda last series? I just picture me going wink, wink, yep, giggling at the mention of Traitors.
Do you want to be a Traitor or a Faithful?
I'd like to be a Traitor because I suspect I'm one of the lesser-known characters in the game, and I'm hoping that as a Traitor, I could then use that lack of celebrity to my advantage.
Have you got a strategy?
My strategy, if I'm a Traitor, is to play dumb and friendly. Big, cuddly, friendly guy. I'm just really happy to be here. How much fun is this? Oh, my God! How nice is the castle! Have you tried the food? Yeah, the food here is incredible. Yeah, that sort of attitude. Little do they know that I'm plotting to murder them secretly.
Seems a silly question to ask of a sportsman, but are you a competitive person?
I'm here to win it. As much as I love the show, I'm not here to just be like, what a great experience. I might think that after, grateful to have played whatever part I had in it. But as soon as that game begins, my game face is on.
Are you looking forward to the missions?
I am actually, yeah, I never used to pay as much attention to the missions, but you find out so much more about people and you can really tap into that. Also, if you work hard you make yourself indispensable. You have the teamwork element and bond. And you want to bump up that prize money as much as we can. And I think if you do that, it can work in your favour. If you are a Traitor, you stay hidden. As a Faithful you can build trust in people more and more, because you’re willing to put in the work for the team.
Do you think we might see a different side to you in this game?
I have no idea which one of me is going to come out in this game because I don't know what it's going to do to me! I think, as a fan, you have ideas - we could play it like that and do it like this. Then when I’m actually in the castle and in amongst all these well-known celebrities, which Joe is going to come out? I just don’t know but I’m looking forward to finding out.
Watch this space for more from the rest of the celebrities heading to the castle soon...
(Portrait Images: BBC/Studio Lambert/Cody Burridge/Matt Burlem)
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