Major update on future of The Traitors after castle hosting show becomes hugely popular wedding venue
THE Traitors could return with a second series this YEAR thanks to the backdrop for the show, Ardross Castle, now being a hugely popular venue for weddings.
The fact the Scottish pile was so booked up in the latter half of 2024 meant the BBC had to bring filming forward to this spring.
That means another season of the contest, hosted by Claudia Winkleman, could be ready to go this autumn - and paves the way for the recently announced Celebrity version to air in 2025.
A TV insider said: “The castle has always been a big draw for couples looking to tie the knot, but since The Traitors aired, bookings have gone through the roof.
“It proved a headache for the producers, but it might just turn out to be a bonus for fans of the show as the Beeb contemplated putting out the third series of The Traitors before the end of the year.
“It will certainly prevent addicts of the show having to go cold turkey for another year, and maintain momentum.”
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More than four million people have been tuning in live each night to watch the game of skulduggery and treachery, though that figure is expected to be far higher for this week's final.
So far, with catch-up figures included, the first episode of series two has hit an average of more than six million.
And this finale week is set to drive even more to binge as the series reaches its dramatic climax tomorrow night.
The Traitors’ creative director Mike Cotton of Studio Lambert said: “After the runaway success of The Traitors last year, launching a second series was always going to be a daunting challenge.
“The team were united in their ambition to elevate the existing game, while also creating more surprising (and sometimes murderous) twists and turns for the audience.
“Claudia has once again been the most perfect host and the cast were simply brilliant, so we’re absolutely delighted viewers have loved watching the series as much as we enjoyed making it.”
The Sun exclusively revealed this week that the BBC had put wheels in motion on a celebrity version, which will probably air next year.
They have already launched a “discrete recruitment drive” to see which of the programme’s large pool of star fans would be willing to sign up.
But they now face a logistical nightmare trying to film all the different shows, including the US version of The Traitors, around all the weddings booked in at Ardross.