14 hours ago

Steven McIntoshEntertainment reporter

BBC

Left-right: The new players include hairstylist Jessie, retired detective Amanda and personal trainer Ross

A retired police detective, a crime novelist and a psychologist will be among the players sitting at the round table on the new series of The Traitors, which kicks off on New Year's Day.

The 22 new contestants also include a poker-playing gardener, a barrister, a cyber security consultant, a civil servant, a builder, a nursery school teacher and a personal trainer.

Fans have been speculating about a major new twist in this series after trailers broadcast over Christmas showed a figure wearing a red cloak in a departure from the usual traitors' green.

Claudia Winkleman will return to host the series, which launches on BBC One and iPlayer at 20:00 GMT on Thursday.

Claudia Winkleman returns as host to welcome 22 new contestants to Ardross Castle near Inverness

Crime author and former barrister Harriet Tyce, 52, is on the line-up for the new series and said her career has prepared her for the show.

"I spend my life making up horrible ways for people to die and killing people on the page," she said ahead of the launch.

"The idea that I might get to actually plot to kill people or to track down a murderer, but without actual blood being shed, it's the closest that I'd get to that experience in real life. So quite honestly, what's not to like?"

She added: "I write books which are all about people not being who they seem, and The Traitors is like the quintessence of people not being who they seem. I might bring an ability to see patterns in people's behaviour."

'Deceptive, devious and cunning'

Also on the line-up is retired police detective Amanda, 57, from Brighton, who also plans to utilise her professional skills.

"I've done lots of interviews with criminals and victims," she noted. "You have to put the pieces together to find the truth and see through the lies.

"To be a traitor, you have to be good at lying, have a good poker face and be a master of deflection to prevent you being identified. I've learned a lot about being deceptive, devious and cunning."

Crime novelist Harriet, poker-playing gardener James and psychologist Ellie will be sitting at the round table

Psychologist Ellie, 33, plans to keep her job a secret from her fellow contestants.

"Hopefully I'm going to be able to use all my psychological techniques to play the game as well as possible, whether I'm a traitor or a faithful, whether that's building up relationships with people or deceiving people and concealing how I really feel," she said.

"I'm going to be analysing what other contestants are doing and trying to think through what their motivations are for behaving in certain ways."

Gardener James, 38, believes he could fare well in the castle because he was "mildly successful playing poker" in the past.

"I was even nicknamed The Librarian by a few people because I have this innate ability to read people like a book," he explained.

And 32-year-old cyber security expert Stephen, from the Outer Hebrides but now based in London, has done the maths and decided he would rather be a traitor than a faithful.

"I can be a bit of a control freak, and I feel like as a traitor, it really is the best way to take control of the game," he said.

"Your chances of going home are slashed by 50% because you can only go out by banishment. Whereas, if you're a faithful, you've got two chances of being banished or murdered."

The Traitors 2026: The cast in full

The new contestants will be seen entering Ardross Castle in Thursday's launch episode

• Adam, 34, a builder from Essex
• Amanda, 57, retired police detective from Brighton
• Ben, 66, retiree from Hampshire
• Ellie, 33, psychologist from London
• Faraaz, 22, internal auditor from Middlesbrough
• Fiona, 62, local government officer from Swansea
• Harriet, 52, crime writer and former barrister from London
• Hugo, 51, barrister originally from Cardiff
• Jack, 29, personal trainer from Essex
• Jade, 25, PhD Student from the West Midlands
• James, 38, gardener from Weymouth
• Jessie, 28, hairstylist from Hull
• Judy, 60, child liaison officer from Doncaster
• Matthew, 35, creative director from Edinburgh
• Maz, 59, civil servant from Preston
• Netty, 42, nursery school teacher from Glasgow
• Rachel, 42, head of communications from County Down
• Reece, 27, sweet shop assistant from Sheffield
• Ross, 37, sales exec and personal trainer from London
• Roxy, 32, recruiter from Amsterdam
• Sam, 34, account manager from North Yorkshire
• Stephen, 32, cyber security consultant from London