{"id":8386,"date":"2026-01-01T00:34:37","date_gmt":"2026-01-01T00:34:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/microvibenews.com\/?p=8386"},"modified":"2026-01-01T00:34:37","modified_gmt":"2026-01-01T00:34:37","slug":"ex-detective-and-crime-novelist-among-new-contestants","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/microvibenews.com\/?p=8386","title":{"rendered":"Ex-detective and crime novelist among new contestants"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Steven McIntosh<\/span>Entertainment reporter<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Left-right: The new players include hairstylist Jessie, retired detective Amanda and personal trainer Ross<\/figcaption><\/p>\n<\/figure>\n
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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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

Fans have been speculating about a major new twist in this series after trailers broadcast over Christmas showed a figure wearing a red cloak<\/a> in a departure from the usual traitors’ green. <\/p>\n

Claudia Winkleman will return to host the series, which launches on BBC One and iPlayer at 20:00 GMT on Thursday.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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The fourth regular series follows the hugely successful celebrity spin-off, which aired in the autumn and attracted 15 million viewers.<\/p>\n

Sir Stephen Fry, Alan Carr, Celia Imrie, Jonathan Ross, Cat Burns and Kate Garraway were some of the celebrities sitting at the all-star round table.<\/p>\n

But although the spin-off was a hit with viewers, the return to a civilian series allows more duplicity and arguably better gameplay, as the contestants’ anonymity allows them to come in with more secrets.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\"Claudia<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Claudia Winkleman returns as host to welcome 22 new contestants to Ardross Castle near Inverness<\/figcaption><\/p>\n<\/figure>\n
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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.<\/p>\n

“I spend my life making up horrible ways for people to die and killing people on the page,” she said ahead of the launch.<\/p>\n

“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?”<\/p>\n

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.”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

‘Deceptive, devious and cunning’<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n
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Also on the line-up is retired police detective Amanda, 57, from Brighton, who also plans to utilise her professional skills.<\/p>\n

“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.<\/p>\n

“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.”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\"Traitors<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Crime novelist Harriet, poker-playing gardener James and psychologist Ellie will be sitting at the round table<\/figcaption><\/p>\n<\/figure>\n
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Psychologist Ellie, 33, plans to keep her job a secret from her fellow contestants.<\/p>\n

“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.<\/p>\n

“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.”<\/p>\n

Gardener James, 38, believes he could fare well in the castle because he was “mildly successful playing poker” in the past.<\/p>\n

“I was even nicknamed The Librarian by a few people because I have this innate ability to read people like a book,” he explained.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

“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.<\/p>\n

“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.”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

The Traitors 2026: The cast in full<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n
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\"Claudia<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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

    #Exdetective #crime #novelist #among #contestants<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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