How The Traitors Evolved into a Television Phenomenon
In a remarkable ascent through the British broadcasting landscape, the psychological reality series The Traitors has captivated the nation, transforming from a modestly viewed debut into one of the most-watched television programmes of the decade. Since its initial launch on BBC One in December 2022, the show has experienced a dramatic surge in popularity, with viewing figures more than doubling across its subsequent series.
A Strategic Scheduling Shift That Paid Dividends
The journey to television dominance began with a simple yet pivotal scheduling decision. The first series of The Traitors premiered in December 2022, achieving a respectable but unspectacular average audience of 3.7 million viewers, with the finale peaking at 4.7 million. These figures were overshadowed by major seasonal broadcasts including the football World Cup, Strictly Come Dancing, and Coronation Street.
However, the BBC's choice to delay the second series until January 2024, positioning it in the post-Christmas period, proved to be a strategic masterstroke. With reduced competition and heightened publicity, the show's ratings soared immediately. The second series launched with 6.2 million viewers, averaged 6.9 million across its run, and culminated in a peak audience of 8.2 million for its final episode.
The Celebrity Spin-Off That Cemented Franchise Dominance
The upward trajectory continued dramatically with the third series in January 2025, which achieved an average of 9.3 million viewers and reached 10.0 million for its finale. Yet it was the spin-off, The Celebrity Traitors, broadcast in October and early November, that truly established the franchise as a ratings juggernaut. The celebrity version attracted a staggering average audience of 13.3 million across its run, culminating in an exceptional 14.9 million viewers for the final episode.
Such viewing figures are exceptionally rare in contemporary British television outside of live news or major sporting events. Only three other programmes this decade have achieved comparable seven-day audiences approaching or exceeding 15 million:
- The final episode of Gavin & Stacey on Christmas Day 2024 (19.3 million)
- The animation Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl on Christmas Day 2024 (17.1 million)
- The final episode of Line Of Duty on 2 May 2021 (15.8 million)
Current Success and Future Prospects
The enormous success of The Celebrity Traitors appears to have provided a significant boost to the original format. The current fourth series of The Traitors is already surpassing previous ratings, with the first three episodes all achieving seven-day audiences exceeding 11 million viewers. The launch episode drew 11.9 million viewers according to official Barb data analysed by the Press Association.
If the current series follows the established pattern of previous years, audiences are expected to climb towards the end of the run. The finale, airing this Friday on BBC One, could potentially reach above 12 million viewers, though it may not quite match the 14.9 million achieved by The Celebrity Traitors last year. With a new series of The Celebrity Traitors scheduled for later this year, the television industry will be watching closely to see whether this remarkable phenomenon can sustain its growth or if it has reached its peak popularity.
Presented by Claudia Winkleman since its inception, The Traitors has demonstrated how strategic scheduling, format evolution, and audience engagement can transform a television programme from modest beginnings into a cultural touchstone that dominates viewing figures and captures the national imagination.
