C ries, cheers and boos emanating from pubs across the country on Friday night were less likely to be linked to any sports fixture than the nation coming together for the dramatic climax of the BBC’s The Celebrity Traitors.
The cloak and dagger reality show, in which contestants attempt to deceive or deduce who among them are “Faithfuls” and “Traitors” for a charity cash prize, drew in more than half of the UK’s TV audience in its debut episode earlier this month.
The popularity of the Claudia Winkleman-hosted programme was so great that fans left their living rooms and flocked to public venues to watch the second series of the show.
The series’s psychological mind games are what appealed to Calum, a regular viewer and account manager from Edinburgh who was waiting to watch Thursday’s semi-final at a bar in Clapham. “For me, it’s how good people are at lying and then how that translates into normal life. You can almost second-guess anyone you’re around,” he said.
The intensity from fans had not only caused venues to screen each episode of the hit show, but offer an entire night of entertainment inspired by the programme. In south London bar Arch Clapham, attenders sipped Claudia Winkleman-themed cocktails, ate “100% Traitor” chocolate coins and twice took part in their very own banishment ceremony.
Calum and his friend Ali had previously “stumbled” into Arch Clapham’s watch party for the first series’s finale of The Celebrity Traitors last year, and they were captivated by the crowd’s excitement. “There were people cheering like it was football,” Ali said. “I’m not personally too into sports, but I like having the atmosphere.”
This year’s run of treacherous celebrity TV had 3 million more viewers than the previous year’s iteration. Ali explained that the programme had encouraged friends, co-workers and even strangers to discuss each episode, with many seeking to avoid spoilers at all costs.
He said: “I think back in the day, everybody was watching X Factor. There’s not really been anything since then that everyone’s been watching, so it’s quite nice. You can probably pick out a random person and they’ve probably been watching.”
Brandon Bolland, a supervisor at Arch Clapham, said the bar had screened every episode of the latest series after the previous two finales of The Traitors’s standard and celebrity versions drew in a lot of punters. “We were packed. It was really, really popular,” he said.
During Thursday’s semi-final, those attending the Traitors-themed night were equally jubilant and appalled when comedian James Acaster shocked audiences by revealing he was a reluctant traitor.
It was these bombshell TV moments – such as when actor Richard E Grant made the unexpected decision to reveal he was a Traitor in the game’s first episode – that made the act of watching the show together more enjoyable, Bolland said.
He added: “It’s like watching the World Cup when this is on. People are jeering and shouting like they’re watching a football game.”
Another notable moment for fans that caused loud scenes was when fan favourite Miranda Hart was banished earlier in the series, he added. Banishment, in which contestants vote out a peer they suspect to be a Traitor at the end of each episode, provokes some of the most visceral reactions from fans.
This year’s highly anticipated finale saw stars such as comedian Romesh Ranganathan and actor Michael Sheen attempt to uncover the two remaining traitors: TV personality Maya Jama and content creator Kenny Oghenovo Ojuederie (known as King Kenny).
For Siobhan, an IT account manager, the social manipulation and subterfuge in these sections are the show’s biggest draw. “That whole psychology aspect and how they can play that is super interesting to me,” she said.
Siobhan’s love for the Traitors led her to introduce her parents to the show, and has led to a number of vocal outbursts. She added: “I’m talking to the TV when I’m watching it!”
Despite players being required to manipulate one another, some find the show’s format to be a comforting watch. Ziad, who attended the watch party with his husband, said the programme stood out “in a day and age where reality TV is solely about fights and political divide”.
“It’s the closest you get to a feelgood show,” he added.
While viewers were united by their Traitors fervour, they also shared a love of the game’s cut-throat rules. This was made clear when the Clapham bar hosted its own roundtable discussion once the semi-final had finished, and the only Guardian journalist present was deemed a Traitor and banished.
