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Claudia Winkleman ‘winded’ by first season of The Traitors-Ruth Lawes-Entertainment – Metro
Claudia was reluctant to make more of The Traitors.
Claudia Winkleman was reluctant to make a second season of The Traitors due to the succes of the first (Picture: Instagram)
Claudia Winkleman has said she was so taken aback by the success of the first series of The Traitors that she did not want to do another one.
The Strictly Come Dancing judge, 51, revealed she was ‘winded’ after the BBC reality show which sees 22 contestants take part in a game of deception and detection, took the nation by storm.
Claudia even begged bosses to end the show after one season overs fears a follow-up would fail to recapture it’s original ‘magic’.
She said: ‘The success of the first series literally winded us.
‘I said to lovely Studio Lambert (the production company) and the BBC, “Let’s just leave it. This thing happened, this magical thing happened. Enough!”
‘The head of the BBC said she wanted to take my temperature. So we went again but I’m nervous and weird about it.’
She said she had fears over whether the ‘magic’ could be recreated (Picture: BBC/Studio Lambert/Mark Mainz)
Claudia said she felt ‘winded’ by the triumph of The Traitors season 1 (Picture: PA)
Reflecting on the show becoming a ratings smash, she said: ‘What happened never happens. It was overwhelming for all of us.
‘When Kathy Burke, who is a hero of mine, and Russell T Davies, when they tweeted, I was amazed with the whole experience.
‘It felt like some sort of magical dust and I just don’t want people’s expectations to be so high.’
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Claudia will be overseeing 22 contestants battle it out(Picture: PA)
Earlier this week, the BBC unveiled the 22 Faithfuls and Traitors who will be battling it out in a castle in the Scottish Highlands to win £120,000.
Among them is a poker champion, a clairvoyant and a British Army engineer who described himself as a bit of a ‘Jekyll and Hyde’ charcter.
While it’s expected the programme will follow the original formula, Claudia previously revealed a huge plot twist had been axed.
The show sees the contestants tasked with some epic challenges(Picture: PA)
Speaking in a Q&A ahead of its premiere, Claudia was probed for hints on what’s new.
‘I wish I could,’ she replied. ‘I think I’m allowed to say the armoury has gone and now there’s a kitchen. That’s it!’
Claudia also teased that season 2 would feature more ‘epic’ challenges.
‘The missions this year are epic. The producers are so clever as the missions are incredibly important as it is a chance for the contestants to switch off from strategising and plotting,’ she shared.
‘They get fresh air, they run around, they work as a team. The scale this year is beyond.’
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Series 1 of The Traitors saw Faithfuls Meryl Williams, Aaron Evans, and Hannah Byczkowski triumph in taking home a cash prize of £101,050 after successfully banishing ultimate Traitor Wilfred Webster in a nail-biting finale.
The Traitors returns to BBC One and iPlayer on January, 3 from 9pm.
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