The latest installment of The Traitors had BBC audiences captivated when Claudia Winkleman revealed a shocking twist: a fourth, hidden Traitor among them.

The show kicked off on Thursday night with 22 hopeful contestants arriving at Ardross Castle in the scenic Scottish Highlands, all vying for the thrilling opportunity to claim a £100,000 prize.

The familiar game format unfolded as Claudia, 53, convened the group around the iconic round table to choose the initial Traitors: Rachel, 42, a Head of Communications; Stephen, 32, a Cyber Security Consultant; and Hugo, 51, a barrister.

However, this season introduced an unexpected twist, with Claudia appointing a secret fourth Traitor whose identity remained hidden from both the selected trio and the viewers.

Addressing the Traitors in the tower, Claudia confessed, “I have a small confession. You are not the only Traitors in this castle. At the round table, I picked one other Traitor. The secret Traitor. You still have power, but not quite as much.”

‘That secret traitor will work alone. Each night they will provide you with the murder shortlist, you can only murder from that shortlist. 

The new series of The Traitors left BBC viewers on tenterhooks after Claudia Winkleman dropped the bombshell there will be a fourth secret Traitor in their midst

Head Of Communications Rachel, 42, was picked as a Traitor alongside account manager Sam, 34, and barrister Hugo

‘They are a Traitor so they won’t put themselves on it, of course they won’t put you on it. They know exactly who you are.’ 

Reeling from the news, Rachel said: ‘That’s a bombshell. I don’t know how it will play out tomorrow. I will have eyes like a hawk and will hopefully suss out the secret Traitor. 

Fans wrote on X: ‘obsessed with the secret traitor twist. love that we get to play the game as viewers’; 

‘Keeping one secret even to us is a genius move. Now we getting to play along too! Interesting to see how it plays out’;

‘I wonder who the fourth secret traitor is!!! This is a riveting twist!’; 

‘So Claudia picked a secret Traitor. Oooh this’ll be good.’

After being selected, Stephen said: ‘I’m so excited for this game of cat and mouse. My game plan is keep doing what I’ve been doing all today. Making friends with the people I think are the most faithful.

‘We’re going to find those Traitors together, that’s our plan. That’s our job. Let the games begin.’ 

The game played out as usual with Claudia gathering the players around the round table

Fans wrote on X: ‘obsessed with the secret traitor twist. love that we get to play the game as viewers’

After being selected, Stephen said: ‘I’m so excited for this game of cat and mouse’ 

Meanwhile Hugo said he believes he has a great poker face: ‘I think so, I mean I’m a barrister and I have to stand up in front of a jury and be a kind of big cuddly teddy bear’

Reeling from the news, Rachel said: ‘That’s a bombshell. I don’t know how it will play out tomorrow. I will have eyes like a hawk and will hopefully suss out the secret Traitor’

Meanwhile Hugo said he believes he has a great poker face: ‘I think so, I mean I’m a barrister and I have to stand up in front of a jury and be a kind of big cuddly teddy bear, so you have to believe what you’re saying because people can pick up if you’re all fidgety. So yes, I hope so, because it’s important for my job.’

Of the secret Traitor twist, he said: ‘The whole point of being a Traitor is having perfect information. And now there is somebody above us in the chain’.  

The Traitors continues on January 2 at 8pm on BBC One and iPlayer.