The Traitors is back with a bang, as BBC’s much-loved game show gets off to a treacherous start.
The New Year’s Day premiere saw 22 contestants enter Ardross Castle, but already four have exited including nursery school teacher Netty and Judy, who was banished – much to the dismay of her secret daughter Roxy.
Saturday’s episode (3 January) kicked off with the revelation that the Traitors – Hugo, Stephen, and Rachel – had chosen to kill off former Navy man Ben.
It was Hugo’s melodramatic reaction to Ben’s death announcement that proved to be his downfall as Harriet began compiling a compelling case against him – which she voiced during a heated roundtable that ultimately saw Stephen throw Hugo under the bus, and Hugo banished as the first Traitor of the season.
Episode three ended with the remaining Traitors tasked with marking the castle’s family tree poster in plain sight. They had to use red ink to indicate the names of nine potential next victims.
The duo succeeded in their challenge, and for their reward will be united with the mysterious Secret Traitor – who will be unmasked in next week’s episode.
The Traitors continues on BBC One on Wednesday (7 January) at 8pm.
Key points
- Meet the contestants for The Traitors 2026
- The Traitors review – Fourth series sets off with the perfect rug-pull
- Hugo becomes first Traitor to be banished after breakfast faux pas
- Who has been marked for murder next?
The questions we're asking after the Secret Traitor twist
Friday 2 January 2026 19:30 , Rachel McGrathThe Secret Traitor twist hasn’t just left us guessing who the mystery character is - heaps of other questions have emerged too.
Firstly, what happens when the Secret Traitor is banished? Will they simply state “I’m a Traitor” as they leave the round table, or reveal the extent of their role to the whole group?
And what happens if they’re banished early on? Will the producers pick another Secret Traitor, or will the regular Traitors be promoted out of middle management, and be free to do their murdering?
The murder shortlists are the biggest clues the regular Traitors – and us at home – have when it comes to figuring out who the Secret Traitor is.
We’ve already been able to rule out three possibilities as they appear on the first list, and if the Secret Traitor isn’t careful, they could quickly reveal themselves by process of elimination. If a regular Traitor manages to rumble them, could we see a whispered confrontation?
The first person murdered is...
Friday 2 January 2026 20:13 , Rachel McGrathNetty!!
Oh that’s going to put Ross under suspicion, isn’t it? Or will people realise he may have been framed?
Reflecting on her early exit, Netty said: “ I’m so gutted. I think I would have been a really good Faithful. Maybe I’ve been too good of a Faithful... too loud.”
Friday 2 January 2026 20:16 , Rachel McGrathI have to say, he really does...
Friday 2 January 2026 20:37 , Rachel McGrathhe's innocent, why does he look so guilty!!?#TheTraitors pic.twitter.com/XogbzoKwEA
— Danny Denay (@DannyDenay) January 2, 2026
“I’ll look like Cindy Crawford... I’ve got a little red bather which is a thong!”
Fiona is already an icon. I cannot tell you how much I would love for her to be the Secret Traitor.
Friday 2 January 2026 20:41 , Rachel McGrathOh Amanda...
Friday 2 January 2026 20:50 , Rachel McGrath The airquotes are out already! The roundtables are going to be brutal this year, aren’t they...
Friday 2 January 2026 21:02 , Rachel McGrath An additional Secret Traitor clue in that VT - they’re right-handed.
It’s not much I know, but we’ve got to take what we can get, OK?
Could Roxy be the Secret Traitor?
02:00 , Rachel McGrathI’ll be honest, I had not suspected her at all.
You’d think the Secret Traitor would plan to fly under the radar, which is the absolute opposite of what Roxy has been doing. And her reaction after her mum’s banishment seemed pretty genuine?
Some fans have picked up on her handwriting though...
05:00 , Rachel McGrathGOTCHA #SecretTraitor #TheTraitorsUK pic.twitter.com/VdSY4NxIAm
— Matt Andrews (@MattJAndrews26) January 2, 2026
Here’s what Netty had to say after unfortunately becoming the first murdered contestant...
Traitors contestant ‘disappointed’ after being first to be eliminated
The updated Secret Traitor shortlist
06:00 , Rachel McGrathThere are now 20 people in the castle, following Netty and Judy’s exits.
And the latest murder list rules out two more people (it would be three but poor Maz is on there again!).
That leaves us with 14 possible Secret Traitors...
Stephen
Rachel
Hugo
Maz
Reece
Ben
James
Amanda
Ross
Adam
Ellie
Faraaz
Fiona
Harriet
Jack
Jade
Jessie
Matthew
Roxy
Sam
08:28 , Annabel NugentNetty was the first to be murdered by the traitors – and the first to discover that Judy and Roxy are mother and daughter! See her reaction below...
Traitors murdered faithful discovers Judy and Roxy’s secret connection
09:09 , Annabel NugentIs anyone else still reeling from last night’s episode? It’s goodbye to Judy, but I’m sure Roxy will make her mother’s absence felt in the castle during tonight’s episode.
The two shows are like chalk and cheese at this point...
10:08 , Annabel Nugent Celebrity Traitors has exposed the fatal flaw of I’m a Celeb
10:48 , Annabel NugentIt’s early days, so I don’t have any “favourites” just yet but I do have some sympathy for Sam who is catching a lot of flak for leading the charge against Judy despite most people having the same suspicions about her.
Also, Hugo is proving himself a very funny Traitor.
12:02 , Annabel Nugent Am I the only one struggling to remember all the names of everyone in the castle? That round-table is completely packed.
It’s time to winnow down the numbers!
Meet the Traitors 2026 contestants, from a former detective to a crime writer
12:45 , Annabel NugentMum knows best, right?
14:33 , Annabel NugentThose eagle-eyed internet sleuths have done it again! What do you think of this latest fan theory?
Traitors sleuths think they’ve ‘uncovered’ another secret connection
PSA: Do not forget that tonight’s episode has a slightly earlier start time of 7.45pm on BBC One!
16:35 , Annabel NugentThe jury’s still out on who the Secret Traitor is, but the bookies have an idea.
According to Poker Scout, the person most likely to be donning the mysterious red cloak is Amanda – which would admittedly make sense. Who better to play game master than a retired detective?
Could Roxy be the Secret Traitor?
17:35 , Annabel NugentThe bookies might have their money on Amanda, but many fans think it’s Roxy behind the red cloak.
It might help explain her quite extreme reaction to mother Judy being banished – the Secret Traitor would need as many allies as possible – but if I were the Secret Traitor, I’d be doing everything possible to fly under the radar...
18:35 , Annabel NugentThere are plenty of big personalities in the castle this year, but who could top the biggest of them all?
Why Alan Carr is all of us in The Celebrity Traitors
19:00 , Annabel NugentNot long to go now... as we wait, why not look back on some of the most iconic moments of last year’s Celeb Traitors courtesy of Jonathan Ross?
Why Alan Carr is all of us in The Celebrity Traitors
19:15 , Annabel Nugent
Don’t get me wrong, I loved Celeb Traitors but it was clear that the stars weren’t willing to really dig at one another whereas it’s abundantly clear that this bunch of contestants definitely are not friends... things got pretty heated at the round table yesterday post-banishment.
I wonder how it’s going to pan out!
19:45 , Annabel Nugent Oh come on, The Weakest Link – let’s wrap up, it’s time for The Traitors!
19:45 , Annabel NugentSo a reminder: on tonight’s murder shortlist, it’s Ben, Reece or Maz (again!)
The regular Traitors have decided this suggests the Secret Traitor is probably a woman. I’m not sure what the logic is there? But we’ll see!
19:50 , Annabel NugentOne question: who has it out for Maz?!
19:51 , Annabel NugentNot going to lie, that was my thought exactly...
19:54 , Annabel NugentThe Traitors airing at 7.45pm tonight means I can be tucked up in bed for 9pm pic.twitter.com/uEEBuvGPpH
— The Traitors HQ (@the_traitors_) January 3, 2026
Amanda vs Jade is one showdown I did not predict... as a reminder, Amanda turned the heat up on Jade in the last episode by pointing out that she turned very red at the first roundtable when Claudia selected the three Traitors.
God forbid a girl gets hot!
19:56 , Annabel NugentYes, I definitely can imagine if someone was a secret detective! Amanda looking very sheepish sipping her tea...
19:57 , Annabel Nugent RIP Ben! The ex-Navy man has been murdered.
19:59 , Annabel Nugent Ooft I’ve got to agree with Rachel – that was a bit much from Hugo praising Ben like that!
20:04 , Annabel NugentI’d like to believe that Ross is going to be able to turn it around, but unfortunately Fiona is right – people are easily swayed and he is the easy target here, not least because he looks incredibly guilty for someone who is innocent!
20:05 , Annabel NugentLEAVE ROSS ALONE #traitors pic.twitter.com/vDm6Bn4Q9p
— josie (BLUE TICK) (@abisenders) January 3, 2026
Hugo’s odd moment at breakfast, in which he asked for a moment of silence to remember murdered Ben, is already coming back to haunt him. Harriet is growing very suspicious...
20:07 , Annabel NugentTraitors fans seem to fall into two camps: mission haters and mission lovers. I must admit I am part of the former group... if it was up to me, we’d skip the missions and head straight to the round table.
That said, these missions are miles better than the Bushtucker Trials on that other reality show...
20:08 , Annabel NugentCorrect me if I’m wrong, but this challenge sounds a lot like... Pictionary?
20:12 , Annabel NugentOh wow indeed! They’ve done a brilliant job of this one, I must say.
20:13 , Annabel Nugent Still not over this expression... Faraaz absolutely killed this mission.
20:17 , Annabel Nugent As someone who doesn’t typically like challenges, I must say this one – in which one group acts out a description of a painting and the other group must find the painting is very good. And perhaps one that could be duplicated at a dinner party with an iPhone and some picture print outs?
20:18 , Annabel NugentAnd Adam has got the shield – at least one person can rest easy tonight, though I wish it was Maz so he could have the night off from worrying about being murdered!
20:20 , Annabel NugentI feel like the most goss is dished in these Land Rovers, not the round table... Reece, Hugo, Rachel, and Ross have all been mentioned. Only time will tell!
20:23 , Annabel NugentWho is this man in the green jumper? Gosh, this early on in the game there are too many people to keep track of; let’s keep the murders coming!
20:24 , Annabel Nugent Did Rachel just say she did a casual spot of FBI training to prepare for The Traitors? That’s dedication, truly.
20:27 , Annabel Nugent Stephen is on “damage control now” after his “first big mistake” as a Traitor.
“I was too excited to murder Ben because it would link to Ross, but I hadn’t thought about it linking back to me because I was in the room with Ben when he said, look at Ross if I’m murdered,” he said.
20:29 , Annabel Nugent Shots fired! Harriet has come out swinging with an attack on fellow barrister Hugo. As a (secret) barrister herself, she is arguing this very, very well! I’d follow along for sure.
20:31 , Annabel NugentLet’s just say that if I was in that room, Hugo would not have won me over with that weak defence.
20:32 , Annabel Nugent Yeesh! I actually gasped when Ross called out Stephen... could killing Ben have been his fatal flaw?
20:33 , Annabel Nugentooh stephen ross has got you there sweetie!! #traitors #traitorsuk #thetraitorsuk pic.twitter.com/ruqaHGvp6l
— bethany (gogglebox wannabe) (@_beth_underwood) January 3, 2026
“I don’t think you’re a Traitor, but I think you’re a bad Faithful...” Ouch Reece, that was harsh.
20:35 , Annabel NugentFirst Harriet and now Fiona... the tide is certainly turning on Hugo, who in turn is trying to pin it on Amanda.
20:37 , Annabel NugentOof Traitor has turned on Traitor! Stephen has thrown Hugo under the bus...
“What on God’s green earth has occurred?”
20:38 , Annabel NugentSo far, the votes are very divided. Anyone could be banished at this point but it’s not looking good for Hugo.
20:39 , Annabel NugentFive for Hugo! Harriet has done a superb job at converting the troops.
20:41 , Annabel NugentOh Hugo, that speech was your undoing... too confident too soon.
20:45 , Annabel NugentI’ll leave you with this...
20:49 , Annabel Nugent The twists and turns keep coming! There’s no murder tonight but Rachel and Stephen must shortlist nine players for murder by blotting red ink on the family tree in the hopes of uniting with the Secret Traitor on equal footing.
Of course, though, it’s very suspicious walking around with a red thumb.
20:51 , Annabel NugentThat’s twice now that Rachel has said she’s delighted Hugo is gone!
20:52 , Annabel NugentStephen and Rachel have made a pact not to ever write each other’s names down... though, I do feel like both of them said at the beginning of the competition they’d happily throw anyone under the bus, so you do the math.
20:55 , Annabel NugentThat was very impressive from Rachel who made quick work of that daunting task.
20:56 , Annabel Nugent Reece will definitely be suspicious of this duo given that he was there when Rachel and Stephen were lingering near the family tree poster...
Knock, knock
20:57 , Annabel NugentOf course, that episode ended on a cliffhanger! We’ll have to wait till next Thursday to discover the identity of the mysterious red cloak.
And that's that...
21:03 , Annabel NugentA quick recap of everything that happened on tonight’s episode...
- Hugh made a serious faux pas at the breakfast table, making everyone suspicious of him
- The Faithfuls and Traitors together added £5,000 to the prize pot in a Pictionary-esque mission
- Harriet made a superb case at the roundtable against Hugo, leading the way for him to be banished as the season’s first Traitor
- The remaining two Traitors Rachel and Stephen were tasked with marking the family tree in plain sight, using red ink to indicate nine potential victims for their next murder
- Rachel and Stephen succeeded in their task, meaning they will come face to face with the Secret Traitor in next week’s episode
