Over 10 million people have tuned in for episodes of the new season of BBC hit Celebrity Traitors, as mass TV audiences become increasingly rare. For the celebrities chosen as traitors in the BBC’s juggernaut reality show, the task is simple – kill off fellow contestants without getting caught. Yet with the new series attracting huge audiences, its UK producers are delighted by one of the show’s more wholesome qualities – its popularity is staving off the death of television’s ability to unite the nation.
Producer Insights
“It's very difficult to get people to watch programmes, and there is a huge joy coming up with something that a very large amount of people watch,” said Stephen Lambert, head of the Celebrity Traitors producer Studio Lambert, in an interview with the Radio Times. “The show has universal appeal … It has established itself as ‘appointment-to-view TV’,” he added.
Despite its appeal, Lambert may still struggle to attract the man he revealed to be his dream contestant: Tom Cruise. More than 10 million people have tuned in to watch some episodes, well in excess of half the viewers watching TV during the show’s time slot. It is also pulling younger viewers away from other devices and onto the sofa, with 1.6 million people aged between 16 and 34 tuning in for this series’ premiere.
Changing Viewing Trends
In doing so, Celebrity Traitors has bucked a long-running trend that has seen mass TV audiences become increasingly rare. The arrival of streamers, digital platforms, and smartphones has ensured such viewing figures have become the preserve of the Olympics, England World Cup matches, and the odd breakthrough hit.
The success of The Traitors has inevitably spawned similar formats based on deceit and questionable detective skills, as producers attempt to replicate its allure. Lambert stated that whether it was the celebrity edition or the regular series, the secret to its success came down to two words: “Dramatic irony.”
