Traitors, BBC One, review: When was TV so obsessed with liars?

What about the current TV show mania for cheating? Outside I wish I could lie to you as well as This is my home before You will not believe as well as i see your voice (not to mention the many real documentaries about scammers) in this era of fake news, post-truth, and post-Boris, lies seem to be ubiquitous.

Everything has been taken to the next level on BBC One Traitors, in which 22 strangers were met in a Scottish castle by the windswept Claudia Winkleman. She had to choose three of those who wanted to become traitors, and the rest remained loyal. The job of traitors is to kill the faithful without cursing them.

And to show that she wasn’t messing around, Winkleman kicked out the two contestants before they even entered the castle. Kieran and Amos were evicted from their home after they called themselves the least likely winners and took their word for it. “Every decision you make has consequences,” said Winkleman, who looked more like Anne Robinson than her usual co-star. strict “I’m afraid this is goodbye.”

The prize money for unkilled believers or undetected traitors is “up to £120,000”, with the final amount dependent on the success of the various “missions”. This was the most tedious part, as the teams tried to set fire to the wicker man-like structure after they had swum across the lake. Or so; I zoned.

These “missions” are the obvious deal i’m a celebrity, and the rest was taken from reality TV canon. You can play Seeking Influence, from which pupilsStyle of opening boast (about her ability to lie, amateurs take note) before Older brotherformation of stylistic unions.

A possible omission is the lack Island of loveArt Nouveau combinations, especially given the need for separate bedrooms (the “murders” happen at night). Hence, presumably, the inclusion of a secret pair.

Alex prevented the presence of her real boyfriend Tom by flirting with Matt (who told her twice that she had good teeth like he was buying a horse). Equally enigmatic was Maddie posing as an administrator at a nursing home, which was true, though she did not reveal that she was also an actress.

Later, everyone gathered around the table, blindfolded, with Winkleman circling like a cat and touching the three candidates to declare them a nomination as traitors. And despite all the theatrical preparations, the essence of the performance followed, as the traitors began to stage it. Or, in Alyssa’s case (“people think I’m a five-foot little Asian girl… her mistake”), actively plan.

It remains to be seen if viewers will be able to invest enough in these characters to care about their fate – even after the last one. i’m a celebrity Marathon (not to mention the World Cup), will we have spare capacity to indulge in this 12-part crime weekend on steroids?

Generation X and millennials were the preferred target audience (BBC Three shows reruns) and Andrea, in retirement, acts as a token oldie. Mind you, when Andrea was asked if she knew how to lie, she gave the best answer: “I worked for the British government, so it must be me.”

Things get better (or at least more embarrassing for the candidates) as the faithful begin to guess the identities of the traitors and publicly vote to replace each other. It starts in the second episode. I would suggest taking a break during the “missions” and enjoy the rest of the show, trying not to get too depressed about humanity’s innate ability to cheat.