Picturing The Traitors UK without Claudia Winkleman doesn't seem right, but it could've well been the case, the BBC has revealed.
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The Traitors first launched on BBC One in 2022 and has since gone on to break viewing records, particularly with its celebrity iteration, with its finale watched by an impressive 11.1 million viewers on the night.
While the action and drama plays a key role in making it impeccable TV viewing, Claudia Winkleman's choice of Traitors, devilish outfits and authority as host truly makes it an impressive watch.
But as recently confirmed by the BBC's Chief Content Officer, Kate Phillips, Winkleman wasn't the first choice of host. In fact, Phillips initially had her eye on Alan Cumming to helm the series.
Speaking on The Rest Is Entertainment podcast, Phillips told hosts Richard Osman and Marina Hyde that, when it came to choosing a host, Cumming was initially thought of as the right fit as he had recently signed to do the US series.
She said: "So I thought Alan is known here and he's a popular Scottish actor so we did actually ask Alan if he would do it, but he couldn't do it with our dates because America were filming first and he had another job so he couldn't do it.
Alan Cumming. Euan Cherry/Peacock
"So then we were thinking who else? Studio Lambert had a good list of names and I just thought Claudia because I'd worked with her on Strictly. And the thing about Claudia on Strictly is that she's brilliant on that show but she's brilliant because she's interested in people. More than the dancing, she's about the people and the contestants and what's happening."
Phillips explained that she rang Winkleman, who initially was unsure about the idea of leaving her house to film in the countryside, and told her she'd ask the production company to send her a copy of the Dutch version, to see what she thought.
"She watched that and she was in straight away."
You can watch the full interview below.
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The Traitors seasons 1-3 and the celebrity edition are available to watch on catch-up on BBC iPlayer.
Katelyn Mensah is the Senior Entertainment Writer for Radio Times, covering all major entertainment programmes, reality TV shows and the latest hard-hitting documentaries. She previously worked at The Tab, with a focus on reality TV and showbiz news and has obtained a BA (Hons) in Journalism.
