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[title]These aren’t your faithful friends. Instead, total strangers surround you at a table. Their searing eyes bore into your soul. Marble-sized beads of sweat cascade down your face. ‘I’m not a traitor, I swear!’ you whimper.
Yeah, right. That’s you banished. It’s an early cloakroom for you.
Don’t panic, though. You haven’t just made yourself look like a tit on telly. You’re not in a castle in Scotland, you’re in a function room in The Castle down the road. The compère isn’t Claudia Winkleman — it’s an amateur comedian. And, thankfully, you don’t have to trick your new best mate into missing out on fifty-thousand quid.
Instead, you’re at a ‘The Traitors’ spin-off shindig. Or so you could be very soon. Because a whole host of happenings inspired by the wildly successful BBC show are in the making, aiming to draw on the high drama (and high camp) of the latest series. While some events producers are still making finishing touches before revealing more, several have worked to a speedy turnaround to hop on ‘The Traitors’ train. Luckily for us, they’re every bit as chaotically theatrical as the real thing.
The robes, the goblets, the catchphrases
In case you’ve been living under a rock the size of the one Andrew from the latest series abseiled down, ‘The Traitors’ is a BBC game show which sees 22 strangers try to ascertain who is ‘faithful’ and who is ‘a traitor’. Along the way, the group has to complete a series of outdoorsy tasks that will probably give you flashbacks to when the zipwire went haywire on your PGL school trip.
After much treachery, treason and illogical reasoning, lovable rogue Harry Clark took home £95,000 in the final at the end of last month. Of course, real ‘Traitors’ anoraks know that the show started last year – but it exploded in popularity this time around for series two, ending with viewing figures of eight million – and probably ten times that amount of Diane-from-‘The Traitors’ memes.
No wonder, then, event organisers want a slice of the action. And here lies an obstacle: there’s a real fear that they could get banished for good by using too much of the show. Damien and Jack from pub and playhouse The Old Red Theatre, for example, tell me that they got served a cease-and-desist from All3Media, which owns the rights to ‘The Traitors’. It’s why some events are having to tip-toe, cloak-and-dagger style, around anything trademarked.
Of course, similar pastiche events have been running for years at the Edinburgh Fringe – but can ones with Claudia’s fringe survive? It does seem that they have the law on their side. Ten years ago, the UK aligned with an EU law that ruled parodies legally defensible (in other words, they can be exempted from copyright), though they have to be proved to actually ‘be funny’ in order to count as a parody.
Serving up betrayal
The first wave of spin-offs were team building workshops, which began to pop up between the first and second series of the show. After all, the whole adult ‘Raven’ vibe of the tasks are perfect away-day fodder. Tapping into the spike in interest, Red Cactus Events concocted The Betrayers (very Aldi/Lidl coded, that), a series of puzzles, conundrums and scavenger hunts featuring robed hosts, tense music and, naturally, a few traitors lurking within the group. Giant Leap Events and EML Team also run similar events catering to the LinkedIn clan (many of whom have been non-stop posting about the show’s display of laissez-faire leadership).
More of a treat for actual Traitors fans, though, are the nights out on offer. The most fully-fledged is the TRAITORZ Immersive Dining Experience, a self-styled supper club featuring souped-up murder mystery twists and audience participation. It’s run by Twisted Time Machine and KCD Collective: festival experience producers who have collaborated with the likes of Boomtown, Netflix and Ministry of Sound. ‘It’s a treacherous parody drag show centered around dining, deception and comedy,’ says troupe member Mikey Williams. A very early prototype of the show took place at Secret Garden Party 2023 on the festival’s old mud wrestling coliseum. ‘People loved it. The performance was raw and unrehearsed but we knew it was worth pursuing,’ says Kevin Davidson, KCD Collective founder.
Their trademark creation? Drag host Claudia Winkelmanwomanman
It’s now a beefier immersive experience with all the trimmings, including a sit-down dinner, zany prizes and surprises galore. ‘Prizes include a pot that participants can add whatever they feel like: favours, cash, possessions,’ Williams says, plus some free booze and vouchers for good measure. The bounty can be shared by the winning table or stolen by the most devious attendees. And the music policy? Hard cheese. ‘It’s a cross between intense dramatic moments and iconic pop and disco,’ Williams explains.
Their flagship creation is drag host Claudia Winkelmanwomanman. ‘The idea just popped in my head and we ran with it. It adds an element of playfulness and draws a distinction between us and ‘The Traitors’ as a game show,’ Davidson says. ‘At our immersive events, everyone participates. It’s all tongue in cheek and very playful with skill buried within it.’
They’ve already taken their creation to gig venues, restaurants and even into people’s homes – but they’re set to have competition. Last month, a new ‘Traitors’ immersive theatre experience was announced, spearheaded by The Everywhere Group, who run similar events inspired by ‘Peppa Pig’, ‘Peaky Blinders’ and ‘Doctor Who’. Details are hush-hush.
‘We’re working with the writers and producers of the TV series to really get to the heart of what makes ‘‘The Traitors’’ such must-watch TV and exploring how we could bring that experience to our audiences,’ says marketing manager Rich Major, explaining that The Everywhere Group bought the licence from All3Media. ‘We’re not trying to stop anyone who wants to celebrate the thrills of the show with their mates but if you’re going to take part in ‘‘The Traitors’’, we’d want to make sure you can do it properly.’ In other words: expect a big budget bonanza.
Painting the town red
If you’re looking for something a little more low culture, many of ‘The Traitors’ stars have turned their telly talents to trashy nights on the tiles. The beloved Amanda Lovett, who became a certified gay icon after her performance in the first series, has carved out a career making nightlife appearances across the country, including a National Treasure tour featuring drag cabaret and a meet-and-greet, as well as The Betray Ball at the Two Brewers bar in Clapham. ‘The Pride events were the most special times I have experienced,’ she says.
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Just last week, Club Revenge in Brighton unveiled an upcoming night featuring Amanda and sleeper icon Jaz from this series. She also plays her part in a murder mystery evening titled A Traitor Among Us. ‘The audience participates in the clues within the story to establish who the Traitor is, while enjoying some lovely food and wine,’ she says. ‘Not a sparkling rosé, though!’ she adds, nodding to Diane’s exit from the show.
If you fancy something fancier, Wilf Webster, who so very nearly did-a-Harry in the first series, confirmed last week that he is hosting the Croatia Murder Mystery Cruise onboard Cruise Croatia, seeing 38 intrepid passengers play the game for an entire week. ‘Playing this game out at sea will allow people to fully immerse themselves in the experience, as well as enjoy the beautiful cruise itself,’ he said in a press release.
So what makes ‘The Traitors’ such fringe-event gold? Well, the obvious take is that people who love the show want to become part of it. With 40,000 people applying for the actual show last year (compared to just 1,500 for the initial series), it’s likely to be a six-figure total this year.
40,000 people applied for the show last year, compared to 1,500 for the initial series
These spin-off events also provide a taste of the action without having to commit treason on the telly. ‘It gives people the opportunity to participate in the drama without going on a gameshow. Let’s face it, the show is intense for some players,’ Davidson says. Lovett adds: ‘It’s a game that all ages of a family or any group can get involved with and it’s so much fun being given a licence to lie.’
Making a getaway
Plot twist: ‘The Traitors’ is actually based on eighties party game Mafia, also known as Werewolf. It’s basically the same as the show, but you’re the ‘mafia’ or ‘civilians’ rather than ‘faithfuls’ and ‘traitors’. People have been enjoying this game for decades, but it’s become even more popular recently.
From free online multiplayer versions to IRL meet ups (big up the Brighton Mafia Club) it’s the kind of organised, not-just-drinking fun people seem to love these days. A quick search on Facebook reveals a load of pub games and we expect many more to come. (Traitors Gate in Tower Hill really need to get a shift on.)
You can also head on a ‘The Traitors’-inspired retreat. Mafia minibreaks are on the rise right now, with Airbnb recently reporting a rise in interest in Highland castle stays thanks to the show. ‘I played mafia with my friends at drama school and as soon as the first series aired our WhatsApp group was abuzz with talk of a reunion to play it over an entire day,’ says travel journalist Antonia Windsor, who recently embarked on a treacherous getaway for The Independent.
Sign us up, because nothing sounds better than accusing your nearest and dearest in a Scottish castle, ideally with a barrel of fizzy rosé. But first, a quick word of warning, Claudia style. If you do go on one of these adventures, it’s never worth falling out with your mates by aggressively and incessantly insisting they’re a traitor. Unless, of course, you are sure they are. In which case, burn those bridges — there’s always a function room of faithfuls to replace them with, eh?