Traitors bosses make huge signing that’ll keep show on air until 2030 after ratings success – but it’s not a contestant
BOSSES of The Traitors have booked the Scottish stately home where the hit show is filmed until the end of this decade.
BBC chiefs are so sure the whodunnit series will be an ongoing success that they’ve given the nod to reserve the forboding Ardross Castle for another six years.
It means that once the celebrity spin-off begins later this year, production company Studio Lambert Scotland can guarantee filming another dozen series.
A TV insider said: “The ultimate nightmare would be if the producers tried to return to Ardross Castle after the Beeb commissioned more series only to find it was unavailable.
“That’s a very real prospect as the Highlands pile is in huge demand for weddings, which have swelled in numbers since The Traitors became so popular.
“Without taking this bold measure, it was at risk of becoming a victim of its own success.
“Plus the show, which is often filmed in the depths of the night, can only film at certain times of year due to the long days in the north of Scotland.
“So they are restricted to making The Traitors in late spring or early autumn, which means they have even less flexibility.”
The third series of the show, hosted by Claudia Winkleman, is due to start filming in six weeks at the site in Alness, Ross-shire.
A celebrity spin-off is likely to be made around September.
As well as being the home of the UK shows, Ardross Castle is also used for the US version, which is hosted by Scottish actor Alan Cumming.
The producers will see the long-term booking of the stately home as a worthwhile investment as the show has quickly become a huge BBC ratings winner.
Almost seven million people watched this year’s final on the night it was broadcast in January, with another 1.1million watching later on iPlayer.
Nearly 300,000 people have applied to be on the next series.