TV: Treachery and trust.... Traitors Ireland begins

It’s been the broadcasting phenomenon of recent years - and now The Traitors is set to get a Celtic twist.

The reality show launched in the Netherlands in 2021, and there have been three hugely successful series in the UK - fronted by Claudia Winkleman - and the U.S.

The Traitors Ireland now comes to our screens on RTÉ1 tonight at 9.30pm.

The plot is thus: contestants compete in a series of challenges, and some are secretly designated as ‘Traitors’ who try to eliminate the other players, known as ‘Faithfuls’. The latter must identify and banish the ‘Traitors’ to win the game.

The last one standing who is not murdered or banished wins €50,000 in this game where devious lies and half-truths contribute to a mood of paranoia as the game progresses: loyalty is fragile, betrayal is currency, and suspicion is inevitable.

The Irish series was filmed in the suitably shadowy Slane Castle on the banks of the Boyne, with a Cork presenter at the helm.

Siobhán McSweeney, of Ovens, is best known for her acting role in Derry Girls and for presenting The Great Pottery Throw Down, and will have been licking her lips at the prospect of taking charge of the diet of chaos, suspicion and stylish skulduggery in The Traitors Ireland.

Expect conniving glances over banquet breakfasts, whispers in corridors, and enough drama to make even the most loyal viewer question their instincts.

As tension rises and alliances crumble, contestants will be left asking: who’s lying, who’s loyal, and who’s next?

The episodes run on Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday each week.

Each episode is followed by a spin-off, The Traitors Ireland Uncloaked, presented by comedian Kevin McGahern, who will delve behind the scenes of the show and chat to the latest contestant to be murdered or banished.

Kevin will also be joined by celebrity guests and players from the game for all the best analysis and reaction to the latest betrayals, mind games, and manipulations.

Since its debut in the Netherlands in 2021, The Traitors format has expanded to more than 30 territories and garnered a host of awards.

The BBC is also presenting a celebrity version of The Traitors which is due to hit our screens this October, boasting a cast that includes Bob Mortimer, Jonathan Ross, Celia Imrie, Paloma Faith, Charlotte Church, and Alan Carr.

Previous series of the U.S and Australian versions of the show are on the RTÉ Player.