The Traitors’ ORIGINAL version revealed as show aired on BBC over 20 years ago
AN early version of The Traitors appeared on the BBC 20 years ago – even though the international hit is widely thought of as a Dutch import.
The contest, which was called Traitors, featured a group of nine people who sit around a table trying to determine who among them is a backstabber.
In turn, they have to vote out who the secret villains among them are in a bid to prevent them from winning the competition.
The 2004 show even sees them wearing similar name badges and holding up cards as they go around trying to work out who the goodies and baddies are.
But rather than being set in the luxurious backdrop of a castle in the Scottish highlands it is set in the simply surroundings of a TV studio. And faithfuls are known as “civilians”.
It was made by the BBC and not Studio Lambert, who make the British show fronted by Claudia Winkleman, which was inspired by Dutch programme.
De Verraders first aired in 2021 and was imported to the UK where our version launched a year later.
That then spawned spin offs in Australia, the US and New Zealand, among others.
The footage of Traitors has just emerged on online site Lost TV and is hosted by Tony Livesy – the former editor of the Sunday Sport newspaper.
It aired on BBC Two from February 9 to 13 but wasn’t recommissioned after its debut series.