The Traitors has steadily gained popularity each year of its run, since series one in 2022, as it now provides an essential solace when slogging through the harsh month of January. What can The Traitors tell us about British society? Whether the masses tune in to the show to indulge in the drama, lies, deceit, or simply to admire the work of art that is Claudia Winkelman’s fringe, it cannot be denied that the show reveals certain characteristics about the nature of British society.
Ostensibly, people make friends and close connections quickly and easily with others in the castle, where the show takes place. For example, a clear friendship group, or as named by Freddie, “clique”, included Livi, Leon, Leanne and Tyler. This group dictated a lot of activity at the roundtable during early episodes of series three. A high-school like dynamic was arguably established, with the group of four only looking out for themselves. Yet this quickly deteriorated when others concluded that one of them must be a traitor, with seemingly little evidence as they began to turn on each other leading to a fracturing of the “clique”, portraying the ultimate selfishness central in the game and society.
The show can also be seen as a microcosm of Britain through the petty bullying inflicted upon Kas when he was suspected as a traitor and ostracised from the group. During the roundtable when he was banished, Kas forlornly admitted he was unable to play the game as no one would talk to him. This emphasises the power of groups in society, as despite having virtually no evidence for Kas not being a faithful, he was ganged up against in a harsh and cruel manner that ultimately caused outrage from the public audience. Yet, whilst it is easy to sit back and claim you would have acted differently and more respectfully towards Kas, when under the pressure of a majority group, who’s to say you would not have stooped to similar levels of nastiness?
Finally, a key takeaway from The Traitors about British society can be demonstrated through the group’s motivations for wanting to win the prize fund that currently stands at over £60,000. For example, Freddie, a university student studying politics, explains how he would use the money to pay off his student loans and pay to go to law school. Similarly, Francesca a 44-year-old mother, stated that she would use the money to send her sons to university. This demonstrates the incapacity of a lot of the British population to afford further education, preventing them from achieving successful jobs and prosperous futures. In turn, this denotes the cataclysmic class divide which remains prevalent in British society.
So, The Traitors is a wonderful TV show exploring friendship, betrayal, and some amazing outfits tied together with a sprinkle of drama. However, it cannot be overlooked as a microcosm of British culture, and reveals some harsh truths about how our society functions.
Photo by Reuben Teo on Unsplash