Yahoo News How long do The Traitors spend filming in the castle?
Fans of the hit BBC show planning on applying for series four, here's how long you can expect to spend in the castle.
Fancy pulling up a seat at The Traitors round table next series? The hit BBC One show is on the hunt for its season four cast of Traitors and Faithfuls, but if you're considering applying, here's what you need to know about filming.
Viewers might have noticed that the players seem to become emotionally involved in the game very quickly, forming close bonds and bitter rivalries.
The tense game may have left you wondering how long contestants spend getting to know each other in the castle – some previous players from the three series so far have given an idea of how long they spent filming in the beautiful Scottish Highlands, as well as what the long days on set involved.
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How long does The Traitors film for?
Anyone who's watched one of The Traitors' vicious round table banishments or seen the tearful contestants at breakfast mourning the murder of a Faithful could be forgiven for thinking that the series stars are lifelong friends.
But in reality, the show only films for a few weeks — although the heightened emotions of the game and long hours create closer bonds than you might expect in such a short amount of time.
Kasim Ahmed, who was banished from series three, recently told Yahoo that the five episodes viewers saw him in equated to "pretty much that" for his days in the castle. He added: "So, it was five, six days, I think it was. So the timeline is very much what you see [on TV] essentially...It's very much exactly as it comes across."
However, while he might have spent less than a week filming, Ahmed revealed that the players do get the chance to work each other out a little bit before they make their screen debut.
"We had the most amazing group of people within our group — all of them are fantastic in their own way, and we've really gelled together as a group," he said. "So we had some time before the game started, and before we were properly selected, to get to know each other. We've had all this time since to get to know each other as well. And we've all had each other's backs. So that in itself is invaluable."
Dan Bird, who was banished not long after Ahmed, also gave a flavour of the timeframe in his exit speech. His co-stars had become emotional at the round table as they questioned whether they could trust him when he lied about his actions during a mission.
But he smilingly told them: "Guys, just remember, we've all only known each other for a couple of weeks. Don't take things too personally, it's just a game."
Are there any days off from filming The Traitors?
While Ahmed told Yahoo that there were no gaps in filming, with the show picking up again in the morning each day, he spent less than a week on the show.
Other contestants who stayed the course in previous series have said that the cast do in fact get a day off from the tension, with series one winner Meryl Williams revealing that Monday to Saturday was a hectic schedule, but that they got Sundays off.
Many previous contestants have said they were not allowed to chat outside of filming, so they're unlikely to spend days off together.
How much time do Traitors contestants spend in the castle?
Traitors fans may well already be aware that contestants unfortunately do not get to sleep in beautiful Ardross Castle where the show is filmed. They are actually put up in a hotel near Inverness airport, a 45-minute drive away, with the end of each episode showing players being driven away in their individual cars.
Series one's Meryl Williams spoke to Betway about what her filming days looked like, which she said were typically around 10 hours.
She said: "It's so, so intense. The round table is also a lot longer than what’s shown on the show. Obviously the show is an hour long, but you are sitting around the table for I’d say a couple of hours. When you go back to your room you literally just sleep because it's so emotionally and physically draining. You don't want to speak to anyone for another 12 hours!"
The Faithful winner added: "It’s also freezing in the room — I think that they do this deliberately to make you feel even more uncomfortable."
Contestants fill their days with missions to add money to the prize fund and Williams said: "The tasks in the day can take four or five hours. You are out for the whole afternoon. It’s a long old day with all of the filming and everything going on."
Another series one star, John McManus, revealed that the contestants actually have breakfast at their hotel before arriving in the show's breakfast room and that the murders take place in the morning — not during the night, which explains why players often talk about not being able to sleep for worry of being picked off.
He told The Sun: "Everybody goes to the castle at the same time in different jeeps and then you're all put into separate holding rooms. It's like a Big Brother diary room with the letter sat on the chair in front of you, and it just says, 'The Traitors have murdered you'."
When does The Traitors film?
Despite host Claudia Winkleman's array of knitwear and capes, The Traitors does not film in winter — we're actually watching the height of summer in the Scottish Highlands.
Traitor and last year's winner Harry Clark said in a recent interview on This Morning that he had filmed his series in August, while the series four application form appears to reflect the same filming schedule.
In the eligibility notes at the beginning of the application form, one point reads: "You must be available to take part in the programme for up to 4 weeks currently anticipated to be in Spring/Summer 2025. Please note that this may change at our discretion without notice."
The Traitors continues on BBC One on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays.
