The Traitors' stars reveals all off-screen secrets

The Traitors star John McManus, who memorably butted heads with winner Aaron Evans on several occasions throughout the first series, has lifted the lid on the way filming works for the murder-mystery show.

During an interview with The Sun, the Scottish spa therapist began by sharing: "When we come from the round table, we go into the bar and have a drink - we're allowed a maximum of two - and all that's real. There's security, your food's brought to your room, and the welfare team are brilliant, knocking on your door regularly to check you're okay, but there's none of this mixing or hanging about."

And for any eagle-eyed viewers out there who've noticed the cast rarely nibbling even a morsel of their breakfasts in the dining room, there's a reason.

McManus claimed not only is everyone "too nervous" to dig into the croissants and fruit on display, they "get breakfast served to our rooms in the hotel, before the on-screen breakfast!"

When the murdering really takes place

Further along, the former contestant also revealed how the Faithfuls are not actually 'killed off' in the nocturnal 'murdering hour' - depicted on screen as lantern-lit after everyone's been ferried off to bed.

"Everybody goes to the castle at the same time in different jeeps and then you're all put into separate holding rooms," McManus said. "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.'"

Behind scenes of filming schedule

This comes after his co-star Meryl Williams, who split the £101,050 prize money with fellow winners Evans and Hannah Byczkowski, detailed the all-consuming production schedule while speaking to Metro.

According to her, cameras are recording Monday to Saturday, dawn til dusk. "So when it came to Sunday, you literally slept the whole day," she noted. "Like I literally woke up at 12. I'd chill for a little bit and watch movies and stuff in the room. And then I literally went back to sleep at like three and then I woke up again for dinner and then I went back to sleep."

The Traitors airs weekly on BBC One.

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