What time is The Traitors final and how does the ending work?

The time has come. After a month of the best TV imaginable, The Traitors ending is upon us. Tonight, we will find out whether the Faithful can hold on to the jackpot, or whether that cash will go to the Traitors instead.

But there are a few things that need to happen before Claudia Winkleman and The Traitors cast can leave the castle behind. And with The Traitors viewing figures even higher this year, you might not have seen the unique endgame before.

So let's dive in and explain what's ahead of us as the best reality TV series in years comes to an end.

When is the final episode of The Traitors?

The Traitors season 2 is about to reach its fateful — or perhaps Faithful — end. The final episode will air at 9pm tonight, Friday, 26 January, on BBC One and iPlayer, after a month of the most exquisite drama TV has given us this year.

How does The Traitors ending work?

In the final episode, the remaining contestants will be told they are going into their last round table. They have a final opportunity to banish one of the Traitors before moving into the ultimate ending of the game.

At that point, they are given the choice to vote for something different — the decision as to whether the game should finish. If all of the contestants vote unanimously, then that's the end.

How can the Faithful win?

For the five remaining Faithfuls — Evie, Jasmine, Jaz, Mollie, and Zack — the scenario is very simple. They must make sure that all of the Traitors have been banished, and then vote for the game to end. If the dust settles with just Faithful left, then the survivors divide the prize money between them.

Importantly, though, the vote has to be unanimous. If any contestant chooses for the game to continue, then there will be a new banishment, followed by another vote to decide whether this should be the end. In theory, this could conclude with just the final two contestants standing.

How can the Traitors win?

There are now three Traitors in the game going into the final week — Harry, Andrew, and the newly recruited Ross. In order for them to win, they have to survive the remaining round tables and then convince the Faithful to vote for the game to conclude.

Of course, there's a spanner in the works. This series has seen more Traitors vote to banish each other than ever before, with Harry in particular putting an end to all of his original Traitor companions, as well as the recruit Miles. But he might have accidentally met his match by bringing Ross into the fold.

Harry has no idea that Ross' mother, Diane, was also a part of the show and was one of the victims of the Traitors' murdering spree. The most recent episode of The Traitors saw Ross vow to bring his fellow Traitors down from the inside in order to take revenge for his mum.

What happened last year?

Last year's final episode began with five contestants still in play — three of the Faithful facing off against two Traitors. One of those Traitors, Kieran Tompsett, was banished at the final round table. However, he used his own voting slate to put Wilf Webster in the spotlight, calling it a "parting gift" to the Faithful.

This seed of doubt led Hannah Byczkowski and Aaron Evans to vote for one final banishment, in which the last remaining Traitor Wilf was forced to say a tearful farewell. Ultimately, Hannah, Aaron, and Meryl Williams shared the jackpot of £101,050. But can this year's Faithful match their triumph?

Read more:

• The Traitors viewers think 'Jazatha Christie' should get his own spin-off

• Where is The Traitors filmed and can you stay there?

• The Traitors' Diane reveals husband found out she was on the show by accident

Watch: Trailer for The Traitors series two