The Traitors season 3 has 'exciting' changes and a big 'twist' teases Claudia Winkleman

The Traitors will return to BBC One on New Year's Day, and host Claudia Winkleman says viewers should expect the unexpected.

Don't worry though, the third series of the hit mystery show — which pits a group of strangers against each other in a game of subterfuge and deception as they battle it out to win up to £120,000 — will be familiar to fans of the show, but with a few key alterations.

"I would love to tell you all about series three, but then I will get fired so I can tell you absolutely nothing," Winkleman explained in a press release for S3. "What I will tell you is that things are different this year. There are some really exciting things that have changed, which keeps everyone on the toes and feeds into the central premise of trust! I can’t wait for everyone to see."

In the show, the hand-picked Traitors must evade detection by the Faithful in order to be in with a chance of taking home the prize money at the end. They have the power to pick off their enemies — as well as each other — in the Scottish castle where the show is filmed.

The simple premise has already served up some already iconic moments of reality TV gold (remember Jazatha Christie, or poor Molly being betrayed by Harry in the final moments of S2?), but there's a risk that as the contestants become more aware of the gameplay of the show, their tactics might become predictable. But S3 has already factored this in.

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"The new contestants can watch previous series, but that doesn’t mean it will necessarily help them… How can it? Every series has a whole new bunch of players, with different minds, and different interpretations of the game," says the Strictly host. "

And like any good murder mystery, the plot is always full of twists and turns. There’s one twist this year which will hopefully have viewers on the edge of their seat."

Something else that fans can look forward to in S3 of The Traitors is Winkleman's wardrobe. As the host of the show, the 52-year-old always likes to make an entrance, and this season will be no different.

"Expect more tweed, more big sweaters and at one point I try and look like an actual yeti," she teased. "I've snuck home a couple of pairs of gloves, but sadly most of it, I have to give it a little kiss whilst not wearing lipstick, and send it back."

The Traitors returns to BBC One at 8pm on New Year's Day.