'The Celebrity Traitors’: Former Traitor Hugo Reveals Turret Secrets

The Celebrity Traitors is finally back on our screens, and its momentum shows no sign of easing.

Hosted by Claudia Winkleman, Series 2 of the BBC hit has assembled another star-studded lineup of showbiz “big dogs” and opened to a huge audience of 9 million viewers.

The format’s appeal is easy to grasp: a group of players is thrown into a high-stakes game of bluffing, alliance-building and sudden betrayal. A massive 300,000 people reportedly applied for the last civilian series, but only a lucky few will ever get the chance to enter the castle and don the famous forest-green cloak.

One person who did, however, was Series 4 star Hugo — and he knows better than most what it’s really like to be a Traitor on the show.

Hugo was one of the more memorable players on The Traitors UK Series 4, which aired throughout January 2026.

The 51-year-old barrister, originally from Cardiff, was chosen as one of the season's first Traitors, alongside eventual winners (spoiler alert) Rachel and Stephen.

Hugo’s infamous tribute to a murdered Faithful at breakfast played out like pure theatre and ultimately sealed his fate. He was later banished from the castle, becoming the first Traitor to leave.

Despite his early exit, Hugo lasted three full episodes as one of Claudia’s hand-picked Traitors inside Scotland’s Ardross Castle. Below, he pulls back the cloak on his treacherous tenure, and on what a day in the life of a Traitor actually looks like.

Tell me about a Traitor’s morning routine at the “individual lodgings”

As viewers see, the cast don’t sleep at the castle at night. Faithfuls and Traitors start the day at roughly the same time. I was woken up with a very basic, tiny alarm clock with no radio or internet. Nothing.

I was tired every morning. I’ll go into more detail later, but you’d be right to assume days are very long for the Traitors. We have extra work to do. Stephen Fry had it dead right on The Celebrity Traitors: People should look for who’s tired.

Players are transported to breakfast, and there’s no opportunity to speak to anyone about the game in the transport to or from the castle.

What is the experience of breakfast like for a Traitor?

Breakfast is a real challenge. We already know who’s been murdered, and you have to act surprised. I wouldn’t recommend overacting quite as badly as I did. I was too over the top. There’s also no opportunity to send secret signals to your fellow Traitors at the breakfast table. Traitors don’t tend to interact with each other much at all, which is something Faithfuls should look out for.

You say you were “too over the top” during one breakfast — talk me through what happened

Here’s a little exclusive for you. I suspected Fiona was the Secret Traitor, which I later discovered she was. During breakfast, she asked, “What did Ben say last night before he was murdered?” and I thought that was suspicious. So I interrupted, “Well, before we discuss that, let’s take a moment to remember Ben.” I was trying to put the spotlight on Fiona; I just put the spotlight on myself.

I love Richard E. Grant on The Celebrity Traitors, and I see myself as some amateur dramatic version of him, going over the top in the castle as I did. At least I didn’t actually say “I am a Traitor” — but I might as well have!

How do producers and the crew interact with Traitors? Does it differ in any way from the Faithfuls?

If you pay attention to the show’s credits at the end of each episode, you’ll notice there are no directors and no scriptwriters. The game is just allowed to unfold. It’s a very immersive experience and is scrupulously fair. The crew deals with all of the cast on equal terms. There is absolutely no special interaction between producers and Traitors. No nudging. If that were to happen, that would be a huge red flag.

There’s also money at stake. The BBC operates under a royal charter, and they’re a public body. If there were any hint of meddling in the production, that could form the basis for a complaint to Ofcom. That’s why producers would never interfere in the game.

Are there any special rules Traitors must follow that fans might not know about?

A banished Traitor at the roundtable could ruin the entire game by exposing their fellow Traitors on their way out. I can’t reveal exactly why, but Traitors know it is in no way permissible or acceptable to do other Traitors dirty like this. So, that is one special rule that only applies to Traitors, and I’m glad it’s there. It guards the game.

We also agree to follow the “Traitors’ oath.” I suppose Richard E Grant didn’t actually break the oath when he told Joe Lycett he was a Traitor - he hadn’t taken it yet at the time. But I’m sure no player will ever do that again!

How do Traitors stay ‘Faithful’ during downtime?

In between challenges and roundtable votes, when you’re not mic’d or being filmed, it’s made absolutely plain to everyone that you cannot discuss the game. So, when you’re not in reality TV mode, then you’re just people. You chat about life and joke around. This makes it easier to present as ‘Faithful.’

Tell me about the roundtable scenes from a Traitor’s perspective

It’s petrifying. Claudia tapped me on the shoulder quite hard during the first roundtable scene. My weight shifted, causing the chair to creak. I thought Faithfuls might’ve picked up on that.

The roundtable is where we’re vulnerable, and there’s democracy — you might get voted out. As previously reported, it can take up to an hour, sometimes longer, to film at the roundtable. It’s edited down to about 10 minutes, but the edit is always very fair. Viewers get a good flavour of what actually goes down.

I came under fire at my second roundtable. As a Traitor, you just try to deflect it; it helps to be logical and analytical with your counterarguments. You have to fight back. You can maybe survive one roundtable attack, but I had Amanda, Secret Traitor Fiona, and fellow Traitor Stephen coming at me. You can’t survive three.

I knew my time was up before the final vote. I just sat there and thought, “Don’t let them know they’ve got you, keep them guessing until the end, and go out with a bit of drama.”

I could hear the cast going absolutely nuts as I walked out during my banishment. It feels great to be part of that drama.

What happens after a Traitor is banished?

You’d be right to assume the banishments take place towards the end of the day. There was a banishment in the daytime in my series, but usually they’re in the evening.

People might think you don’t go home immediately. Obviously, you’re in the middle of Scotland, and producers wouldn’t know who’s being murdered and banished each day until it happens. You could assume it’s not possible to arrange transport back home on the same day.

More importantly, there’s a very supportive network after you leave. Producers take welfare very seriously. There isn’t a brutal “right, thanks very much, you’re on the train home straight away” kind of exit. There’s a soft landing.

When do players leave at night, and where do Traitors go? Talk me through that process.

I’m not going to ruin the magic of the show that I love, but the bongs really do chime, and then it’s like a military operation. Various stages put in place obscure the order and time of when people leave the castle at night. That process makes it absolutely impossible for the Faithful to realise the Traitors are going in a different direction.

What are the logistics of the Turret?

As seen on the show, the Turret scenes happen at the very end of the day. You film the roundtable, then at the bar; the Faithfuls go home, and Traitors will be in the Turret later into the night. Viewers see only a few minutes of Turret chat; you’d be right to assume it takes longer to film. Maybe 20 minutes to half an hour.

I’ve seen people who don’t know what they’re talking about say the Turret is fake, claiming it’s neither in the castle nor in the lodgings — and that’s just not right. It’s annoying when people say it’s not in the castle. Think about it: how could there be some Pinewood film set or soundstage somewhere in the middle of rural Scotland? It’s nonsense.

How do you wind down at night as a Traitor?

It’s not difficult because it’s just so tiring. A Traitor’s work can go really late into the night, so I didn’t try to switch off; I just fell asleep straight away.

It’s been widely reported that we aren’t permitted to use the internet or our phones, but you could listen to music or audiobooks. Things that aren’t going to change or give access to the outside world.

What’s the hardest part of being a Traitor?

The hardest part is sending home lovely people who don’t want to leave. That’s the job of a Traitor. You get to know your fellow players quite well, so it is really difficult.

On the one hand, everyone is playing a game, but on the flip side, everyone is having a really amazing experience filming a show. As a Traitor, your role is to bring that to an end for the Faithful. I was disappointed when I got banished, but was relieved I didn’t have to send anyone else home.

This interview was edited and condensed for clarity.

INTERVIEW: What It’s Really Like Being a Traitor