The studio behind the show have confirmed changes will be made ahead of the upcoming series

A major development regarding the upcoming series of popular BBC programme The Traitors has emerged, which could divide viewer opinion.

The broadcaster’s reality competition format that delivers the ultimate test of deception has continued to surge in popularity following a gripping fourth series.

This also followed the inaugural Celebrity version produced for British viewers, which saw comedian and presenter Alan Carr secure the top prize.

Subsequently, the most recent civilian series witnessed two additional Traitors crowned as champions in Stephen and Rachel.

Yet, during their journey to the finale, they faced an entirely fresh element previously unseen in the programme – a Secret Traitor.

The Secret Traitor will not return (Image: B

This innovative mechanism meant that presenter Claudia Winkleman chose an additional individual to become a Traitor. However, her selection remained concealed not only from fellow participants but also from audiences viewing at home.

Viewers finally experienced firsthand just how challenging it was to identify who was concealing their true identity, reports Wales Online.

Before long, Fiona was exposed as the Secret Traitor. This sparked discussion amongst viewers especially because the element proved extremely brief, resulting in its influence being minimal.

Now, the founder of Studio Lambert, the production firm responsible for both the British and American iterations of the programme has addressed the element and what lies ahead for the show. According to IGN, Stephen Lambert stated at an event: “A good format is something that’s designed in such a way that people feel a sense of familiarity with it, which is why they want to keep coming back to come back and watch it.

Fans were split over the twist (Image: BBC)

“But intrinsically it’s designed so that there’s sufficient variation, partly, obviously, through the change of cast, but also you want to make little changes within it… What I like about The Traitors is there’s so many ways that story can go, that once you add a different cast and once you think of some additional tweaks here and there.”

He continued to explain that this was the rationale behind introducing the concept of a Secret Traitor, although it will not return for the next series. He further added: “After the huge success of the Celebrity Traitors, we introduced the idea of a Secret Traitor as a way of doing something that was different but it wasn’t something we wanted to keep going with.

“It was a clever way of signalling we were doing something different, but I go back to the pleasure of the show being that the audience doesn’t know who the Traitors are. There have been other shows which have done something similar, where the audience didn’t know who ‘the mole’ was and the trouble is you’re completely a victim of the edit… and that doesn’t feel very satisfying.”

Both UK and US viewers can anticipate new celebrity and civilian series of The Traitors in 2027. They are slated to be filmed in Scotland in the upcoming months, with the civilian version marking a first for the United States.

The Traitors is streaming on BBC iPlayer.