Jeremy Clarkson Questions the Authenticity of ‘The Traitors’ Gameplay
Jeremy Clarkson has expressed his admiration for The Traitors while raising concerns about its authenticity.
In an interview with The Sun, the presenter of Clarkson’s Farm congratulated the BBC for creating a “belter” of a hit, but his extensive experience in television has left him questioning the production methods behind The Traitors.
“Come on, I’ve worked in television for 30 years. You’re not going to spend that much money on a programme where there’s a risk it all falls to pieces,” Clarkson stated. “So, I’ve no idea how they’re doing it, but I bow down to them.”
When asked if he believes that the producers at Studio Lambert are manipulating the contestants, Clarkson replied, “They must be — and I’m not just being a cynic, I know how television is made. You can’t actually say to a contestant, ‘Say this’ and ‘say that,’ you can’t but…”
He further elaborated, “I just don’t believe it’s all for real, because nothing in television is. I’m sitting there going, how are they doing this? It could just be unbelievably painstaking editing.”
Studio Lambert has consistently stated that, once the game is initiated and the traitors are selected, they allow contestants on both the UK and U.S. versions to engage in the competition without interference.
“We’ve created the game and the format’s there, and we let them play it. We’re very hands-off producer-wise. We don’t tell people to go and talk to certain people. We don’t tell them because we don’t want to impact on the game,” explained Sam Rees-Jones, who manages The Traitors U.S.
Although Clarkson enjoys the show hosted by Claudia Winkleman, he dismissed the idea of participating in the celebrity version. “I wouldn’t in a million years. I’ve got ten jobs already; why would I want 11?” he joked.
On Tuesday, the BBC announced that The Traitors Season 4 will premiere on New Year’s Day. This season comes shortly after The Celebrity Traitors achieved record-breaking ratings for the BBC, with the season finale, featuring traitor Alan Carr as champion, drawing nearly 15 million viewers.
