Siobhán McSweeney details what separates The Traitors Ireland from other international formats
It's been a long time coming but The Traitors Ireland is finally making its way to BBC One, and fans of the juicy and deceptive format are in for a treat.Hosted by comedy great Siobhán McSweeney, viewers will be transported to Slane Castle in County Meath, Ireland, as a group of strangers play the ultimate murder mystery game.Kicking off at 12:10am on Saturday 24th January, it has been teased that the players make a decision that ripples through the castle as the Traitors are chosen and the lies begin. But are the rumours of this series' cutthroat nature true?Well, speaking exclusively to RadioTimes.com, McSweeney was sure not to give away any spoilers but teased there is something slightly different about the Irish cast to other international formats that audiences may pick up on.Siobhán McSweeney. BBC/RTE/Kite EntertainmentShe explained: "One of the franchise, who goes around the whole world setting up the show, a lovely man. He was with us as we helped set up the show, as it was our first series, and of course, everybody was asking him, 'Oh, are we different to everybody else?' Every country wants to be somewhat exceptional in their own sort of way."[There are] particular characteristics that make them all this more special. And he quite brilliantly, and I [was] delighted to hear, he was like, 'Nah, everyone is sort of the same, it's a global village out there, everybody is sort of behaving the exact same, Traitors, Faithfuls, etc.'"But there was one difference that McSweeney noted, and it was the immediate chatty nature of the cast before they'd really got to know one another, which spawned moments that perhaps show producers weren't expecting to happen until much later down the line.She added: "Before people even had their first cup of tea, they were chatting away."Usually it takes a while for the contestants to loosen up and to have a chat and to 'Oh, hello, what's your name?' and they're polite, whereas people were going up the stairs to the front door of the castle, they were already [chatting away]."As the first moments progressed in the castle, McSweeney told RadioTimes.com that the cast "bypassed the getting to know each other stage", having already done that on the way top the castle."So it's incredible," she added before teasing: "They're not backward at coming forward, shall we say?"The Traitors Ireland begins on Saturday 24th January at 12:10am on BBC One and iPlayer.Add The Traitors Ireland to your watchlist on the Radio Times: What to Watch app – download now for daily TV recommendations, features and more.Check out more of our Entertainment coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more TV recommendations and reviews, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
