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The finale of The Traitors season three has set a new record for the BBC show after a colossal number of viewers tuned in to see who the winner would be.
Warning: This article contains spoilers for The Traitors season three
According to the BBC, Friday’s final episode (24 January) attracted an average audience of 7.4 million, which is 1.6 million more than last year’s final. This now makes it the most-watched episode in the entire history of the show.
The BBC also reports that the aftershow, The Traitors: Uncloaked, which aired straight after the finale, attracted an audience of 4.8 million.
In a tense, 70-minute finale, Jake Brown and Leanne Quigley emerged as the winners, taking home the £94,600 prize pot between them (£47,300 each).
After four weeks of twists, turns and scheming the final episode came down to just five contestants: Alexander, Charlotte, Frankie, Leanne and Jake.
Charlotte was the only Traitor remaining. Meanwhile, Frankie had gained the power of The Seer, meaning she was entitled to know the true identity (Traitor or Faithful) of one other contestant.
Over the past three weeks, viewers have watched on the edge of their seats as 25 contestants competed for the life-changing jackpot.
The game show, which has been a huge hit for the BBC over its three seasons, sees a group of strangers split into Faithfuls and Traitors, who are tasked with playing the ultimate game of deception. Each night, the Traitors choose a Faithful to “murder” while the Faithfuls must work together to eliminate the Traitors.
In a review of the entire third series, The Independent’s Hannah Ewens wrote: “Compared to tired old franchises like Love Island and I’m a Celeb, The Traitors continued to shine this January. Across a brilliantly devious third season of the show, it’s the Faithfuls who have been the true villains for their incompetence.”
The success of the show, which is inspired by the Dutch series, De Verraders, has also spawned a US version hosted by Scottish actor Alan Cumming.
