A ratings war seems to be brewing between two of the BBC’s biggest TV shows – and awkwardly, Claudia Winkleman is caught right in the middle of them.
This year’s series of The Traitors has been a roaring success so far, with viewers tuning in to discover if the Faithfuls will find out that Linda and Minah are the Traitors in their midst.
There’s been drama aplenty in the first half of the season ahead of the upcoming grand finale later this month, when it will be determined who’ll go home with the cash prize.
Ahead of the return of The Traitors, Strictly Come Dancing was the primetime show providing entertainment to millions of people across the UK, with comedian Chris McCausland and his professional dance partner Dianne Buswell being crowned the 2024 champions.
While Strictly is still a staple of the BBC – and will undoubtedly remain that way for years to come – it’s now been revealed that The Traitors has actually overtaken it when it comes to the number of viewers who tuned in for the launch episodes.
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After The Traitors returned on New Year’s Day, it was revealed that more than 9million people watched it, the biggest audience the series has ever had.
According to Barb, a company that analyses ratings, an average audience of 9.2m people watched the first episode of the new season.
On the other hand, the Strictly 2024 launch show was watched by an average of 6.4m people, with a peak of 6.6m.
This doesn’t account for those who caught up on demand, as according to The Sun, the total number of people who watched the 2024 launch show was 9.1m.
However, this means that it was still trumped by The Traitors in what some might deem a surprising turn of events, given Strictly has now been going for 20 years.
Ironically, Claudia, 53, plays a major role on both TV shows, given she’s a co-presenter on Strictly and the host of The Traitors.
In January this year, she opened up about how shocked she’d been by the success of the murder mystery competition.
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‘We didn’t foresee this. We went to Scotland with the amazing people who make it and a pair of red fingerless gloves and gave it our best shot,’ she told Grazia.
‘I think people like it because the psychology is extraordinary – just watching people work out whether they’re being lied to. The dynamics feel addictive. I’m completely obsessed.’
Discussing the upcoming UK celebrity version of the show, she added: ‘I would really like to tell you everything, but I really mustn’t.’
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The Traitors returns tonight at 9pm on BBC One and BBC iPlayer. Strictly Come Dancing is available to watch on BBC iPlayer.
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