When is The Traitors season 3 finale?

16 January 2025, 21:00

By Jenny Medlicott

Here’s when The Traitors finale is airing and what we might be able to expect with its new plot twist.

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*The Traitors season 3 spoilers ahead*

After weeks of scandal, tears and theatrics, The Traitors is getting close to wrapping up for the year, which means that the series finale is right around the corner.

Series three has seen some incredible theories, questionable acting (*cough* Linda *cough*) and certain fake accents kept a secret for the duration of the show. And I don't think any of us are quite ready for it to end.

At the time of writing, Minah is the only remaining traitor in the show after fan favourite Linda was banished from the castle. It remains to be seen if the Minah will make it to the final episode next week - and if so, will she bring a new recruit with her or take the money for herself like Harry Clark did last year?

So when is The Traitors final episode? And what might it look like after Claudia Winkleman announced at the start of the series that this year’s finale would include a new twist? Here’s everything you need to know.

Read more: Where is The Traitors castle? The picturesque Scottish filming location revealed
Read more: How to take part in The Traitors: Past contestants reveal their application tips

The Traitors round table on season 3. Picture: BBC

When is The Traitors final episode?

Everybody clear your schedule for Friday 24th January because that will be your last chance to tune in to The Traitors UK until it hopefully returns next year - with the exception of watching on catch up, of course.

The episode will start at 8:30pm - half an hour earlier than normal - and will air for 70 minutes as the remaining faithfuls and traitors battle it out to scoop up the cash prize of up to £120,000.

Whittled down from the initial 25 contestants, based on the previous two series it’s likely that we’ll see just three people make it to the final roundtable. But this year, it'll bring a plot twist.

22 contestants from The Traitors season 3. Picture: BBC

What is The Traitors finale twist?

The attentive viewers among you may remember that at the beginning of series three, the show’s iconic host Claudia announced that this year there would be a twist in the final episode.

Previously on the show, the remaining contestants would reveal whether they are a faithful or traitor at the final roundtable. But this time around the banished contestant will stay tight-lipped, instead leaving the rest to decide the status of those who remain.

In the show’s previous two series, banished contestants would reveal their “true identities” but this time, they won't say anything at all, meaning they won't know for sure if any traitors are still in the game.

Claudia told the contestants at the time: “Listen carefully. Those who make it to the final will no longer reveal their true identities as they leave. Instead, you will need to rely solely on your instincts as to whether any Traitors are left in the game. I'll let that sink in."

The Traitors Season 3

Speaking to Hello! about the dramatic new twist, Claudia applauded how “it underlines the ‘you think you know how to play’ aspect”.

Ultimately, she said it forces contestants to go “back to the absolute main body of the show, which is trust and gut instinct”.

As the contestants come within touching distance of the cash prize, we’re sure this new twist is about to make for some seriously dramatic TV and we can’t wait to see how it all unfolds.

The Traitors is filmed at Ardross Castle. Picture: BBC / Studio Lambert

How long does The Traitors take to film?

Set in the gorgeous Ardross Castle up in the Scottish Highlights, The Traitors takes roughly three weeks to film before wrapping up. Although, of course contestants who are banished or murdered leave earlier.

Kasim Ahmed who featured in this year’s series said that he spent five or six days filming before his eventual banishment. He told Yahoo News of his time on the show: “It was five, six days, I think it was. So the timeline is very much what you see [on TV] essentially...It's very much exactly as it comes across."

After last year's series, contestant Charlotte Chilton also lifted the lid on the filming process, telling The Mirror that contestants spent three weeks filming together - and could even sometimes spend up to 17 hours filming in a day.

Charlotte told the outlet at the time: “You might go 'you were only together for like 3 weeks or whatever'. But that 3 weeks, where some days like... 17 hours in a day and you're sat with those people constantly."

She continued: "You talk about the weirdest things. You talk about really personal things. Lots of things that didn't make it into the episodes because they're so jam-packed and it really gives you an insight into people."