RTÉ are in ‘advanced talks’ to stage a celebrity series of The Traitors Ireland, Extra.ie can reveal.
The juggernaut reality show has proved a ratings runaway for the national broadcaster, so they are planning to up the Traitors ante.
A station insider told Extra that we could soon see more than a few famous faces put to the loyalty test.
‘RTÉ are in talks for a celebrity Traitors,’ the source said. ‘Such was the popularity and success of the first two series that it was a no-brainer. Everyone in Montrose wants it to happen.’
The move would see some of Ireland’s best-known stars swap the red carpet for the round table, as they try to root out the Traitors in their midst at Slane Castle.
And with the show’s big ratings boon, higher-ups at Montrose are keen to keep the Traitors ratings train chugging away.
‘Traitors has been a massive boon for RTE. And it’s not just the amount of people tuning in, it’s the younger terminally online demographic that RTE are desperate to appeal to,’ the insider added.
The first series was a resounding success for RTÉ, with each episode drawing an average audience of 557,000 and the finale pulling in a whopping 732,000 viewers.
The show also proved a huge draw with younger viewers, securing an average 70 per cent share among 18 to 44-year-olds, a demographic broadcasters have struggled to reach in recent years.
It racked up more than four million streams on the RTÉ Player, while companion show The Traitors Ireland Uncloaked was also a hit with fans eager to pick over every betrayal.
Hosted by Derry Girls star Siobhán McSweeney, the show sees contestants complete missions to build a prize fund of up to €50,000, while a handful of secret Traitors ‘murder’ the Faithful one by one.
A second series returned to screens at the end of August, again filmed at Slane Castle, and has kept the nation glued to their tellies.
A celebrity edition would follow the lead of the BBC, whose Celebrity Traitors became one of the biggest TV events in Britain last year.
The format works brilliantly with famous faces. Viewers love watching people they know lie through their teeth.
‘Imagine some of our biggest names stabbing each other in the back at the round table. It would be absolute telly gold.’
It’s understood no names have been signed up yet, but producers are said to be drawing up a wish list of stars from the usual cohort of Irish celebrities from worlds of TV, sport and music.
