Jeremy Clarkson convinced The Traitors is fake
Jeremy Clarkson has declared he doesn't believe The Traitors is "all for real" because "nothing in television is" - revealing he's convinced producers are either manipulating the contestants or doing some "painstaking editing".
Jeremy Clarkson doesn't believe The Traitors is "all for real" because "nothing in television is".
The former Top Gear host has weighed in on the hit BBC game show and he's convinced much of it is faked - insisting producers must be either manipulating the contestants or doing some "painstaking editing".
He told The Sun newspaper: "Come on, I’ve worked in television for 30 years. You’re not going to spend that much money on a programme where there’s a risk it all falls to pieces.
"So, I’ve no idea how they’re doing it, but I bow down to them."
He went on to add: "They must be [manipulating the contestants] - and I’m not just being a cynic, I know how television is made.
"You can’t actually say to a contestant: 'Say this' and 'say that', you can’t but ...
"I just don’t believe it’s all for real, because nothing in television is. I’m sitting there going, how are they doing this? It could just be unbelievably painstaking editing."
Clarkson went on to insist he will never agree to sign up for the celebrity version of the show because he's too busy, but he convinced one of his former TV co-stars would be a good fit.
He told the publication: "I couldn’t see James May going on it. I could see Richard Hammond going on it though."
It comes after it was announced The Traitors series four will premiere on New Year’s Day.
The eagerly-awaited new series of the hit TV show will launch on January 1, 2026, at 8pm on BBC One and iPlayer.
Claudia Winkleman is returning to host the new episodes, and series four of The Traitors will feature 22 people from across the UK descend on a Scottish Castle to try and win up to £120,000.
The second episode of series four will air on January 2, 2026, and each episode will become available on BBC iPlayer after they have aired on BBC One.
The BBC has also confirmed that The Traitors: Uncloaked, the official visualised companion podcast, is also returning in 2026.
The Traitors: Uncloaked will start on BBC Two immediately after the main series on January 1. The show will subsequently move over to BBC One for the remainder of the series.
