Light the flaming torches. Strike up the baroque pop soundtrack. Set Claudia Winkleman’s wardrobe to “goth yeti” mode. Nine million viewers are expected to tune in tonight as The Traitors reaches its midway mark. Fans can look forward to the lethal result of that midnight death match and more tense castle confrontations.
The BBC smash hit has been the most talked about TV of 2025 so far. Fully invested fans have been conferring after each episode, taking to social media to theorise about sworn pacts, secret connections and case-busting clues.
The result has been more fevered speculation and frantic straw-clutching than a particularly heated Round Table. We run through 10 of the most prevalent conspiracy theories and rate them for plausibility. Faithful, the floor is yours …
1. Charlotte and Alexander are a covert couple
We haven’t had a secret romantic relationship in Ardross Castle since Alex and Tom in series one. With viewers on high alert for hidden connections, many have alighted on faux-Welsh business director Charlotte and former diplomat Alexander as potentially a married pair.
When Alexander, one of the self-sacrificing train trio, returned last week in the hanging cage mission, Charlotte paid a coin to lower him. As she gave him a broad grin, he shouted: “‘I don’t know you but thank you!” Overcompensating to cover their relationship? Back at the castle, fans also spotted flirty body language between the pair. They’re both in their 30s, both London-based (although Charlotte recently left), both well-spoken. Did Charlotte change her accent (cue gratuitous shot of her reading a Learn Welsh book in bed) to avoid sounding too much like Alexander and evade such suspicions? They wouldn’t be the first couple to indulge in role play.
Plausibility: Nice idea - and confusingly, Charlotte is in a relationship with someone called Alexander. However, he’s not the one on the show. Theory rejected.
2. Handwriting will uncloak the Traitors
Sofa Sherlocks have deduced that it will be handwriting analysis that trips up the Traitors. Players usually only see each other’s writing at Round Tables, when they write their banishment vote on a chalkboard (often misspelling it in the process – Nather or Armania, anyone?). However, Irish Anna received a scroll from Minah inviting her to become a Traitor. As we know, Minah didn’t keep it brief, writing that Anna had been targeted as a “strong, independent woman”. Anna declined the offer but will she notice the similarities to Minah’s slate?
Linda’s longhand could also be recognised. The last episode’s secret mission saw her use a quill to etch four names on a graveyard painting on the castle wall, selecting who would play the climactic “death match”. Linda does her Zs in a distinctive way, with a curly tail. Having scrawled Fozia’s name on her slate and on the painting, will an eagle-eyed Faithful match up those tell-tale Zs and unmask her? If so, Minah has played another blinder by cannily putting her co-conspirator on writing duties.
Plausibility: it would be a lovely flourish but relies on the painting staying up and the hitherto hapless Faithful doing some actual detective work.
3. Lisa is Alex’s mum
Hidden relationship speculation is rife. Many social media sleuths are convinced that sisters Armani and Maia aren’t the only pair with a familial link. As the field has narrowed, supposition has turned towards 62-year-old Anglican priest Lisa and pink-haired care manager Alex, 29. An unlikely duo, no?
Well, a recent Reddit post showed pictures of the pair, pointing out their strikingly similar facial structure. Fellow users added that they were the only two players to have kept their social media profiles private, perhaps suggesting something to hide. Lisa has since unlocked hers but there are few clues there. Alex’s remain private. Sure, they have different accents. Lisa is from Cornwall but priests tend to move parish. Alex is Whitby-based but originally from Scotland. Geography could be a red herring. Alternatively, according to amateur sleuths, Lisa could be his mother-in-law.
Plausibility: a double Lisa bombshell – not just an undercover priest but a secret mother – feels like a twist too far.
4. Luckless Jack will be back
Landscape gardener (and Paul Calf lookalike) Jack has been the unluckiest contestant this year. After the Yorkshire lad “took one for the team” and volunteered to leave the steam train, he boarded the “rail replacement” carriage and got a chance to rejoin the game. However, only two of the train trio could return and Jack was sent packing for a second time.
A cruel blow but a few fans believe he could yet return. Some guessed that 6ft 5in Jack was one of the strapping masked gimps who raised Winkleman aloft during the treacle-tipping game. Also, that he was under the “killer clown” costume in the ballon-popping funhouse mission. Jack’s back, baby.
Plausibility: Claudia seemed pretty firm that the loser of the cage game would “leave the game for ever”. But Jack was neither murdered nor banished, so you never know.
5. Freddie is Francesca’s son
“Paul just couldn’t be my son … But Ross is.” Last year’s legendary line from rosé-sipping Diane, queen of our hearts, means that armchair detectives are on the case again. A current thesis is that Francesca and Freddie could be copycats. With her signature power-sleeves and butter-wouldn’t-melt demeanour, some say there’s something fishy about interior designer “Faithful Frankie”. She’s too perfect, too poised, playing too good a game.
When politics student Freddie became emotional last week and Francesca was quick to console him, it clicked into place for suspicious-minded viewers. She pulled him in for a warm hug, rubbing his back and reassuring him that it was just a game. She later explained that he’s “a similar age to my sons”. Freddie said: “Frankie’s like a mum to me in here.” Both were noticeably tearful. A giveaway? She’s 44, he’s 20. The numbers work.
Plausibility: Freddie has spoken of being an only child, while Francesca is a mother-of-four. An online search also suggests that he doesn’t resemble any of Frankie’s offspring. Not conclusive, of course, but nah.
6. The ‘breakfast order’ conspiracy
Fans have become convinced they have uncovered a glaring flaw in the format – and it’s all about those set piece breakfasts. When players file in each morning, they nervously wait to see who doesn’t show up due to being murdered the night before. To build suspense, the Traitors draw up a shortlist of three potential kills. The two survivors are typically last through the door. Surely the Faithful should have spotted this by now? They can then work out who narrowly escaped and are therefore definitely fellow Faithfuls. It has been dubbed the “laithful” (late Faithful) theory.
Several problems here, though. For a start, it’s not true. Exceptions to the rule happen, with near-misses arriving early or Traitors arriving late. Ex-contestants have also debunked it, saying producers mix up the arrival order. They can also film multiple permutations or reshuffle it in the edit for dramatic effect. The magic of television, innit.
Plausibility: nice try but it doesn’t hold water.
7. Dan had a family member in the game
Bank risk manager Dan might have fallen victim to the latest banishment but his name also crops up in secret family theories. Some believed that he and English teacher Joe could be brothers. They looked and sounded similar, were equally outspoken (both gunning for poor Dr Kas) and were often confused for one another early in the series. After their spat last Wednesday ended with an exasperated Dan rolling his eyes, some speculated that it was a textbook sibling reaction during a family fight.
Others have surmised that Dan could be the grandson of operatic, overacting Linda. The pair swiftly formed a castle bond. Dan often had the under-fire Traitor’s back at Round Table. Post-exit, he has praised Linda for “great strategy” and “playing an underrated game”. Then again, maybe he was just an overopinionated Faithful with a wonky radar.
Plausibility: slim chance. And with Dan now departed, it would be a bit underwhelming. He denied the Linda theory on ITV’s Lorraine but the brother option remains in play, if a long shot.
8. Linda is busted
One of the more intriguing theories is that the Faithful know full well Linda is a Traitor and have done since the start. Remember that tell-tale meerkat head-turn at the first Round Table when La Winkle mentioned the newly selected Traitors? Linda hasn’t become any more subtle since. She’s all amateur theatrics and sham shocked reactions. So unconvincing were her crocodile tears over Livi’s murder that she was given a mock “Golden Cloak award” on a West End billboard for the “performance of a lifetime”.
Why wasn’t she booted out at the earliest opportunity? It has been posited that the Faithful know she’s a nailed-on Traitor but have no idea who her co-conspirator could be (currently bloodthirsty Queen Minah, of course). They’re biding their time and have made a pact to keep quiet for now, hoping gaffe-prone Linda gives away her accomplice. Cunning, eh?
Plausibility: loving the logic but this would take come collusion and calculation by the Faithful – hardly qualities they’ve displayed so far.
9. Linda and Lisa are sisters
The last “secret relationship” hypothesis seems the flimsiest of the lot, but let’s kicks its tyres anyway. Retired opera singer Linda, the seemingly hapless Traitor, and undercover priest Lisa are the two oldest women in the castle. At 70 and 62 respectively, it’s not inconceivable they could be siblings. OK, both have well-spoken southern accents and are silver-haired. But this feels more like a case of “all mature women look the same” from ageist younger viewers.
Plausibility: Online research is inconclusive but get out of town. Unless by some miracle, it’s correct – in which case, you read it here first.
We saved the most mysterious for last. The third series has already seen several rug-pulling twists to keep viewers on their toes. Why not a secret Traitor who viewers don’t know about yet? Since Armani was banished – and with Linda next to useless – murderous Minah has looked distinctly lonely in that treacherous conclave. She doesn’t seem in any hurry to recruit a co-conspirator, either. Could it be that Minah has been plotting with somebody else all along? Will someone step out of the shadows in a big reveal during the home stretch?
Plausibility: in this game, expect the unexpected. Also expect fingerless gloves and the occasional owl.