It’s been two years since Meryl Williams claimed victory as a Faithful on the inaugural season of The Traitors.
Alongside fellow winners Aaron Evans and Hannah Byczkowski, she cracked the mystery of Wilfred Webster, who was unmasked as a Traitor in one of the most nail-biting TV finales ever.
Now, Meryl is lifting the lid on her time in the infamous Scottish castle, sharing behind-the-scenes details about gruelling filming days, hidden challenges, and the surprisingly distant role of host Claudia Winkleman.
From the high-stakes round tables to secretive late-night murders, here’s everything you didn’t see on screen.
The truth about the round table
If the round table scenes look intense on TV, Meryl says the reality is even more gruelling.
“It’s so, so intense. The round table is also a lot longer than what’s shown on the show,” she shares. “Obviously the show is an hour long, but you are sitting around the table for I’d say a couple of hours. When you go back to your room you literally just sleep because it’s so emotionally and physically draining.
“You don’t want to speak to anyone for another 12 hours! It’s definitely heightened too because everyone is looking at everyone, trying to pick up on clues. It feels like you’re getting attacked! It’s also freezing in the room—I think that they do this deliberately to make you feel even more uncomfortable.”
Meanwhile, Meryl believes that newer contestants come into the show much more prepared compared to her season.
She continues: “The people on this season are definitely more clued up though—I don’t think anyone really realised the little slip ups on our season, like Wilfred basically admitted he was a traitor around the round table but nobody clicked onto it! Whereas now, I feel like they are all for themselves. It’s dog eat dog!
“It definitely feels like they are coming in with a gameplan, unlike in the first season. We had a bond as everything was happening for the first time. We had no expectations, we just wanted to be friends and find the traitors.
“We were definitely a lot closer than the contestants from series three so far. It’s weird because now the traitors have to try and secretly sabotage the missions—whereas for us this was the only time that everyone pulled their weight and worked together!”
What really happens during the murders
The Traitors murders are one of the show’s most chilling elements, and Meryl gives a behind-the-scenes look at how it all goes down.
Speaking to Betway, the former winner spills: “When the traitors decide to kill someone they go to the turret. I never saw it as I was never a traitor but from what Wilfred and Alyssa said to me, once we go home, they stay back. The cars come to pick us all up individually in the evening, just so they can make sure that there are no crossovers.
“The traitors’ cars then go to leave but then do a U-turn back to the castle. They then go to the turret and decide there and then who is getting murdered.
“Before breakfast everyone has a one-to-one interview on camera, it’s like the Big Brother diary room. This is where the person who’s been ‘murdered’ receives the letter to tell them. I got pulled into the room a few times before breakfast and just presumed it was me who was being murdered, it can be confusing!”
And for those wondering how much the contestants actually interact with Claudia Winkleman, Meryl says their contact is minimal—but there’s a good reason.
“She would come out for the filming and say what she had to say, then she would leave again,” explains Meryl. “She loved us, especially the more time we were on the show for. She was also very invested in the show, but she had a job to do.
“She probably wanted to keep her distance a bit because you don’t want to build a relationship with people and then suddenly they could just leave. So yes, it was very professional.
“I was very jealous of her having people come in to do her hair and makeup. She would have makeup artists and stylists coming in. We were just staring at her in awe whilst she was getting her touch ups—like ‘can I have one too, please?’”
The Traitors airs on BBC One and iPlayer.
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