Actress and TV presenter Siobhan McSweeney has said she will make The Traitors “my own” when she hosts the Irish version of the hit reality TV series.
The 45-year-old, who won a Bafta TV award for playing Sister Michael in sitcom Derry Girls, said Claudia Winkleman – who hosts the UK version – has made the show “so iconic”.
The concluding episode of series three of the tense game show, in which members of the public attempt to identify who among them are “faithfuls” and “traitors”, was seen by an average audience of 9.91 million, according to official ratings published by the research organisation Barb.
Alexander, Frankie, Charlotte, Claudia Winkleman, Ed Gamble, Leanne and Jake from The Traitors (Ian West/PA)
Speaking to Josh Widdicombe on BBC Radio 2, McSweeney said: “The idea of trying to do anything, to do the sort of supermarket’s own-brand version of anything that extraordinary woman does is just, it’s impossible, so I’m gonna have to try to make it my own.
“But she’s made it so iconic, just the silhouette, just the look.”
Widdicombe asked listeners to come up with ideas for phrases she could say on the show, and McSweeney said the winner was “hello plotters”.
“I genuinely love that,” she said, adding that she likes the fact it cross-references Channel 4’s The Great Pottery Throw Down where she is also host and address the contestants with: “Hello potters”.
The Traitors will be filmed in Ireland, with 22 contestants from across the country competing to win a chunk of the 50,000-euro prize pot.
The series will be produced for RTE by Kite Entertainment, who have licensed the format from All3Media International.
The Traitors has been adapted for more than 20 countries including the Netherlands, the US, and Australia.