By Meghna Amin

Copyright walesonline

The Celebrity Traitors has well and truly kicked off and is already serving up some unforgettable television. From Alan Carr’s dramatic unmasking to fellow Traitors Cat Burns and Jonathan Ross plotting in the tower, Charlotte Church digging her own grave, and Clare Balding’s costly error in the opening challenge, this series looks set to surpass all expectations. The hit BBC murder mystery first aired in 2022, and viewers have since witnessed ultimate Traitor Wilfred Webster’s downfall at the hands of three Faithfuls, Harry Clark ‘s shocking double-cross, and Leanne Quigley and Jake Brown tearfully splitting the prize money in series three just months ago. Presenter Claudia Winkleman has now made her comeback alongside 19 famous faces for the ultimate test of deception, betrayal and trust. And whilst the contestants have maintained their silence and refused to reveal any hints about what’s still to come, here’s everything you need to know about how The Celebrity Traitors was made, reports the Daily Record . The Celebrity Traitors is filmed at Ardross Castle in Alness, north of Inverness in the Scottish highlands. The 19th century Scottish castle boasts 100 acres of parkland on the banks of the River Alness, and fans can even stay there if renting it for an event, including weddings, though it is not open to the general public. Claudia previously hailed the location as “beautiful” ahead of the first civilian series, saying: “It felt sometimes like we were in a painting if that’s not too cheesy. “And on the first day the weather systems were bonkers. I mean, at one point I went on my weather app and it literally just said no idea mate good luck, take a bikini and a cagoule. “On day two, we saw a double rainbow and everyone was like oh my gosh, and the crew were crying, there were baby deer, there was beautiful heather, there were ancient trees, and an ancient loch.” Reports earlier this year claimed The Traitors would continue filming at Ardross Castle for the next five years to avoid it being booked up. While they spend their days filming at Ardross Castle, it was previously revealed by The Traitors US host Alan Cumming that the contestants taking part do not actually sleep there. “Spoiler alert: None of us stayed in the castle. None of us,” he said. “They [the contestants] all stayed in the airport hotel in the Inverness airport. How glamorous-you come to Scotland, and you stay in the Inverness airport hotel.” He continued to The Daily Beast: “I stayed in a little house in Inverness. But I had a room in the castle where I would get made up and dressed. It had a huge bed in it. So I did actually sleep quite often, but not overnight.” The Celebrity Traitors was filmed earlier this year in spring, around April. Though the cast had not been confirmed at the time, suspicions arose when the celebrities then-rumoured to be taking part were away from their day jobs, with the likes of Kate Garraway missing from Good Morning Britain at the time. Filming of the civilian series followed shortly after, which is due to air in January with its fourth season. Talking about how filming is kept so “secretive”, like a “military operation”, executive producer Mike Cotton told The Daily Mail: “When they’re not at the castle they’re on lockdown in individual lodgings. They don’t have access to the internet or telephones. They can’t communicate with one another or the outside world in any way.” During an episode of The Rest Is Entertainment podcast, Marina Hyde and Richard Osman addressed the fees for the celebrities taking part. Marina explained that all the celebrities were given “a blanket fee” of £40,000, meaning a total of £760,000 was spent on the cast alone. This is in addition to the £100,000 prize given to the winner for a charity of their choice. The Celebrity Traitors began last night, Wednesday October 8, at 9pm on BBC One and is available to catch up on iPlayer. The second will air tonight, Thursday October 9, at the same time, with two episodes following each week. With nine episodes in total, the final is expected to air at the beginning of November. The Celebrity Traitors continues tonight at 9pm on BBC One and iPlayer.