"I can be ruthless": Hampshire retiree to compete in The Traitors 2026
A 66-year-old has said he “would quite happily step on anyone's toes” as he embarks on a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to feature in the latest series of The Traitors.
Ben, from Hampshire, is set to go head to head with 21 strangers from across the country to compete for a prize pot of up to £120,000 as 2026 series of The Traitors kicks off tonight (January 1).
The retiree said: “I'd never seen anything like this before - it intrigued me. I was taken in totally and kept saying it's like Columbo and Agatha Christie looking for Judas Iscariot.
“I'll bring my charisma, my charm, my personality. I think I'll have the skill, I think I'll have the determination and knowledge of the game, with the will to win.
“I play to win. I don't play to come second.”
Starting at 8pm on BBC, the reality game show, presented by Claudia Winkleman, will see faithfuls and traitors working against each other to complete missions, while trying to avoid elimination.
Ben added: “I don't think I'm going to go in with a game plan. What I have got is the skill set from my time in the forces. And I can read people very well.
“I’d love to be a Traitor. The Traitor has everything. They know who the other Traitors are, they know who all the Faithfuls are. If you're a Faithful, you only know who you are, you don't know who anybody else is, so you're at a disadvantage right away.”