The Traitors: How I Commissioned the BBC Hit with Syeda Irtizaali

The Traitors almost went to Costa Rica with bikinis and hot tubs with BBC editorial policy suggested avoiding the words “murder” and “kill”. Now the show’s commissioner, Syeda Irtizaali joins TV Insiders Peter Fincham and Jimmy Mulville to reveal the decisions, disagreements and casting choices behind the hit show… In this episode: How the Dutch format became The Traitors on the BBC Why Syeda pushed for a Scottish castle instead of Costa Rica The BBC’s concerns about “murder” and “kill” and why she rejected the advice The A-list star who was almost in Celebrity Traitors Series 2 Claudia Winkleman’s worries about the first big twist Why the original series launched with ordinary people, not celebrities The fan test used to cast Celebrity Traitors Can Netflix create its own nation-gripping reality hit? “Prestige reality”, Netflix: Will You Marry Me? and the future of unscripted TV PLUS: The Big Breakfast, a beer-stained job application and secretly training Denise Van Outen Have a question, opinion or suggestion? Leave a comment on YouTube, find us on socials @InsidersTVPod, or email [email protected]. If you enjoyed the episode, please like, subscribe, and share the podcast with a friend—it really helps us grow. CHAPTERS 00:00 Welcome and meet Syeda Irtizaali 01:20 Celebrity Traitors and the unnamed A-list star 03:30 How The Traitors came to the BBC 07:50 Costa Rica, hot tubs and the Scottish castle 09:10 Why the BBC questioned “murder” and “kill” 11:20 Claudia Winkleman and the first big twist 13:50 Why The Traitors started without celebrities 16:50 Celebrity Traitors and the casting fan test 18:10 Can Netflix create the next big reality hit? 19:30 Netflix: Will You Marry Me? 20:50 What is “prestige reality”? 22:20 Moving from the BBC to Netflix 24:00 The future of the BBC and Channel 4 27:10 Getting into television and The Big Breakfast 30:30 Secretly training Denise Van Outen 31:20 Something for the Weekend’s outrageous dating segment 32:20 Becoming a Channel 4 commissioner 34:35 Final thoughts and goodbye New episodes every Friday. YouTube: @insiderstvpodcast Instagram: @InsidersTVPod Email: [email protected] #TheTraitors #CelebrityTraitors #ClaudiaWinkleman #Netflix #BBC #SyedaIrtizaali #DeniseVanOuten #TheBigBreakfast #RealityTV #TVPodcast #InsidersTVPodcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.