‘The Traitors’ Hits Record High Audience For Season 4 Finale On The BBC

SPOILER ALERT: Read no further if you have not watched the Season 4 finale of The Traitors on the BBC.

The Traitors has cemented its status as the biggest draw on British television, bowing out with a record audience for a non-celebrity version of the BBC show.

In a dramatic Season 4 finale, Stephen and Rachel became the first traitors to remain faithful to one another until the bitter end. Their loyalty helped them triumph, splitting a cash prize of £95,750 ($130,000).

The reality TV drama was watched by a live audience of 9.4M, peaking with 9.6M, according to official UK viewing figures supplied by overnights.tv. It was two million viewers ahead of last year’s finale.

The 9.4M rating was the biggest audience yet for the civilian edition, but it did not have enough to conquer The Celebrity Traitors final late last year, which bowed out with 11M viewers.

The Traitors did what all popular shows do, steadily growing its audience as it steamed towards its denouement (see below for full list of Season 4 ratings) — helped along by some savvy three-nights-a-week scheduling from the BBC.

The Traitors is a timely reminder of the potency of event television when there is so much handwringing about the medium being in terminal decline.

Live viewing is undeniably drifting downwards, but when there is a series people want to watch, they will gather on the sofa and turn on the television alongside the rest of the nation.

The other reliable thing about Studio Lambert-produced The Traitors is that it piles on viewers when catch-up and streaming figures are factored in.

Season 4’s first episode jumped from 6.39M viewers overnight to 11.8M after seven days. The Celebrity Traitors was attracting audiences of up to 15.4M viewers over 28 days.