The makers of The Traitors are creating a stage version, in the hope that the TV show’s dramatic twists and huge popularity will translate into a theatre hit.
The play will tell a new story inspired by the programme’s format, in which a group of faithfuls try to root out the traitors in their ranks, and will be staged at an unnamed London venue next year.
It is being created by Studio Lambert, which makes the BBC TV series, and Neal Street Productions, which was co-founded by Oscar winner Sam Mendes and is behind shows and films like Call the Midwife and Hamnet.
Studio Lambert chief executive Stephen Lambert said they would “reimagine the show as a bold and surprising theatrical performance”.
He went on to say that taking it from the screen to stage “is a hugely exciting next step for this much-loved brand”.
“Faithful fans should expect an intense, joyful night out as we reveal a thrilling new hunting ground for our Traitors,” he said.
The play will be written by John Finnemore, known for TV’s Good Omens and radio series Cabin Pressure. It will be directed by Olivier Award winner Rob Hastie, who staged shows like Operation Mincemeat and Standing at the Sky’s Edge, and is deputy artistic director of London’s National Theatre.
The announcement follows Friday’s conclusion of series four of the murder mystery reality TV show, which is presented by Claudia Winkleman.
It places secret saboteurs among a group of faithful contestants in a grand castle in Scotland, all fighting it out to win a cash prize.
The final of the celebrity edition of the show was the UK’s most-watched TV event of 2025, with about 15 million people tuning in to see traitorous comic Alan Carr become king of the castle.
Caro Newling, co-founder of Neal Street Productions, said they had “curated a team of brilliant faithful theatre-makers”, led by Hastie and Finnemore, “to bring a bold, structural twist to the format that only the live medium can provide”.
Stage adaptations of small screen hits have ranged from Stranger Things: The First Shadow, which has been running in the West End for more than two years, to The Great British Bake Off Musical, which ran in the capital for three months.
