Stephen Lambert Says The Traitors Season 5 Will Keep the Format Fresh
At the University of East Anglia, Stephen Lambert — a 1981 graduate who returned to host the annual Lasdun Lecture — set the future of the series in plain terms. He said the team will work to keep the format fresh, a comment that frames expectations for the traitors season 5 and future seasons.
Stephen Lambert and UEA on the show’s staying power
Lambert spoke at UEA about durability in television formats and drew on long-running examples to explain his view. He argued a successful format must balance repetition, which brings familiarity, with freshness through cast choices and subtle twists. Lambert noted he helped bring the programme to screens and that his company, Studio Lambert, has produced the programme for a national broadcaster since it began in 2022.
How The Traitors Season 5 could use Ardross Castle and format tweaks
One concrete element Lambert highlighted was the programme’s gothic setting at Ardross Castle, a production choice he said contributed to its appeal. He said the format was originally a Dutch creation and that Studio Lambert was offered the rights to make both the British and US versions. That production history and the choice of setting are part of the approach he said will guide the traitors season 5: keep familiar bones while adding subtle changes or twists.
Claudia Winkleman, Rachel Duffy and Alan Carr as measures of reach
Lambert pointed to the presenters and participants as evidence of the format’s reach. Claudia Winkleman has hosted four series plus one Celebrity Traitors, and Lambert praised her contribution to the British version. He noted that nearly 10 million people watched Rachel Duffy win the fourth series in January. He also cited the celebrity edition’s reach: more than 15 million viewers, including catch-up viewing, saw Alan Carr crowned the celebrity winner in November.
Lambert praised the cast in both civilian and celebrity editions and described contestants as a key part of the show’s success. He compared the game to poker, saying players are given licence to lie, and he recalled a traitorous pact that served Rachel and a fellow contestant well during the fourth season.
Studio Lambert’s founder background also featured in his remarks: he set up his company in 2008 and has continued to shape production choices. He said that mix of production experience, setting and casting helps explain why audiences have flocked to the programme in its recent runs.
Back at the Lasdun Lecture, Lambert returned to the promise that shapes what comes next for the programme. He reiterated, “We’ll do everything we can to keep it fresh and to make each season better than the last, ” framing the immediate development: a continued effort to refine future seasons. That pledge closed the loop with his arrival at UEA — a graduate come home to argue that the next season will aim for novelty while keeping the things that have already drawn millions of viewers.
