Where is The Traitors filmed? Location of Ardross Castle in BBC show with Claudia Winkleman - how to visit

The Traitors is a new BBC game show based on a Dutch series and hosted by Claudia Winkleman. The show features 22 contestants who work together to complete various physical and mental challenges on the grounds of a large castle.

However, three of the contestants are selected to be traitors and they must eliminate the other players who are known as the faithful. The audience learns who the traitors are straight away but the other players will have to work it out for themselves, and will have opportunity each episode to banish a contestant they suspect of being a traitor. Equally, each night the traitors will choose one person to ‘murder’, eliminating them from the show.

If at the end of the series the faithful have unmasked all of the traitors, the remaining contestants will win a share of a jackpot worth up to £120,000. But, if one of the traitors remains undetected they will take the money for themselves.

Where is The Traitors filmed?

The UK version of the psychological game show The Traitors was filmed at Ardross Castle in the Scottish Highlands, 25 miles north of Inverness, over the summer. The 1st Duke of Sutherland bought Ardross in the 18th century and built a hunting lodge at the site.

The estate was sold in 1845 and the castle was built in the Scottish Baronial style in the late 19th century and sits in 100 acres of parkland on the bank of the River Alness. The castle is located a few miles inland from the coast of the North Sea, where some challenges for the show were also filmed.

The castle was built by Irish immigrant workers who founded the nearby hamlet of Dublin. In the 1980s the castle was sold to the McTaggart family who began renovation work on the estate. It is now run as a wedding and conference venue.

Show host Claudia Winkleman said of filming in the Highlands: “It felt sometimes like we were in a painting if that’s not too cheesy. I FaceTimed my kids to say ‘you’ve never seen anything like it, it’s magical’. It’s just the most beautiful landscape."

Can you visit Ardross Castle?

Ardross castle is not open to the general public but it is possible to visit the venue but hiring it for a corporate event or wedding. The castle, which has more than 30 rooms, can be used as an exclusive meeting venue, banquets are hosted in the great hall, and weddings can be held on the extensive grounds. Activities that can be booked on the grounds of the estate include fly fishing on the River Alness, mountain bike hire, and guided walks.

Where are other versions of The Traitors filmed?

The original Dutch version of the show, De Verraders, which premiered in 2021, was filmed at Castle Erenstein in Kerkrade, Netherlands. The castle was built in the 14th century and has been extended several times over the centuries, with the last major renovation taking place in the 1960s. Today the castle is a hotel.

The Australian version of The Traitors, which aired on Network Ten in October this year, was filmed at The Robertson Hotel in New South Wales. The hotel, located in the southern highlands and surrounded by forest, was built in 1924.