This trope appears again and again in the murder mystery genre, from 2022\u2019s <\/span>Glass Onion<\/span><\/a> to 1985\u2019s board game-inspired cult classic <\/span>Clue<\/span> to numerous novels \u2013 Agatha Christie\u2019s <\/span>And Then There Were None <\/span>and <\/span>A Murder Is Announced<\/span> and the brilliant <\/span>The Westing Game <\/span>by Ellen Raskin, to name a few.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Crucial to the dinner party trope is the figure of the sinister yet alluring host \u2013 the puppet master leading her guests through an increasingly morbid game of spot the killer.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n With <\/span>The Traitors<\/span><\/a>, the BBC have brought us a new iteration of the classic murder mystery host in <\/span>Claudia Winkleman<\/span><\/a> \u2013 and her performance in the role is nothing short of legendary.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The show leads us to imagine that her mysterious character lives alone in a rambling Scottish castle<\/a> with only a few screeching peacocks and one spooky owl for company. To keep herself entertained, she invites a group of strangers<\/a> to join her for a few weeks. She then marks some of them as Traitors, who she tasks with murdering off the others one-by-one.<\/span><\/p>\n Bedecked in a seemingly endless wardrobe of argyle, wool and tweed and eyes veiled behind a thick, dark fringe, she gives her guests daily morbid challenges and, each evening, lets them loose on each other to banish one member of the group, before the Traitors strike again.<\/span><\/p>\n This is the premise of <\/span>The Traitors<\/span>, now in <\/span>its second season<\/span>. It\u2019s a concept that demands high drama and intense solemnity from its host, and Winkleman takes on this role of Lady of the Manor with remarkable commitment.<\/span><\/p>\n This sinister role is, of course, new territory for Winkleman, who, prior to <\/span>The Traitors<\/span>, was best known for cheery hosting turns on kinder shows like <\/span>Strictly Come Dancing<\/span><\/a> and The Great British Sewing Bee<\/a><\/span>.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI felt bad because normally my role if I\u2019ve ever done telly or radio is I\u2019m like a cheerleader. You know?,\u201d she said in a <\/span>BBC<\/span> interview, adding, \u201cOn this I\u2019m a bit crueller. I didn\u2019t want to be too cruel, because I\u2019m on their side. But the problem is I\u2019m on all of their sides. I want the Traitors to win and I also want the Faithfuls to catch them. It\u2019s confusing, it\u2019s like having an affair or something.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n And according to contestants of the first season, Winkleman\u2019s commitment to this crueller role is very real.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cShe does kind of keep her character \u2026 She is very supportive but she is in the game as well,\u201d last season\u2019s Hannah Byczkowski<\/a> <\/span>said<\/span> of Claudia\u2019s commitment to the character. \u201cIt feels very much real. It is real, the whole thing is real. And there is a lot at stake. She has to keep a total poker face. It\u2019s a lot of pressure on Claudia really to not give anything away or gasp in horror or astonishment or anything like that.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p> The second season began with a gloomy shot of Winkleman crafting her invitations. We watch as she mulls over the invitation \u2013 chatting with her owl, naturally \u2013 before signing her name on the browning parchment with a fountain pen.<\/span><\/p>\n Later, she asks her chosen <\/span>traitors<\/span><\/a> to \u201ctake the traitors oath,\u201d passing each of them a folded cloak with a wonderful sense of gravitas.<\/span><\/p>\n This solemn performance continues throughout the show. She stalks gloomily around the roundtable as the players debate <\/span>who to banish<\/span>. She majestically ascends the stairs at the end of each day, presumably retiring to a gothic boudoir to rest before the \u201cmurdering hour\u201d. She is even shown lighting the torches on the castle wall with a literal torch pole.<\/span><\/p>\n Winkleman\u2019s remarkable performance reached a new peak in Thursday\u2019s episode, when she donned a suit, cane and lace veil and led the group on a sombre funeral march through the woods near the castle. <\/span>Diane<\/span><\/a> had been \u201cpoisoned\u201d the night before and by the end of the march, Winkleman explained, she would be \u201cdead\u201d. <\/span><\/p>\n When the group reached Diane\u2019s burial plot, Winkleman unflinchingly asked her to step into a coffin, before she slammed the lid shut, staring daringly into the faces of the remaining contestants.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n For reality TV, this kind of high camp performance was dramatic, weird, and profoundly iconic. After all, a line like: \u201cThink of today, if you will, as a slow march to certain death\u201d is not easy to pull off, especially on reality television \u2013 but evidently, Winkleman is more than up to the task.<\/span><\/p> ![\"Claudia](\"https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/3\/2024\/01\/the-traitors-season-2-edd7857.jpg?quality=90&resize=620%2C413\" "\\"the-traitors-season-2\\"\/")
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