The Traitors spoilers follow.
We're now a quarter of the way through the fourth season of The Traitors, and despite a couple of murders and fiery Round Table banishment, there's been one question on everybody's (barring the Faithfuls) lips - who is the Secret Traitor?
After host Claudia Winkleman unveiled the twist during Thursday's (1 January) premiere episode, the audience - as well as Traitors Stephen, Hugo and Rachel - have been eager to know who is underneath the red cloak, while the Faithfuls still remain in the dark (for now) that a secret traitor even exists.
Hugo won't get the chance to discover their identity within the timespan of the season after he was banished at the Round Table, with fellow Traitor Stephen twisting the knife even further by voting him off.
As they lost a member, Stephen and Rachel had to select nine contestants for the next murder via a task in the castle, with a successful mission meaning that the Secret Traitor would be revealed in the next episode on Wednesday (7 January).
While we have a few tantalising days to wait until then, some viewers think that they may have deduced their identity, with Ellie coming under suspicion after a peculiar turn of phrase during a VT.
What to Read Next
Related: Best film and TV tours for 2025
Following Hugo's banishment, Ellie spoke to the camera about the stress that came with Round Table sessions, explaining: "I think, being more reserved, you can benefit from it in the beginning."
"But, I think, as the game goes on, people will turn to you eventually. They will question if you're just sitting there and watching as a kind of secret Traitor. So, I have to be careful," she continued.
Though the remark could be an innocent slip of the tongue, the turn of phrase did arouse the suspicion of several viewers on social media, with several questioning if it was a pointed clue or a red herring.
"Either this is a massive red herring or the secret traitor has just been revealed because how else would Ellie know about that as a concept," wrote one fan on X, while another asked: "Did Ellie just say 'secret traitor'?"
Related: The Traitors fans hail "iconic" contestant after "high stakes" Round Table reveal
"Ellie saying 'don’t want to look like a secret traitor' as a faithful who don’t know about a secret traitor??? Suspicious wording," remarked a third viewer, while a fourth noted: "Could just mean hidden?? Definitely could be a slip up though."
One fan, however, thought the remark was simply a red herring from the producers to throw off the scent, writing: "I think that was a way to let us know that she isn’t the secret traitor as a lot of viewers guessed her, so BBC editors edited that in."
The Traitors airs on BBC One and streams on BBC iPlayer.
Interested in talking about The Traitors? Visit our dedicated sub-forum
Read more The Traitors news on our dedicated homepage
The new edition of Living Legends, celebrating music icon Dolly Parton, is here! Buy Dolly at 80 in newsagents or online, priced at just £8.99.
Reporter, Digital Spy George is a freelance writer who specialises in Movies and TV. After graduating with a degree in Film Studies and Journalism from De Montfort University, in which he analysed the early works of Richard Linklater for his dissertation, he wrote for several websites for GRV Media. His film tastes vary from blockbusters like Mission: Impossible and John Wick to international directors such as Paolo Sorrentino and Hirokazu Kore-eda, and has attended both the London and Berlin film festivals.
