DERRY GIRLS STAR Siobhán McSweeney has been announced as the host of The Traitors Ireland, which will air on RTÉ next year.

The show has been a huge hit in the UK, US and the Netherlands, with the UK version on BBC being hosted by broadcaster and writer Claudia Winkleman.

2022 image of Claudia Winkleman arriving for the screening of The Traitors in London. Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo

The Traitors is described as a psychological adventure competition and is similar to the party game ‘Mafia’.

The Traitors Ireland will be filmed in Ireland and feature contestants from across the country, following a national casting call for applications earlier this year.

It will see 22 contestants arrive at a remote castle to play a game of deception, betrayal, and trust, with a €50,000 prize up for grabs.

The 22 contestants will be split into ‘Faithful’ and ‘Traitors’, but the Faithful do not know the identity of the Traitors, who will attempt to secretly murder a player every night, without getting caught.

It’s up to the Faithfuls to try to detect who the Traitors are, and banish them from the game, before they become their next victim. 

However, they Faithful also run the risk of mistaking loyalty for deception and banishing one of their own from the game.

For the lucky ones who survive to the end, they have the chance of winning the €50,000, but if a Traitor remains undetected, they’ll steal all the money. 

McSweeney said she is a “huge Traitors fan” and “jumped at the chance” to become the host of the Irish version.

The Traitors Ireland is coming to RTÉ VERY soon…

and here is your host… @siobhni 🤩🤩 pic.twitter.com/ZNJAbvV8G1

— RTÉ One (@RTEOne) December 18, 2024

“I’m looking forward to meeting our loyal Faithful and delicious Traitors,” said McSweeney.

“The Irish have a charm and ability to deceive while smiling which will make this version rather special, I think. And I’m the luckiest person in the world to watch them close up.”

Meanwhile, Steve Carson, Director of Video at RTÉ, she he is “delighted that Siobhán is going to be at the heart of it” and described McSweeney as an “incredibly talented actor with a great comic and dramatic range”.

“We know that she is going to bring something really special to Ireland’s version of this fantastic game of trust and deceit,” said Carson.

The Traitors was launched in the Netherlands in 2021 and there are now over 30 versions of the show internationally, with the UK and US versions in particular proving to be very popular.

The US versions will return for a third, fourth and fifth season, while the UK version has been commissioned for a fourth season and celebrity version.