Ex-Traitors contestant tells new batch to have fun

Anthony Mathurin, who appeared in the second series, said the experience was "second to none"

The new batch of Traitors contestants should "enjoy the experience, because it's second to none", a previous competitor has said.

The hit BBC TV show, where 22 strangers have to find and "banish" the traitors in their group, begins its third series on New Year's Day.

Anthony Mathurin, who appeared in the second series, said new contestants should be prepared for a game where "things come at you so quickly" and "you're going to find yourself second-guessing everything."

Mr Mathurin, from Birmingham, was "a faithful" in the show but was banished by fellow contestants who mistakenly thought he was a traitor.

Harry Clark, one of the three contestants chosen to be traitors, won the series and took home over £95,000 in prize money.

• Traitors: How does it work?

Mr Mathurin said he got goosebumps when he first saw the murder-mystery show and "applied on the spot" to be a contestant, because it looked like "the ultimate strategic battle".

He added that, once he was on the show, he used his professional experience as a chess coach to help him plan his own strategies.

Mr Mathurin said he was excited about watching the new series and it would feel like passing the baton on to a new set of contestants.

"I'll be cheering them to the rafters," he said.

He added that his main piece of advice for his successors was: "Enjoy the experience, because it's second to none."

• New series of The Traitors launches on 1 January at 20:00 GMT on BBC One and iPlayer