The Traitors: Finalist Wilfred Webster says show was intense

Wilfred Webster says his strategy in the show was to "befriend and betray"

The finalist of a psychological reality TV series says it was one of the most intense experiences of his life.

Wilfred Webster, who grew up in Peterborough, made it to the 2022 final of The Traitors by deceiving his fellow contestants.

He said he was "genuinely upset because of guilt" but would be "fully rooting" for the traitors in future.

Series two of the show is set to premiere with a new group of hopefuls competing for the £120,000 prize.

The show, hosted by Claudia Winkleman, gained critical acclaim after it first aired in November 2022, and saw contestants compete in a game of detection, backstabbing and trust.

The format sees the players gathered at Ardross Castle in the Scottish Highlands. Upon arrival, three of them are told secretly, via a squeeze on the shoulder from Winkleman, that they are traitors.

The aim is for the other contestants - known as faithfuls - to root out the traitors, provided they can survive themselves. The traitors can "murder" one player every night, removing them from the game.

The Traitors has won numerous awards, including best reality series at the TV Baftas

Wilfred Webster who made it to the final of series one but missed out on the prize money, said it was like playing a game of "Jumanji".

He said: "It was one of the most intense things I've been through in my life.

"You're sucked into this game and all the problems going on in the world are no longer relevant, the only thing that's relevant is the game you're stuck in."

"My whole thing was befriend and betray - betray the people who were closest to me so it makes them look like they were murdered, I was genuinely upset because of guilt."

Claudia Winkleman presents the show, set in Scotland, which involves detection, backstabbing and trust

The show has gone on to win numerous awards, including best reality series at the TV Baftas - something Mr Webster did not expect.

He said: "When we were doing it, something felt special; it felt right, it felt good but I didn't expect it to get as big as it has."

Ahead of the new series, he said he would be watching at home and "fully rooting" for the traitors to win.

The finalist, who grew up in Dogsthorpe, Peterborough, previously worked for a charity but wants to return to where he grew up.

He said: "I want to give back to Peterborough, there's not a lot of things for young people to do there at the moment, so if I can open a boxing gym and dance studio, that's the aim."

The nightly roundtable discussions give the players a chance to banish suspected traitors

New contestants enter the castle on Wednesday 3 January for series two of The Traitors on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.