Format

After its extraordinary success in the UK and around the world, it is fair to say that The Traitors has established itself as an undisputed brand. Studio Lambert, producer of the BBC hit, has announced the development of a stage version of format. The theatrical production, slated to open next year at a London venue yet to be announced, will not be a direct transposition of the TV show but an original story inspired by its core mechanics: deception, hidden identities, shifting alliances and psychological gameplay. As with the television format, a group of “faithfuls” will attempt to identify and eliminate the “traitors” in their midst—but this time within a live, immersive theatrical framework.

The project is a collaboration between Studio Lambert and Neal Street Productions, the company co-founded by Oscar-winning director Sam Mendes and known for high-profile scripted titles such as Call the Midwife and Hamnet. The creative credentials are notable: the play will be written by John Finnemore (Good Omens, Cabin Pressure) and directed by Olivier Award-winner Rob Hastie (Operation Mincemeat, Standing at the Sky’s Edge), currently deputy artistic director at the National Theatre. Stephen Lambert, CEO of Studio Lambert, framed the move as a natural evolution for the brand, describing the adaptation as “a bold and surprising theatrical performance” and “a hugely exciting next step for this much-loved brand.” Crucially, Lambert underlined that the live version will offer fans “a thrilling new hunting ground” for the traitors—suggesting that the essence of the format will be preserved while exploiting the immediacy and tension unique to live performance.

The timing of the announcement is strategic. It follows the conclusion of the fourth UK series of The Traitors, hosted by Claudia Winkleman, and comes on the back of extraordinary audience results. The final of the celebrity edition became the UK’s most-watched television event of 2025, drawing around 15 million viewers and confirming the show’s status as a true mass-market phenomenon.

From an industry perspective, the stage adaptation of The Traitors fits squarely into a broader trend: the transformation of hit TV formats into multi-platform, multi-experience IPs. Recent examples range from Stranger Things: The First Shadow, now a long-running West End success, to more experimental crossovers such as The Great British Bake Off Musical. What distinguishes The Traitors is the inherent theatricality of its format—ritualised confrontations, moral ambiguity, performative deceit—which arguably lends itself particularly well to a live setting.

Caro Newling, co-founder of Neal Street Productions, emphasised this point, noting that the creative team has been assembled to deliver “a bold, structural twist to the format that only the live medium can provide.” This signals an ambition not merely to capitalise on brand recognition, but to rethink the grammar of the format through theatrical language.