UNTIL now, I’ve determinedly avoided reviewing series four of The Traitors, but, since the final episode (BBC 1, Friday) attracted more than nine million viewers, I felt that I could ignore it no longer. I myself have been gripped since the series began on New Year’s Day, as it’s such unpredictable television, with the same sort of high-stakes exhilaration as you might experience watching a penalty shoot-out.
Over three weeks, 22 contestants were whittled down to just two winners, who shared a prize pot worth more than £90,000. For the first time ever, two Traitors were the joint victors: wily, inscrutable Rachel Duffy and her baby-faced sidekick Stephen Libby. Rachel brought nerve and sheer force of personality to the part of Traitor, whereas Stephen brought an increasingly terrified, reddened countenance, combined with preposterously loud jumpsuits. I adored him. Early in the series, after they had helped to dispatch their fellow Traitor Hugo, Stephen and Rachel made a pledge to never banish each other — and, unbelievably, they stuck to it.
I am not convinced by other pieces I’ve read that hint that The Traitors’ format is growing stale. On the contrary, this series has ably developed the gameplay by demonstrating how to win it by being unerringly faithful to the only other person whose identity you can be certain of: your fellow Traitor.
Wise as serpents, and proving that there can be honour among thieves, Rachel and Stephen’s victory was a surprising triumph of integrity in a game in which they did nothing else but lie. That they somehow managed to be more faithful than the actual Faithfuls themselves was the biggest triumph of all.
Will You Get Dementia? (Channel 5, Thursday) is not a fun question to ask, least of all while we’re still plodding inexorably through January, but it is a question for our time. Dementia was the leading cause of death in 2023, and there are twice as many people living with it as living with cancer. Reportedly, people are more scared of a dementia diagnosis than they are of cancer, which is not surprising. Dementia is degenerative, progressive, and incurable. It strips us of the things that make us feel human: our memories, our senses, our very personalities.
This is a pleasingly high-quality programme for Channel 5, presented by Dr Claire Taylor, a GP, whose warmth and compassion carries it well. We follow her as she investigates the disease, meeting people affected by dementia, as well as specialists, exploring ways in which we might mitigate symptoms or even stop them altogether.
In a world afflicted by loneliness — particularly among the elderly — social interaction is known to protect against dementia (Analysis, 16 January). This made me think that we need more missional conversations about how the Church can better serve our old folk rather than so much focus on engaging the young.
