The Traitors: ‘Claudia is very witty and an absolute delight’

Former Traitors contestant the Rev Lisa Coupland recalls the camaraderie in the castle and reflects on how her faith brought her comfort.

The Traitors is a cross between Agatha Christie and MI6,’ says the Rev Lisa Coupland, describing BBC1’s psychological reality TV competition. ‘You don’t have a body. You don’t have any clues. There are subtle nuances that you have to pick up on.’

In last year’s series, Lisa was cast as one of the faithfuls, tasked with discovering and banishing the traitors who were ‘murdering’ them to win a prize pot.

She remembers the beginning of the competition and a nervous wait for the steam train that would take her to Ardross Castle in Scotland. ‘The tension and anxiety that you feel, wondering who you’re going to meet,’ she says, ‘is like starting a new job.’

On arrival at Ardross, the contestants were greeted by host Claudia Winkleman.

‘Claudia is witty and an absolute delight,’ says Lisa. ‘She has the sharpest mind and sense of humour. She maintains her character at the castle well, but you can also see a glint in her eye.

'She enjoys having a laugh and has a love for every person in the cast. She treated everyone like we were her Traitors family.’

Lisa also relished taking part in the team challenges.

‘The missions were extraordinary,’ she says. ‘They were such fun and really hard. The first physical mission was blowing up the big effigy of the traitor. I didn’t realise how heavy gunpowder was.

‘You build teamwork and camaraderie. But at the round table, you’re having to pick on people you really like, and you’re second-guessing them all the time.’

Lisa didn’t initially tell her fellow cast members that she was a priest.

‘They asked me what I did, and I was working at a theological college as an operations manager so I said that,’ she explains. ‘Priests have many jobs. I didn’t feel that being a priest was my actual job – it’s part of who I am.

‘But I was wearing a cross, and at one of the round tables, I said: “As God is my witness.” People were suspicious, thinking I was laying it on too thick.’

When fellow contestant Frankie questioned Lisa about her faith, she revealed to the cast that she was a priest. The revelation prompted one of them to ask why, as a member of the clergy, would Lisa take part in The Traitors.

She recalls: ‘I was like: “What self-respecting murder mystery hasn’t got a priest in it?” Practically every Agatha Christie novel has. Then there’s Grantchester, Father Brown and the latest Knives Out film. We priests seem to be synonymous with murder and mystery.’

Lisa applied her pastoral skill set to The Traitors.

‘As priests,’ she explains, ‘we meet people from all walks of life, appreciating them for who they are and what they bring to our world. We don’t judge people – our role is to love people.

‘There’s an element of judging people in The Traitors, but only in the game’s context. I hoped to demonstrate love while I was in the programme, but also to show that priests are relatable human beings. We have feelings and emotions and like to play games.’

Lisa was also keen to provide a listening ear if people were feeling a bit low.

‘We had a fantastic production team,’ she says, ‘but it was nice to have someone who understood what it felt like to actually be in the game.

‘People knew that if they said something to me, it would be in confidence, and that I wouldn’t repeat it – unless it was in the context of the game. If someone confessed that they were a “murderer”, I’d have had to reveal that to everybody.’

Lisa’s untimely demise came before she was able to uncloak Charlotte and Minah as traitors. But she enjoyed the irony that followed her ‘murder’.

'Minah felt guilty about “murdering” a priest,’ she recalls. ‘The whole time we were filming at the castle, the weather was glorious. But the day after she “murdered” me, it started raining.

God has a sense of humour – I think he was like: “Right, you do that to Lisa, I’ll give you some bad weather.”’

During her participation in the show, Lisa took strength from her faith. As an Anglican priest, she regularly reads a set series of prayers and Bible verses. She discovered one particularly apt prayer, which she spoke each night throughout the competition.

‘It says: “Before the ending of the day,/ Creator of the world, we pray/ That you, with endless love, would keep/ Your watch around us while we sleep./ From evil dreams defend our sight,/ From fears and terrors of the night;/ Tread underfoot our deadly foe/ That we no evil thought may know.” That prayer took on a whole new meaning while I was in the castle.’

Connecting with God through prayer helped Lisa find peace and contentment.

‘Some people felt quite isolated and alone in the castle,’ she says. ‘But I never felt that, because I had my faith and the companionship, hope and comfort it brings. I knew that God was always going to be there with me.’