Does a Welsh accent help or is it a hindrance on the show?

Spoiler warning: This article contains details of the first three episodes of the new series of The Traitors.

The turn of the New Year came with a new series of The Traitors and to no surprise, plot twists are leaving viewers on tenterhooks.

In the ultimate double bluff, the show added an ingenious new twist, a secret fourth traitor whose identity has not even been revealed to viewers – marking the most significant format change since its launch in 2022.

With all but one player left scratching their heads, speculation has been soaring among eagle‑eyed viewers – with some heads turning to Welsh contestant Fiona.

“So far I’ve played this dotty little Welsh woman. They’ll just see me as a little bit clueless,” local government officer Fiona, 62, from Swansea, admitted.

“But never underestimate a woman of a certain age,” she chuckled to the camera.

From hiding their jobs, to secret relationships and faking Welsh accents, many contestants have trialled strategies in the past to gain people’s trust.

But with one Welsh contestant already banished – is Fiona’s Welsh accent a help or a hindrance?

Former contestant Andrew Jenkins, from Talbot Green, Rhondda Cynon Taf, believes Fiona’s “ditsy” character could be intentional and she may even be taking inspiration from previous beloved traitor, Amanda Lovett.

“There is a subconscious bias really,” said Andrew, “she [Fiona] is a bit older and naturally, people may tend not to look at her as much as a threat, she’s quite motherly.

“She just comes across as a bubbly and lovely, caring person.”

No-one suspected Amanda, 57, who is also from Swansea, for her bubbly and warm personality in series 1, as she successfully eliminated many faithfuls before losing out on the trophy when she was betrayed by fellow traitor Wilfred “Wilf” Webster.

Since then, the Welsh accent has been perceived to put you in good stead for a more trusting character.

Contestant Charlotte Berman, from London, faked a Welsh accent in series 3 to charm her fellow contestants into trusting her.

“I’ve been putting on a Welsh accent because my mum’s from Wales, it’s one of the most trustworthy accents,” she told the camera.

Her plan saw her make the final five but faithfuls Leanne Quigley, from Holywell, north Wales and Jake Brown, from Cumbria managed to win and shared the £94,600 prize fund.

Research found that the accent is associated with being friendly.

Dr Mercedes Durham, a sociolinguistics professor at Cardiff University, led the research and found people “genuinely appreciated it, they find it funny, attractive and friendly, but they didn’t take it seriously or associate it with intelligence”.

She added that friendliness and trustworthiness were linked, so there could be a method behind the mask.

But while Amanda’s game plan slipped under the radar, the traitors have shared their suspicions that Fiona may be the secret traitor and “pretending to be a bit less perceptive than she actually is”.

“Fiona’s a really, really smart lady. She’s being vocal about Hugo, I don’t think she’s naive,” said Rachel in episode two.

“I am just looking at her and thinking she could be sweet but a psycho, like that would be brilliant,” Rachel told the other traitors.

“She is walking around with a certain type of confidence,” Hugo agreed.

It’s not just the Welsh accent that has a warming affect, the public have a soft spot for all Celtic accents, according to Durham, due to their “friendly connotations” – something which traitor Stephen, from Scotland, is clued up on.

“I’m very personable. People seem to let their guard down around me very quickly when I first meet them. I think that’s partly due to having quite a regional accent that I think works in my favour,” said Stephen.

Hugo, 51, from Cardiff, was the second Welsh contestant debuted on series 4, but his southern English accent didn’t leave anyone fully convinced.

“I’m trying to persuade the Welsh person I’m from Cardiff… the jury is out,” the barrister joked in episode one.

But 48 hours later, he struggled to persuade his innocence as a faithful and was banished from the show.

Hugo’s profession ultimately led to his downfall, after faithful Harriet, who is hiding her profession as a lawyer, said: “It has occurred to me from the moment that I found out you were a barrister that you would be a prime target for the traitors to take out.”

“I was desperate to row away from being a professional [barrister],” he told Behnaz Akhgar on BBC Radio Wales but said he said he “couldn’t keep his cool”.

“I was glad they got one, I was happy for them, and it was great to be part of it,” he added.

Some contestants have also concealed their job roles in series 4, to avoid being seen as successful problem solvers.

As well as Harriet, 52, from London not revealing that she is a barrister, Amanda, 57, from Brighton, has chosen to hide being a retired police detective.

But series 3 contestant, Elen Wyn, from Anglesey, said she thinks “it’s deeper than a good job, it’s more to do with your personality”.

She described the castle as like “being in school”, adding: “The really confident people who are good at fitting in, they’re the ones that tend to make it to the end.

“If you’re really good at getting on with everyone and fitting in and communicating really, really well, but you’re not too smart, you’re not too confident, you’ll make it to the end.

“If you’re too vocal about theories, they don’t like that, they will banish you. It happened to me as a faithful and it happened to Hugo as a traitor.”

Elen, who was banished on the second episode, said she is “always kicking herself” with how she managed the anxiety that came with being on the show.

“I didn’t fit into the right clique… I was just awkward, overthinking and terrified.

“I think if you’re older and more mature, and had more life experiences you could say it’s less intimidating… I’m wondering if that’s why Fiona is thriving in there, she can separate her emotions from the fact it’s just a game.

“She’s clearly there to have a good time and its not that serious, I just love that for her,” she added.

Series 4 comes off the back of a successful celebrity version, which attracted 15 million viewers in total, and saw comedian and TV presenter Alan Carr emerging victorious.

He skilfully won over his opponents, with his humorous and likeable character enabling his scheming and deceit to fly under the radar.

“Get friendly with everyone, don’t say too much, you will get murdered. It’s like a game of chess, you use everybody like a pawn,” Andrew advised.

Andrew said the game was a balance of not doing too much or too little.

“But it’s hard,” he said, adding: “You have to keep telling yourself it’s a game and when you leave the castle, you go back to your lives after it.”

“I kept photos of my family in my room to remind me what really matters. They know what you’re like – whether I came first or ninth, it doesn’t matter.”

While Fiona has made a good impression on the faithfuls so far… have previous cohorts cast a shadow of doubt over the trusted Welsh accent?

The first three episodes of The Traitors are on BBC iPlayer and the series continues on Wednesday 7 January at 20:00 GMT on BBC One and iPlayer.