The Traitors return date confirmed as BBC announces full details of second series - and new spin-off

The Traitors was a massive hit when the BBC ran series one at the end of last year with fans desperate to see the second series on TV screens

Details of the second series of BBC's The Traitors have finally been announced - weeks after fans were given a glimpse of its return. It was back in October that viewers of Strictly Come Dancing were shown a clip of show host Claudia Winkleman wearing the trademark shroud.

But despite being given the clue that it was coming soon no other details were released. However now it has been confirmed it will be back on the TV screens in the new year.

And it will be a double dose for followers of the show with a new spin-off also being aired. In a similar format to The Apprentice - You're Fired, The Traitors: Uncloaked will include chats with murdered and banished contestants.

Hosted by comedian Ed Gamble, who is known for his appearances on Mock the Week, the visual podcast will also show the moment Traitors are unveiled. This is what you need to know:

When will series 2 start?

The BBC has confirmed the second series of show will start on Wednesday January 3. It will start at 9pm.

Episodes two and three will also be available the same night. Both will air on iPlayer once the first episode has ended.

The show will then air on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday nights, the BBC has said. Contestants have yet to be announced for the show.

Who are the contestants?

Details of who will take part are yet to be given. The BBC says: "All will be revealed in due course..."

What is The Traitor's Uncloaked?

The Traitors: Uncloaked is a brand new visualised podcast, hosted by award-winning stand up comedian and presenter Ed Gamble, that will take fans of the smash-hit entertainment show The Traitors deeper into the castle with dissection of the episodes and exclusive access to the banished and murdered players.

As soon as viewers have finished with their latest fix of The Traitors on BBC One, made by Studio Lambert, they’ll be able to join Ed, cast members and celebrity guests for all the best analysis and reaction to the latest betrayals, mind games and manipulations. This access all areas visual podcast will be available on BBC Two and BBC iPlayer with an extended version on BBC Sounds.

Made by Listen, each episode will feature an exclusive interview with the contestants that get banished and murdered along the way, and bonus unseen footage where they learn the identity of the Traitors for the very first time. How will they react when they discover who has been betraying them?

The episodes will air on BBC Two and BBC iPlayer, and an extended version with additional guests, further theories and essential analysis will be available on BBC Sounds.

How did series one work?

In the first series of the psychological game 22 contestants arrived at a Scottish castle to be split into secret traitors and tasked with “murdering” the other faithful contestants.

After completing a series of tasks each day to earn the prize of up to £120,000, they were then taken to a round table where they had to find the traitors and “banish” them from the game.

At the end, once many of the contestants are eliminated, a traitor can take all the prize money home from the other faithfuls if they remain, or the remaining contestants share the money. There were surprises and rule changes along the way in the first season and the second instalment is likely to be no different.

Will it be the same?

Toni Ireland, executive producer at Studio Lambert, promised at Wales Screen Summit in May that “the game’s going to be different” for series two as applicants are now familiar with the premise.

What did it win?

Based on a Dutch format called De Verraders, the show scooped a host of awards since its release. It won a Bafta TV Award, a National Television Award (NTA), a Royal Television Society (RTS) award and a Broadcasting Press Guild Award (BPGA). Claudia Winkleman took the Bafta TV Award for best entertainment performance and the RTS award for entertainment performance.