The Traitors review: Claudia Winkleman keeps things the right side of silly as The Traitors returns, as shiny, stylish and compelling as ever

Going on the evidence of the first two episodes, however, it seems this game of back-stabbing, intrigue and treachery is still as bouncy and shiny as host Claudia Winkleman's fringe.

Claudia, of course, is an essential part of the show's appeal, her blend of arched eyebrow sarcasm, high camp and apparently genuine enthusiasm for the format and the contestants gently keeping everything the right side of silly.

Which is no mean feat, as having seen the first two series, the contestants arriving at 'The Traitors Castle', somewhere in the Scottish Highlands, are beginning to come up with strategies to keep them in the game.

So you have Charlotte, the well-spoken Londoner who's adopted the Welsh accent of her parents, as Welsh accents are, apparently, “more trustworthy”.

Then there's Lisa, the Anglican priest, who defrocks herself so the other contestants don't get the wrong idea about her Christian values.

And ex-soldier Leanne hides her squaddie roots behind a platinum blonde bottle job and a pink suit, telling her fellow Faithfuls that she's a nail technician.

Quite what all this subterfuge does for their chances remains to be seen, but it's fun watching them get increasingly stressed as they seek to maintain their cover stories.

Meanwhile, the game remains – largely – the same.

A group of self-selecting reality show entrants are taken to a Scottish castle. There, Claudia secretly nominates three of the group to be Traitors, while the rest are known as Faithfuls.

It is up the the Traitors to get rid of the Faithfuls and make sure they are the last ones standing, whereupon they take home a prize pot built up by the group over a series of 'missions'.

If the Faithfuls successfully weed out all the Traitors by the close of play, they get to take the money home.

But the base mechanics of the show are the least interesting thing about it – the 'missions' rarely contain any jeopardy, and are mainly an excuse for a lot of reality show screaming and hand-waving, and you tend to lose track of how much money they have won or lost.

The best bit about the show – the really compelling stuff – takes place in the nooks and crannies the production team have built around the castle, where plotting, theorising and alliance-building take place.

All building towards the nightly banishments, where the group attempts to pick out a Traitor from their ranks to send home early.

Some try to base their choices on evidence, however flimsy, with one Traitor in particular coming under scrutiny for a Pavlovian response to the Claudia's voice.

But for the most part, the group's choices are – as the kids these days say – 'vibes-based', very much focused on feelings, intuition and “trusting my gut”.

And when a stronger member of the group focuses on a weaker one, hoo boy. The speed with which others fall in line with the finger-pointing is both shocking and, somehow, unsurprising.

This leads to the kind of situation which can see apparently sensible Livi send a Faithful home for being a bit teary, before promptly breaking down in floods herself, exclaiming: “I feel a bit emotional, to be fair.”

Add in a bit of business at the beginning, which saw three contestants sent home before even catching a glimpse of the castle, and The Traitors began its new run with a confidence, bravado and panache of Claudia in her red leather fingerless gloves and a tartan kilt.

Watch it for the style, watch it for the fun and games, but mostly watch it for the insight it gives you into the human mind under pressure – it'll be the most gripping hour of TV you'll see.