Mathematician Hannah Fry has used codebreaking mathematics inspired by Alan Turing to analyse player behaviour ahead of the new series of Celebrity Traitors.
The 42-year-old academic examined data from previous series of the BBC reality show to identify statistical patterns in how contestants act when assigned different roles in the game.
Her quantitative preparation aims to give her an advantage as a group of famous figures gather at a castle in the Scottish Highlands to compete for a charity prize of up to £100,000.
Fry revealed prior to the launch of the series that she scrutinised voting records and player actions from earlier instalments to spot recurring tactical habits among secret traitors.
"Have I gone back through the data of all the previous games and tried to find statistically significant patterns? Yes! There is a pattern in the way that Traitors behave," she said ahead of the first episode last week.
One key tactic she highlighted is the use of a burn vote during the opening stages of the game, where traitors deliberately cast a vote for a candidate with no other nominations to avoid drawing attention to themselves.
She pointed to singer Cat Burns, who appeared as a traitor in the previous series, as a prime example of this behaviour. Fry noted that the pop artist would regularly vote for someone that nobody else had selected.
To process the behavioral data, Fry turned to mathematical methods derived from the work of Alan Turing. Turing was the pioneering British mathematician and computer scientist who led codebreaking efforts at Bletchley Park during the Second World War, developing statistical techniques to break the electro-mechanical Enigma cipher machine used by the German military.
Fry explained that she applied the same mathematical concepts Turing used to evaluate probabilities and break military codes to evaluate contestant decisions inside the Scottish castle.
"That's just one example of a little bit of maths that I've got in my back pocket," she said. "I am using the same bit of math that Alan Turing used to crack the Enigma machine."
Challenges in signal detection and competitive drive
Despite her statistical models, Fry acknowledged that analyzing human behavior in the game presents significant practical challenges. She noted that faithful contestants attempting to uncover traitors before being eliminated are often chaotic, making it difficult to isolate clear statistical signals from background noise.
"The faithfuls are usually an absolute mess, and that makes it hard to pick out what the signal is," she admitted. She added that while she had spreadsheets coming out of her eyeballs, she remained uncertain whether the data would guarantee success in the castle environment.
Beyond mathematical modeling, Fry identified her own competitive nature as her primary weakness in the competition. She acknowledged that controlling her desire to win will be critical to surviving the social dynamics of the show.
"I would say I am toxically competitive. Yes, to a fault. I have to try and rein that in," she said. "This really is a team game. Especially for the faithfuls. The only real way the faithfuls are going to win it is if they act as a team."
Fry expressed a preference for playing as a faithful rather than a traitor, despite finding the secret role appealing. She explained that playing as a faithful allows her to remain authentic throughout the experience.
"I think it would be really fun to be a traitor, like amazingly fun, but I want to enjoy this experience as much as I possibly can for however long it lasts," she said. "I think that I'll enjoy it more if I get to be a truer, more honest version of myself."
Tour announcement and fan speculation
As a Professor of Mathematics in the Public Understanding of Science at University College London, Fry is widely known for communicating complex mathematical concepts to general audiences through television documentaries, radio broadcasts, and popular science books.
Just days before the launch of the series, Fry announced a major career step by confirming her first live UK stage tour, titled Come Fry With Me. The tour is scheduled to take place next autumn, taking her across the country to share mathematical insights and advice with live audiences.
The timing of the tour announcement has sparked widespread speculation among fans regarding her performance on the BBC show. Because the tour was scheduled after the filming and broadcast of Celebrity Traitors, viewers believe the move indicates a strong showing in the castle that could elevate her public profile.
Supporters suggest the tour could capitalize on a potential surge in popularity following her appearance on the program. This pattern mirrors the trajectory of comedian Alan Carr, who won the previous series of Celebrity Traitors and subsequently secured what commentators described as a holy trinity of major television hosting roles.
Show premiere details and contestant line-up
Based on the Dutch television format De Verraders, The Traitors requires contestants to work together to build a cash prize pot while secretly divided into two camps. Traitors meet each night in secret to murder a faithful player, while all contestants gather at a daily roundtable to vote off and banish a suspected traitor.
The new series of Celebrity Traitors begins on October 1 at 8pm on the BBC, launching with an extra-long opening episode set against the backdrop of the Scottish Highlands.
Presenter Claudia Winkleman returns to host the series, presiding over 21 celebrity participants competing for a potential charity prize pot of up to £100,000.
The celebrity cast competing alongside Professor Hannah Fry includes news presenter Amol Rajan, actor Bella Ramsey, comedian James Acaster, musician James Blunt, model Jerry Hall, comedian Joanne McNally, comedian Joe Lycett, and actor Julie Hesmondhalgh.
Also joining the line-up are content creator King Kenny, singer Leigh-Anne Pinnock, presenter Maya Jama, actor Michael Sheen, comedian Miranda Hart, actor Myha'la, actor Richard E. Grant, comedian Rob Beckett, comedian Romesh Ranganathan, actor Ross Kemp, actor Sebastian Croft, and actor Sharon Rooney.
