EXCLUSIVE: The row around use of local Scottish talent on hit show The Traitors, or lack thereof, is showing no signs of abating.
Deadline can now reveal that late last year the BBC and Ofcom were forced to amend the regulator’s record of how many Scots worked on Season 1 of The Traitors, which is produced by London-headquartered Studio Lambert in Scotland and qualifies as a Scottish commission.
Prior to The Traitors row generating headlines due to a buzzy LinkedIn post from Scottish director Peter Strachan, Deadline is told that figures from the local industry contacted Ofcom over what they believed to be a discrepancy in Ofcom’s Made Outside London register 2022. That register initially listed The Traitors Season 1 as having achieved Ofcom’s criteria of at least 50% of below-the-line talent being based in Scotland. This was found upon a probe to be incorrect and the 50% figure in fact applied to below-the-line talent simply based out of London. The register was corrected late last year, we are told, by Ofcom Regulatory Affairs Manager Stefan Webster. It now lists The Traitors with an asterisk and says at the start: “Following spot checks, two BBC titles and one Channel 5 title were found to have contained reporting errors,” one of which we understand to be The Traitors.
Broadcasters and indies report whether they have hit the criteria to Ofcom. Deadline understands Ofcom then regularly carries out spot checks of its register but this particular check was made after the regulator received intelligence from the sector.
“As a crucial means of supporting TV production in the nations and regions, we take broadcasters’ compliance with our Made Outside London regulations very seriously,” said an Ofcom spokesman. “We regularly engage with the BBC and other broadcasters to monitor how they are fulfilling their requirements, including carrying out spot checks into particular programmes.”
Due to what many would deem a quirk of the rules, the show would have counted as a Scottish commission for the BBC either with or without the error but the news will fan the flames of the broader row around use of Scottish talent on The Traitors and beyond, while continuing to pose questions over whether Ofcom’s criteria for shows made outside the English capital are fit for purpose.
Strachan’s LinkedIn post, in which he accused the BBC of painting a “truly shocking picture” when it comes to the number of people working on all seasons of The Traitors, has now been liked more than 1,000 times and has kickstarted a big debate.
That debate has reached the upper echelons of government. After reading Deadline’s initial story, Scottish Culture Secretary Angus Robertson said on X he is seeking a meeting with BBC Director General Tim Davie (no word from the BBC on whether this has been taken up). Meanwhile, UK Culture Sec Lisa Nandy, who has made representing the entirety of the UK one of the cornerstones of her short tenure so far, has been sent a letter about the issue by Strachan and is across it.
A spokesman for Nandy told Deadline: “The Culture Secretary believes that film and TV must reflect the full diversity of people, communities and experiences across the UK.” The spokesman declined comment on whether Nandy will also be seeking to meet with Davie.
The BBC and Studio Lambert declined comment for this story. When presented with Strachan’s post last week, the BBC said: “As per Ofcom’s regional production definition, The Traitors qualifies as a Scotland production and is clearly made in the Scottish Highlands, as viewers will know.”
The Traitors launched its third season two weeks ago and has been posting its best ratings yet, with more than 5M tuning in nightly. Episode 7 airs tonight. A celebrity version will also launch later this year. The show has sold around the world and a successful U.S. version airs on Peacock.
