Matthew Hyndman for The Traitors UK S4 / BBC
Age: 35
From: Edinburgh
Occupation: Creative Director
Why did you apply to take part in the show?
“It’s an adventure and just seems fun. My New Year’s resolution was to have more adventures, and what I meant by that was more hiking, canoe trips, and camping, that sort of thing, but I’ve watched The Traitors and absolutely loved it, so I just thought why not give it a go.”
Do you have a gameplan?
“Anyone but me – that’s my simple plan, as long as it’s not me. I do not care whether they’re a Traitor or a Faithful, as long as it’s not me. I think The Traitors is a social game, and if you’ve got favour with people, or if someone has a warmer feeling towards me than someone else, then that’s the way that the vote will go. I think my biggest tactic is to always be part of the bigger group. No way am I getting off the train or getting in a coffin. I won’t do anything that separates me from the wider group because I think that leaves you in danger. You’re playing two games essentially – murder and banishment. If you’re too much of a threat, you get murdered and if you’re not popular enough, you get banished. It’s tricky to get that balance.”
Are you good at spotting a liar?
“I feel like I’m quite good at it, but in this game, you don’t know people, so it’s hard. I don’t have any history with anyone to know what their tales are, so who knows? I think I’m quite good at noticing subtle shifts in behaviour towards me, so I think I would very quickly spot if someone was to create distance with me or didn’t make as much eye contact.”
Are you competitive when you’re playing games with friends and family?
“Yes, I couldn’t be more competitive. I play lots of board games and sports. I love Settlers of Catan, and I’ve been playing a game called Dominion recently with friends. I think I allow myself to become a different person when I play games, and I allow myself to be brutal, in the way that you must be if you want to win.”
How would you spend the prize money?
“There are many things that I’ve imagined spending the money on. I really want to buy a little cottage in The Highlands somewhere. I go up there so much, and I just kind of imagine myself there so that’s probably what I would do. Me and my partner got engaged during COVID, and I had campaigned for marriage equality in Northern Ireland – they had civil partnerships, but they never had same sex marriage until 2020. At the time I was campaigning, I didn’t think that I wanted to get married, but now I feel like I do. So having campaigned for marriage equality in Northern Ireland, I think that’s a better story for the last Round Table if I get there because it’s not cool to go against the gay who wants to get married! I think that I would probably say that I’m going to get married back home in Northern Ireland on my family farm. And then if I win, I might just have to do that.”
The Traitors continues Wednesday, Thursday and Friday at 8pm on BBC One.
