Harriet Tyce for The Traitors UK S4 / BBC
Age: 52
From: London
Occupation: Crime Writer / Former Barrister
Why did you apply to take part in the show?
“I’ve watched the show and love it – it’s one of the very few TV shows that I think I have a skill set that could be useful for. I’m a crime writer and used to be a criminal barrister. I spend my life making up horrible ways for people to die and killing people on the page. The idea that I might get to actually plot to kill people or to track down a murderer, but, you know, without actual blood being shed, it’s the closest that I’d get to that experience in real life. So quite honestly, what’s not to like?”
Do you have a gameplan?
“I think what I’m going to try and do is dial up the housewife, mother side of myself that’s quite lovable. I can bake cakes. I cook. I look after my family. I’ve got a lovely Golden Retriever and a lovely Labradoodle. All of these things are completely true. But there is also another side to me, so I think the juxtaposition of being nice and then hiding the more cutthroat part of me is the big strategy. I’m not going to be dishonest. I’m just going to play it down.”
Are you good at spotting a liar?
“I’ve had kids and worked in criminal justice, so I’ve have had experience of clients who I’ve been absolutely certain are telling me slightly less than the truth! The thing that is very liberating about this game is that if you are going into it not believing anybody, then you’re not going to get caught out by someone seeming to be lovely.”
Are you competitive when you’re playing games with friends and family?
“Well, put it this way, my husband and I don’t play Monopoly any more because it would have led to divorce after a particularly bad game! I very much like winning. I want to win if I’m doing something, I want to be the best. Equally, I’ve got to acknowledge that I may not be.”
How would you spend the prize money?
“I would donate it to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation as many dear friends have been affected by the disease including one of my best friends who sadly died in 2021 from secondary breast cancer.”
The Traitors continues Wednesday, Thursday and Friday at 8pm on BBC One.
