BBC actor and Raven host, James Mackenzie, has joked he is “raging” over similarities between the children’s adventure game show and The Traitors.
Back for more backstabbing and scheming, the BBC released its third season of the popular show on New Year’s Day.
Hosted by Claudia Winkleman, the reality TV show follows a group of contestants living together in a castle in the Scottish Highlands. Among them are a secret number of “Traitors”, who must conspire to eliminate others in the group without being detected.
However, fans have long made comparisons between The Traitors and Raven, set in Scotland and presented by Mackenzie for the majority of its run. Raven ran between 2002 and 2010, for 12 regular series and 3 spin-offs. The BBC Scotland show followed a number of children as they competed for the title of “Ultimate Warrior”.
Both shows adopt a similar aesthetic, dark and brooding, set among the Scottish countryside, with their hosts wearing long, black, flowing garments.
“I love that The Traitors is basically Raven for adults”, wrote one X/Twitter user, placing two pictures of the hosts of their respective shows side by side.
Mackenzie reshared the post on Saturday (4 January) saying, “I know right?! Raging #letthechallengebegin” alongside both an angry face and laughing emoji.
Fans who grew up watching the show joked: “It’s Raven, but now we have bills and trust issues”.
The show has been a huge success for the broadcaster. Earlier this year, over 7 million people tuned in to watch contestant Harry Clark, 23, win £95,150 after deceiving his best friend Mollie Pearce in the season finale.
A third season has been recorded, with a fourth already in the works alongside a celebrity edition.
The latest episode of the show (3 January) saw Kasim targeted by both Jake and Joe, with the pair suggesting that Kasim’s profession as a life-saving doctor would provide the show with a good narrative if he was made a traitor and had to “kill” his fellow contestants after dark.
Kasim, who is a faithful, was left dumbfounded by the claim that it would “make sense” for him to be a traitor, stating: “The fact that I have a job is not a reason to vote for me.”
New episodes of The Traitors are released every Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday.
