The Traitors: Peterborough's Wilf's advice to Traitors - 'Don't backstab'

The show pits a group of contestants against each other – most are ‘Faithful’ but some are playing a hidden role as ‘Traitors.’ The Traitors can ‘murder’ players – eliminating them from the game – but the Faithful can vote contestants out – hopefully the Traitors.

Former Voyager School pupil Wilf was one of the stars of the show, presented by Claudia Winkleman, last year after being selected as a Traitor – and narrowly missing out on the big prize.

Ahead of the second series of the competition being broadcast, Wilf sat down with The Peterborough Telegraph to talk about his plans for the future, his memories the show – and what he thinks the new series will be like.

​Boxing was good for my discipline

​As a youngster, Wilf was a well-known boxer in Peterborough, and he now has plans to help others in the city take up the sport, which he said taught him so much.

He said: “I want to open a proper boxing gym in Peterborough.

“I’ve got all my training licences, so that is something I’m going to be focusing on in 2024. The wheels are already in motion, but it takes a long time.

“I feel like Peterborough has changed a lot in the last 10 years, I don’t think there is much out there for young people, so I want to try, if I can, to open the gym at a price that is really cheap, so anybody can go, and it doesn’t feel like a burden sending your kids because you are worried about money.

“But I would like to focus on teenagers, because it [boxing] was good for me. I had a difficult upbringing, and I think boxing was good for my discipline, and made me a little bit better at school.”

Wilf was also a talented dancer as a youngster, and he hopes to include an area for youngsters to be creative.

He said: “I want to open the gym with a dance studio and a creative hub – with a green screen area where people can edit social media stuff – I’ve been trained to help youngsters use social media.

“Because of The Traitors, I’ve been able to go into schools across the country and do motivational talks, dance workshops and things like that – it is something I really enjoy doing. The show has allowed me to give back where I can, which is fantastic.”

​

We want to make magical memories, not sad ones

​Wilf worked as a charity fundraiser before The Traitors started, and his commitment to helping good causes has continued.

He said: “I do work on a consultancy basis with certain charities. Because I worked in the charity sector for about eight years, I wanted to get out there and help as many charities as I can.

“I’m going to be working with an agency that will fundraise on behalf of Centre Point – a young homeless charity – it’s for people that are between the ages of 16 and 25, they give them somewhere to live for two years, they get mental health support, physical support and learn how to get a job.

“I think it’s a 90 per cent success rate of people that leave and never go back to being homeless again, which is amazing.

“I grew up in hostels and when I was young, I remember Christmas being a really really weird time of the year. You get the same presents as other kids, you don’t get much, and it is really hard.

“So next year, hopefully I’m going to be running some big events. I don’t remember much from that time living in hostels, but Christmas time is a memory that you do remember, so if we can make that a magical memory, and not something that is a sad memory, that is something I want to do, and I’ve got wheels in motion for.”

​

It is like being stuck in a game of Jumanji

​Wilf said he was still in touch with most of The Traitors cast, and it had ‘changed his life.’

While the new series has already been filmed, he had some advice for future players.

He said: “It feels like a dream – you don’t remember everything, bit it was a magical experience, and it really changed my life – I wouldn’t change it for the world.

“I will be watching it and 100 per cent rooting for the Traitors.

“If I could give advice to the Traitors, it would be don’t back-stab each other early on. I think because people have had a lot more time to plan, The Traitors could be a lot more ruthless than me, but if I was them, I’d stay in a group as long as you can. But I don’t think the show is made for multiple traitors to win it.

“And remember it is just a game – people get so invested in it. It is like being stuck in a game of Jumanji – you’ve got no contact with the outside world, and you completely forget that there is normal life outside.

“I’d love to go back and and try and win as a Faithful – I think because I was a Traitor, I’d be good at picking them out because I’ve been in that position myself.”

​

The new series of The Traitors will start on Wednesday, January 3 on BBC1