In a delightful twist, children at Llangan Primary School in the Vale of Glamorgan have ditched the traditional playground game of “tag” in favour of their own version of the hit TV show “The Traitor”. Inspired by the gripping BBC series, the young sleuths have been donning dark wigs and cloaks to root out the treacherous “traitors” among them.
Headteacher James Griffiths praised the game, saying it has “brought different groups of children” together and is helping them develop crucial problem-solving and communication skills. Nine-year-old Jack, who has taken on the role of host Claudia Winkleman, describes the game as “like a new tag” where they have “missions” such as “trying to race cars in the playground and then decide who is the traitor”.
The game has been a huge hit, with pupils of all ages and genders coming together to play. Nine-year-old Jude commented that it’s “bringing together children who didn’t normally play together”, as “boys and girls” collaborate to identify the “traitors” in their midst.
Eight-year-old Massie particularly enjoys the dramatic “roundtable” discussions, where suspicions are aired before a vote is taken to “banish” someone. “I enjoy it so much because we’re not fighting each other, we get our anger out by banishing them,” she said.
The craze has been fuelled by the enormous success of the celebrity version of “The Traitor”, which has seen ratings for the current series surpass those of the first three. Nine-year-old Florence, a “very big fan of the TV programme”, said she loves playing the game at school because “you can’t trust anyone else”.
Headteacher Griffiths admitted he was “a little bit shocked” by the children’s enthusiasm for the game, but has embraced it as a positive experience that is helping them develop crucial skills. “We see it as a positive thing because they’re using problem-solving skills and good communication skills and really working together,” he said.
The final episode of “The Traitor” series four is set to air on BBC One and iPlayer this Friday, but it seems the game has already found a new lease of life in the playgrounds of Llangan Primary School.
