William and family looking forward to watching Celebrity Traitors, says producer

The Prince of Wales and his family are “very much looking forward” to watching The Celebrity Traitors which is going to be a “big treat” for them, he told TV executive Stephen Lambert as he was honoured at Windsor Castle.

Lambert, the founder and chief executive of Studio Lambert – the production company behind The Traitors, was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) on Wednesday.

The Celebrity Traitors launches on Wednesday, with a cast of 19 famous faces, including comedian Alan Carr, retired Olympic diver Tom Daley and actor and TV host Sir Stephen Fry.

The show, presented by Claudia Winkleman, sees contestants try to detect the traitors in the group while completing a series of challenges to win funds to contribute towards the prize pot.

If, at the end of the series, a traitor is left among the finalists, the faithfuls – those who are not traitors – lose out on the money and the traitor wins the full prize.

Lambert, 66, said: “My award is for services to television, and we started talking about Celebrity Traitors, which launches tonight.

“He said he and the family were very much looking forward to watching it. It was going to be a big treat for them and probably for the nation, he expected.

“And I told him about the fact that our celebrities have entered into the game with great seriousness.

“So, they’re not just doing it because it’s a chance for them to be celebrities on television, but because they actually love the game, but also because they are the talented people they are, so they’re also very funny, and I think it’s extremely entertaining television.”

Lambert added he and his team were “blown away by the quality of the people that were interested in doing the first season of Celebrity Traitors”.

He said: “Quite often when a show is announced as a celebrity version of something, many people haven’t actually heard of the celebrities that take part. In this case, nearly everybody who took part is well known.

“I mean people like Stephen Fry and Alan Carr and Celia Imrie, and list goes on, Clare Balding, Tom Daley, it’s extraordinary.

“They’re all people that everybody knows about. And so, I think, that if the show is as popular as we hope it is, and people like it as much as we hope they do, then there’s a good chance we’ll get equally good, if not even more famous, people the next time.”

Asked why he thinks The Traitors has been such a hit, he said: “I think it’s a game that people love watching and playing.

“I think that the players like it because it gives them licence, if they’re the traitors, to lie.

“Quite often in reality game shows, people end up being good and bad, and the bad ones are the ones that sort of lie and are sort of devious, here, they’re given licence to do that, it’s a bit like playing poker.

“You know, you’re allowed to lie, and so people don’t judge you badly for being a treacherous traitor in not telling the truth.

“And I think the audience partly love it, because it’s a classic case of dramatic irony. We know what’s going on better than the players.”

On being made an OBE, Lambert said he felt “delighted and honoured”, adding: “These things are very special. And coming to Windsor Castle, in particular, it was a great treat, there’s so much history around.

“And of course, this is an award for me, but also for all the people I work with who are so talented, and I think everybody shares in this recognition.”

Studio Lambert is also behind Gogglebox, Race Across The World and Squid Game: The Challenge.

Lambert began his career at the BBC in the early 1980s, producing documentaries from around the world, including many filmed in conflict zones.

In 1994, he became the founding editor of the BBC Two documentary strand Modern Times, before joining RDF Media in 1998 as its first director of programmes, where he was responsible for factual entertainment series such as Faking It, Wife Swap and The Secret Millionaire.

Lambert founded Studio Lambert in 2008 with backing from All3Media. Undercover Boss became the company’s first success, running for 11 seasons on CBS and earning multiple Primetime Emmy Awards.

In 2013, Studio Lambert launched Gogglebox for Channel 4, now one of the network’s most beloved and enduring series and, more recently, The Traitors and Race Across The World, which have become two of BBC One’s highest-rated shows, while Squid Game: The Challenge found global success on Netflix.

The company has also produced acclaimed scripted dramas, including Three Girls, The Nest, and the recent BBC Three comedy-drama, Boarders.

Lambert’s productions have earned a dozen Bafta awards and, last year, Lambert was also recognised with the Royal Television Society’s outstanding achievement award.