To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video. Up Next. A beloved British actress who has starred in Jane Eyre, Luther and His Dark Materials has been spotted in footage from the original series of Traitor.
![[Mandatory Credit: Photo by Dave Hogan/Hogan Media/REX/Shutterstock (14239257am) Ruth Wilson An Audience with Kylie, London, UK - 01 Dec 2023]](https://metro.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/SEI_237178228-e885.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=646)
Although the BBC series that began in 2022 is based on the Dutch series De Verraders, which itself is styled on the party game Mafia, 20 years ago a very similar series also aired. Apart from the striking similarity in the fact its title was Traitor, the 2004 series has near-identical gameplay to the current show.
![[People have only just discovered the very first version of The Traitors - from 20 years ago]](https://metro.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/SEI_190195751-014f.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=646)
Discovering a clip of it recently, presenter Greg James alerted others to the fact one of the contestants went on to become a very famous actress. ‘Before The Traitors there was a BBC show called Traitor,’ he began before the post cut to a clip of the original series.
![[People have only just discovered the very first version of The Traitors - from 20 years ago]](https://metro.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/SEI_190195747-57c6.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=646)
As explained by host Tony Livesey, two of the contestants sitting in a circle were there to ‘lie your way to £5,000’, with the 7 others being ‘honest people’. Poking fun at the show, Greg said it was obvious it had a smaller budget as there was ‘no castle or cloaks or Claudia’ and pointed out ‘they couldn’t afford a table’.
![[People have only just discovered the very first version of The Traitors - from 20 years ago]](https://metro.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/SEI_190195753-fcdd.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=646)
The clip then cut to a young woman called Ruth introducing herself and sharing she was a drama student who ‘once modelled on the cover of a teen magazine’. Want to get all the latest news and predictions for the best and most dramatic show this new year? Join our The Traitors WhatsApp channel for live episode coverage, behind-the-scenes gossip and a place to recover from all the cliffhangers.
