'The Traitors could help my political career'

A Traitors contestant will use the skills he learned on the programme if he decides to have a career in politics, he told BBC Politics East.

Freddie Fraser, 20, a politics student from Peterborough, said being on the show had "really taught me skills and I can take them out to the political world, like debating, communicating, articulating your point, defending yourself and being strategic".

He said if he did go into politics he would want to be the "top of that food chain".

Millions of viewers watched the BBC One series, which challenges contestants, known as "faithfuls", with identifying the imposters – "traitors" - among their ranks.

In the meantime, the traitors try to surreptitiously "murder" the others undetected so they can win the cash prize, with one contestant voted out of each episode.

The student had been a faithful until he was offered the unexpected ultimatum of switching sides by traitor Charlotte a day before the highly-anticipated final.

The former teenage athlete, who left at the end of the penultimate episode, said: "I was completely shocked. She was the last person I thought would be a traitor out of all the people that were left."

He said the experience "set me in good stead for whatever career I decide to do in the future".

He mentioned on the show that he might like to be Prime Minister one day.

"I think you should never say never really," he said.

"I think representation is really important as well, and it's about time we probably did have a black person in the highest office."

He said when he first joined the show he "thought they were going to trust me very easily and then I got in there and it was clear how little they did trust me".

"I had to really work my way up. In politics it's all about numbers and getting the numbers."

He said he thought there had been a lack of trust in politics in recent years.

"I think rules have been broken and stuff, especially with the younger generation, I feel like sometimes our views and issues aren't being listened to. We can feel a bit neglected.

"If you're trying to engage with the younger generation, I think it's really about taking time to listen to what their views are and start tackling issues important to them, whether that be tuition fees, the environment, social and welfare issues, policies and laws.

"I think a lot of the time, a lot of politicians will prioritize the older generation because their turnout is significantly higher.

"I think it's time to try and get the younger generation to vote more."

Reflecting on the experience, he added: "It's mental - the amount of people who recognise you and come up to you after they do a 'double-take' or who'll shout your name.

"When you are filming you forget that many people are going to watch you."

BBC Politics East will be broadcast on Sunday 2 February at 10:00 GMT on BBC One in the East of England, and will be available after broadcast on BBC iPlayer.

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