Traitors Harriet: Who is Edinburgh-born author Harriet Tyce - the Faithful who terrified the Traitors? When is her next book out?
Harriet had the perfect CV to be a great Traitor hunter.
*Warning: This article contains spoilers about The Traitors. Do not read until you have watched episode 7 of series 4*
We’re now past the half-way stage of the fourth series of BBC reality game show The Traitors and there have been no shortage of twists and turns along the way.
There’s been a secret traitor, Castle residents lying about their jobs and backgrounds, and contestants failing to disclose existing relationships with castmates.
The latest twist was to let Faithfuls earn the right to quiz the two remaining Traitors (Rachel and Stephen).
Harriet took the opportunity to ask who they were thinking about recruiting, before revealing she was a successful crime writer and former criminal barrister.
She, correctly, identified Rachel as being a Traitor but at breakfast the next morning was arguably overly-aggressive in her accusations, turning the spotlight onto herself.
That led to a strange round table when she urged her fellow competitors to vote for her, which they did and she was swiftly banished from the game.
Here’s everything you need to know about the Faithful who ‘terrified’ the Traitors.
Where does Harriet Tyce live?
Harriet lives in London with her husband and their two children.
What is Harriet’s Edinburgh connection?
Harriet is the eldest child of Scottish judge Lord Nimmo Smith and was brought up in Edinburgh where she went to an all-girls school before attending the co-educational sixth form at private school The Edinburgh Academy.
When did Harriet leave Edinburgh?
Harriet left Scotland to study English literature at Oxford University, before completing a law conversion course at City University in London. She then settled in London and didn’t return to Edinburgh to live.
When was Harriet a criminal barrister?
Harriet practised as a criminal barrister for around a decade before leaving Bar shortly after the birth of her son in 2005.
When did Harriet start writing books?
Harriet completed a master's in creative writing and crime fiction at the University of East Anglia, passing with distinction, before setting out to become a published author.
As is common, she had a slew of rejections before winning a publishing deal for her debut novel Blood Orange. It became a pick of the popular Richard and Judy Book Club and was a lockdown hit. A television series based on the book is currently in development by the team behind Line of Duty and The Bodyguard.
What books has Harriet Tyce published?
Harriet has published four crime thrillers to date, as follows:
- Blood Orange (2019)
- The Lies You Told (2020)
- It Ends at Midnight (2022)
- A Lesson in Cruelty (2024)
When is Harriet Tyce’s next book out?
Harriet’s fifth novel, entitled Witch Trail, will be released on November 19.
What impact has being on The Traitors had on Harriet?
She may not have won the show, but Harriet is still counting the cash from her appearance - it’s reported that her book sales have soared by 95 per cent since the start of the fourth series.
What did Harriet say about going on the show?
Here’s what she said before the launch of this year’s series.
Why did you apply to be on The Traitors?
I've watched the show and love it - it's one of the very few TV shows that I think I have a skill set that could be useful for. I'm a crime writer and used to be a criminal barrister. I spend my life making up horrible ways for people to die and killing people on the page. The idea that I might get to actually plot to kill people or to track down a murderer, but, you know, without actual blood being shed, it's the closest that I'd get to that experience in real life. So quite honestly, what's not to like?
Tell us a bit about yourself and what you think you’ll bring to the show?
I am a crime writer, and I used to be a criminal barrister, and so I've had a lot of practice of reading, ‘who done it?’ and writing, ‘why did they do it?’. I write books which are all about people not being who they seem, and The Traitors is like the quintessence of people not being who they seem. I might bring an ability to see patterns in people's behaviour. I might be good because of my criminal barrister training at picking up on inconsistencies in what people say. I mean, I'm really good at putting clues together, but I say all of this and I could collapse into a puddle of angst and it might be a complete disaster.
Do you have a game plan?
I think what I'm going to try and do is dial up the housewife, mother side of myself that's quite lovable. I can bake cakes. I cook. I look after my family. I've got a lovely Golden Retriever and a lovely Labradoodle. All of these things are completely true. But there is also another side to me, so I think the juxtaposition of being nice and then hiding the more cutthroat part of me is the big strategy. I'm not going to be dishonest. I'm just going to play it down.
What are you like when playing games with friends and family? Would you say you’re competitive?
Well, put it this way, my husband and I don't play Monopoly any more because it would have led to divorce after a particularly bad game! I very much like winning. I want to win if I'm doing something, I want to be the best. Equally, I've got to acknowledge that I may not be.
What about the Missions? Do you think you'll be good at them?
I hope so. It'll be good to have the opportunity to work in a team. If I can keep calm, then I hope that I might be useful.
If you are chosen to be a Traitor, how do you think you’ll feel?
Absolutely delighted because it's the closest I'll ever get in real life to plotting murder and the idea that I can live my job feels like it would be an incredible opportunity. Having said that, being a Faithful is also an opportunity to live my job, just in a different kind of a way. So, I win either way, but I think that the truest form of the game is being a Traitor, because then you really do get to do the double play and I think I would find that very exciting.
If you're a Traitor, how far are you prepared to go to win the game?
If you're in it, you're in it to win it. There's no point playing around. And it's not as if I'm in a situation where I'm deceiving my closest friend. However real the relationships that will be created in this period of time, and however great the friendships might go on to be in future, I'm lying to the face of someone who would equally be prepared to lie to my face, because otherwise, why are they playing the game?
Do you have a good poker face?
Well, I think so. But, you know, others close to me might disagree!
If you're Faithful, what do you think your game plan would be?
It'll be very much the same as being a Traitor. I'll keep the smart ass under wraps and play up the nicer side. I would attempt to build trusting bonds with other players, while at the same time not trusting them as far as I can throw them. I think if one genuinely has a suspicion, it's perhaps smarter not to start jumping up and down and screaming about it immediately. I think trying to remain as observant as possible and build up a case, rather than going straight for the kill, would seem to me to be the sensible way of approaching it.
Do you think you are good at spotting a liar?
I've had kids and worked in criminal justice, so I've have had experience of clients who I've been absolutely certain are telling me slightly less than the truth! The thing that is very liberating about this game is that if you are going into it not believing anybody, then you’re not going to get caught out by someone seeming to be lovely.
If you're a Faithful, what qualities do you think you're going to need to make it to the final?
Staying calm, level-headed, not leading the charge when it comes to accusing people, but also not letting people take you for a complete fool. I think it might be useful if I'm underestimated – I'm a blonde 52-year-old woman. I think I would perhaps use that as my superpower. I think that being able to stay calm under pressure seems to me to be the thing that's actually the most important key point for being a Faithful or a Traitor, assessing the situation, not jumping to accusation, but being ready to make accusations at the right moment, and trying to apply a level of forensic judgement and forensic timing.
If you win the prize money, what do you think you’ll spend it on?
I would donate it to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation as many dear friends have been affected by the disease including one of my best friends who sadly died in 2021 from secondary breast cancer.
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