How The Traitors' Music Manipulates Viewers' Emotions

The key facts

Composer Sam Watts wrote the theme and about 20 pieces heard in dozens of international versions of the show
Producer Sarah Fay commissioned music from film trailer composers, including Hans Zimmer's Bleeding Fingers
Covers of Toxic and Mad World were created by the German studio 2wei, which did not know they would be used in the show

Music as a Tool of Deception

BBC music correspondent Mark Savage analysed how the soundtrack of The Traitors steers the viewer's perception: a sinister orchestral accent hints at betrayal, while a playful chord adds humour to everyday scenes. At the same time, the music can both underscore what is happening and deliberately mislead — at the producers' direction.

Sam Watts's Approach

Composer Sam Watts, who previously worked on Planet Earth and The Sarah Jane Adventures, said the BBC was initially reluctant about a show where murder is the main feature, so he did not want the music to be too grim. He received the commission with minimal understanding of the concept and settled on his approach only after seeing footage of host Claudia Winkleman and the castle: 'dark but fun'. For the title sequence, the 44-year-old Watts drew on the Thundercats theme by Bernard Hoffer, which he loved as a child, and wanted a memorable melody that could be hummed. The theme was recorded with a full orchestra and dozens of electronic overlays; in total he wrote about 20 pieces, which also sound in dozens of international versions of the show. His goal was for the whole hour to feel like a film trailer, for which he used trailer-music techniques, including the 'Braam' — a horn-like device invented for Christopher Nolan's Inception.

The Producer's Vision

Producer Sarah Fay, in a rare interview with Metro in 2022, when the first civilian season aired, said she wanted to 'supersize' the concept and make the show feel like a drama rather than ordinary reality — with elements of Succession and a sense of Knives Out upon entering the castle. To that end, she commissioned additional music from film trailer composers, including Hans Zimmer's Bleeding Fingers studio, and also added eerie cover versions of well-known songs.

Covers from 2wei

The covers of Britney Spears's Toxic and Tears For Fears's Mad World were created by the German studio 2wei from Hamburg, and they were not recorded specifically for the show. Co-founder Simon Heger, who founded the studio in 2016 with his friend Christian Vorlaender, said they 'went crazy' when friends from the UK told them their music was being used: 'This is completely not how we thought it would be used.' Both had worked in Los Angeles on adverts and trailers; Vorlaender contributed to the Mad Max soundtrack, which shaped their sound — big epic drums with orchestra and female vocals. Their breakthrough was their version of Destiny's Child's Survivor in the Tomb Raider trailer with Alicia Vikander; their music also featured in Wonder Woman and League of Legends. In The Traitors, alongside the covers, their original tracks such as Blindside are heard; songs are also provided by SYML and Damned Anthem. Heger noted that advertising experience teaches you to convey emotion within seconds, which suits a show built on cliffhangers.

Popularity and 'Winking'

On Spotify there are hundreds of playlists with the show's background music — from selections for murder-mystery parties and Halloween to 'gentle tension' and 'chill elder emo watching Traitors'. The soundtrack's popularity is also confirmed by an entire BBC Proms concert dedicated to the show's music last year. Watts sums up: 'There's a lot of winking in my music — for The Traitors it's a bit silly and slightly over the top. I think that helps the darker side — the murders and intrigue — seem more fun.'