Welsh fans of hit BBC show The Traitors have expressed their annoyance at one of the Season 3 contestants for putting on a Welsh accent.
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Charlotte Berman, a 33-year-old business director from London, and a Faithful, is using a false Welsh accent whilst in the show because she believes it will make her seem more “trustworthy”.
Berman revealed her plan in the first episode of Season 3, stating that she was born and bred in London, but that her mother is Welsh. She is claiming to hail from Abergavenny, in south Wales.
She was surprised to find that there were other actually Welsh contestants in the show – 24-year-old Elen Wyn from Cardiff, whose first language is Welsh and who works as a translator, and 28-year-old Leanne Quigley, a former soldier from Holyhead. Both are Faithful, though Elen was banished in the second episode of the series.
Quigley is also deceiving the other players, telling them she is a nail technician rather than a former soldier – an attempt to avoid suspicion after fellow member of the military Harry Clarke won the show as a Traitor last year.
As reported by the South Wales Argus, Berman’s fake accent has caused somewhat of a controversy, with Welsh The Traitors fans sharing their frustration at Berman’s strategy.
One Welsh fan, Holly Ford, said: “It just irritated me, to be honest. From being excited to see someone like me on the screen to then hearing it’s a lie, it’s just strange.
“It’s just appropriation for no apparent reason, with no regard for South Welsh people!”
She continued: “I would definitely like to see more Welsh people, simply because it offers representation and good TV! There’s something about seeing somebody from close to your hometown on TV that just makes you smile, so when someone is faking it, it just irritates people!”
Previous The Traitors contestants Ash Bibi and Zack Davies discussed the accent on Aaron Paul’s BBC Radio London show today (January 6), with Bibi saying: “She probably didn’t realise how hard it might be. Because it’s going to be difficult to keep that accent up the whole day, every single day.
Can The Traitor's Charlotte keep up her fake Welsh accent?
It's going to be a challenge according to former Traitors contestants @Therealashbibi & @_zackdavies
@1AaronPaul / BBC Radio London pic.twitter.com/2gpkwVhjZe— BBC London (@BBCLondonNews) January 6, 2025
“You’re just adding another element to what you’re going through. It’s going to be hard enough as it is.”
Davies responded: “I love it though, for the content. It makes absolutely no sense but I’m here for it.”
The Traitors producers appear to be leaning into what some fans are calling a ‘pointless plot twist’, with a shot of Berman in the season’s third episode showing her in bed, reading a book about learning Welsh. But her plan isn’t working too well so far, with some other contestants already suspecting her of being a Traitor – though none have picked up on her lie.
The Traitors is streaming now on BBC iPlayer, and continues at 9pm on BBC One on Wednesday January 8.