A civil servant has joined this year’s season of The Traitors.
Maz, 59, is an official based in Preston and one of 22 contestants in the fourth season of the popular BBC reality TV game show. This is the second season in a row to feature a civil servant, with Alexander Dragonetti making it to last year's final.
In an interview published ahead of the season’s first episode, Maz said he applied to be on The Traitors because he loves the programme. “I love the whole essence of The Traitors, from the missions, to the conversations, to the relationships you make and the game itself,” he said.
Maz said he thinks he will bring “some humour, some chilled out moments, some interesting thoughts, and I think I will be able to add to the jigsaw of the game”.
On the missions, which see contestants work together in tasks to win money for the prize pot, Maz said he is active and “quite fit for my age”, playing football twice a week, and “so I think I'll bring that energy and drive”.
“I know that I am a good team player,” he added. “When I play football, I'm usually the one that's shouting their head off and giving people that drive and confidence but not overpowering. I enjoy being part of a team, having fun, and trying to get the job done.”
If he wins the show, Maz hinted he would use the money to support his family, including his five children and his grandchildren.
Spoilers ahead: How has Maz got on so far?
The first three episodes of season four have now aired, with the next three being screened this Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.
In the first episode, host Claudia Winkleman picked the first three traitors – head of comms Rachel; Hugo, a barrister; and Stephen, a cyber security consultant. Winkleman also chose a secret traitor whose identity was unknown to the other traitors and the audience – and, as always, the faithful.
The secret traitor was given the power to chose a shortlist of three faithful to be murdered for the other traitors to pick from.
By the end of episode one, Maz – who was one of many contestants that wanted to be a traitor – was confirmed as a faithful after being named in the first murder shortlist. During the traitors’ deliberations over the shortlist, Hugo described Maz as “a bit of a cheeky chappie but I think he’ll talk himself into trouble”. Hugo added that “the clear pro to getting rid of Maz” was that “he might get a gathering behind him – he’s a smooth talker”. However, the traitors decided against removing him from the game, instead murdering Netty, a nursery school teacher.
Maz was also named in the second murder shortlist but once again avoided the chop, with 66-year-old retiree Ben chosen instead.
In the third episode, the traitors won a challenge to be able to reveal the secret traitor, with the episode ending on a cliffhanger before their identity was revealed in the traitors turret.
Maz has also avoided being banished by his fellow contestants and has not received a single vote in the two roundtables that have taken place so far.
In the first roundtable, faithful Judy, a child liaison officer, was banished. In the second, Hugo, was banished – the earliest a traitor has been caught in the UK version of the show – after the barrister talked himself into trouble with comments at breakfast about murdered faithful Ben. Maz was among the contestants who helped to banish Hugo.