“So far, I’ve played this dotty little Welsh woman. They just see me as a little bit clueless — but never underestimate a woman of a certain age.”
So says Welsh wonder — and now dramatically revealed secret traitor - Fiona on the current series of BBC One's The Traitors, echoing exactly what we’re thinking here at Second Act. Because while the men are predominantly bravado and bluster, the female midlifers are stealing the scenes and making the show unmissable.
When Fiona was gleefully unmasked on Wednesday night's episode, many viewers patted themselves on the back for guessing she was behind the red cloak. As one of the players least likely to be rumbled, she was the perfect choice. The other contestants? Not a clue. She might just be one of the most duplicitous traitors to walk the shadowy halls, and her panto villain evilness is infectious.
Of course, Fiona isn't the only midlife icon on the show. While some of the younger guys seem to merge into one and it’s hard to even remember all their names (Jack? James? Tarquin?), it’s easy to distinguish between the likes of Amanda and Rachel because they’re unique, funny and aren’t afraid to speak their minds. Even early-leavers Netty and Judy made a huge impact and left a big fun-shaped hole when they left, while we had to Google the name of the nice chap who was booted out a few days ago.
While some viewers are giving Stephen’s cropped denim jacket, Rachel’s ostentatious butterfly earrings and Ross's twitching biceps the glad-eye, the 40-plus women, like Rachel, Amanda et al, are stealthily dominating the game, one genius quote and cunning observation at a time.
It was, after all, Harriet who sniffed out traitor Hugo, a barrister (although he doesn’t like to talk about it), who thought he was playing a blinder by taking on the role of the booming alpha male and, as a consequence, outed himself as one of the worst traitors in the history of The Traitors.
© BBC/Studio Lambert/Euan CherryEx-barrister Harriet (who genuinely doesn’t like to talk about it) marked his card when she said, “Dear God, he’s leaning in hard,”, and had no qualms about facing off with the sweating buffoon during the round table telling some of her fellow contestants: “I’m happy to take it on.”
She was locked and loaded and she wasn’t backing down, leaving everyone impressed and, in some cases, a little suspicious of her brilliance.
Rachel also saw Hugo’s demise coming a mile off after his ludicrously attention-seeking faux-concerned speech about recently murdered Ben (the nice chap we had to Google). She chuckled as she stated: “Hugo has shot himself in the foot massively. People are starting to look at him.” And we were laughing right along with her.
There’s also a warm camaraderie between the women, in contrast to some of the men who can come across as a little overconfident, and would probably rather lose the prize money than let someone else have the joy of sharing it.
Early on, Amanda kindly threw some handy hints Fiona’s way about reading how people are acting. Maybe she should have passed on some tips to Jack too, who declared: “Could you imagine if one of us was secretly a detective!” while sitting mere feet away from Amanda, who is effectively cosplaying as Juliet Bravo.
© BBC/Studio Lambert/Euan CherrySince day one, we’d assumed that the super-secret Traitor (the equivalent of a Pikachu Illustrator Pokémon card — ask your kids) was female because we’re not sure any of the men would be able to pull it off with the same style and cunning as one of the super-smart ladies would.
The women are clearly taking the game seriously as well. Rachel revealed she did a spot of FBI training to help her read people’s micro-expressions in the castle, which could be seen as extreme, but we call it tenacious. Smiling assassins, one and all.
Amanda Lovett was undoubtedly the standout star of the first series of The Traitors, setting the tone for the women who have followed in her footsteps. She has deftly managed to turn her stint into a showbiz career, going on to appear in BBC Two’s Pilgrimage, as well as several well-paid pantos.
The basis of her brilliance? In her words: “My secret weapon was that none of my fellow players suspected that I, a 55-year-old mother of five and grandmother of six who quickly became everyone’s confidante and shoulder to cry on, could be capable of being so duplicitous.”
She adds: “It took until episode ten for them to suss that while I may have been the matriarch of the group by day, I was a ‘murderer’ by night. My gentle, caring persona was the perfect disguise.”
Which pinpoints exactly why the incredibly likeable Fiona was flying so far under the radar.
© BBCClaudia, meanwhile, is flying the tartan flag and heavy kohl eyeliner for anyone questioning whether a woman having a second spring in midlife is really a thing. While it’s easy to assume she’s always been hugely successful, in reality her upward career trajectory really only began in her late 30s. Now, aged 53, she is owning TV.
Having just (some may say bravely; we say boldly) quit her steady 15-year job hosting Strictly Come Dancing alongside fellow midlifer Tess Daly, she will continue fronting The Traitors, which Tom Hiddleston recently branded “Maybe the best television I've ever seen.”
In bigger news, her new BBC One chat show, produced by Graham Norton’s production company So Television, kicks off this spring, and the BBC are clamouring to find further projects for her to bring her magic to.
The eternally self-deprecating Claudia says of her new role: "I can't quite believe it and I'm incredibly grateful to the BBC for this amazing opportunity. I'm obviously going to be awful, that goes without saying, but I'm over the moon they're letting me try.”
But we all know she’ll kill it. As well as wit and warmth, she’ll bring the kind of life experience and emotional intelligence that only a woman in midlife and beyond truly can.
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