*Spoilers for episode three ofThe Traitors follow– you have been warned.*
BBC viewers were left blindsided by a bombshell plot twist during episode three of The Traitors, when Diane revealed that contestant Ross is her son – and the rest of the contestants have no idea.
Traitor Paul and Faithful Diane’s red hair sparked speculation in the castle that they might secretly be related.
“Paul just couldn’t be my son,” retired teacher Diane told the camera in a confessional. She paused. “But Ross is.”
Viewers were in awe. They never saw it coming. Diane and Ross have different accents: Diane’s is Irish, his is Lancastrian. But there have been several moments throughout the series so far when the two dropped subtle hints about their relationship.
Here are all of the clues:
Riding the train together
Diane and Ross ride the train together pretending they’ve never met before— (BBC)
On the steam train up to Ardross Castle, Diane casually asked video director Ross why he’d applied for the show. He replied: “Funnily enough, my mum signed me up.”
She smirked knowingly, later mentioning that she’d “watched series one with her children”.
The pair were the first to be seen riding in a carriage together, while many contestants had met at the platform. Was this the first clue they were related?
In a clip that was shown after the big reveal, Ross is seen telling Diane on the train: “Do you know what’s gonna be the hardest thing? I’m gonna have to call you Diane.”
She replied: “Yep. And none of the other names you wish to call me sometimes! Diane!”
The roast dinner chat
Diane discusses whether Paul is her son— (BBC)
When Ross complained about his mum’s Sunday roasts in front of Diane, it was an impressive response on both sides.
Eliminated contestant Kyra has since said that his glasses are a disguise and when Ross takes them off, the family resemblance is much more obvious.
Fun fact: Diane’s other son is actor Kerr Logan, best known as Matthos Seaworth in Game of Thrones.
The coffee slip-up
A throwback picture of The Traitors contestants Ross and Diane— (BBC)
In a moment where several contestants are in the kitchen, Diane offers Ross a coffee – nobody else.
“Would you like a coffee, Ross,” she asked.
He replied: “I would love one... Diane.”
In a confessional, Ross said he would find it hard to not call her “mum” in front of the other contestants.
Ross backs up Diane at the round table
During the roundtable discussion in episode three, Ross maybe have slipped up when he showed his allegiance to Diane.
It happened when Faithful Charlie accused Diane of being a Traitor, referring to an exchange the night before when Diane cheered after Sonja was banished and raised suspicions among the group,
“I found that strange,” said Charlie, to which Diane agreed, but explained that she cheered because she was “excited” to have guessed that Sonja was indeed a Faithful, not a Traitor.
“It was absolutely wrong,” admitted Diane, before her son Ross jumped into her defence, saying: “To be fair as well, obviously Diane we haven’t spoken loads, but as soon as we went back into the bar, you came up to me and Jonny and apologised… so you know, you did get around a lot of people.”
Others chimed in and agreed.
In a confessional, Ross said their gameplan is to “divide and conquer” because if one of them wins the competition – they both win. “We’re keeping the relationship a secret,” he said. “I’m just trying to stay focused but... it’s tough!”
Might more hidden clues come to light? Never rule it out in the game of The Traitors. Last series magician Tom and actor Alex were a secret couple last series. Who else could be connected?
The Traitors airs Wednesday to Friday on BBC One at 9pm.
