“The Traitors” as a reality TV format started in the early 2020s, with the original version launching in the Netherlands in 2021, and the now-famous UK and US versions following shortly after.

TV show origins

  • The original The Traitors reality competition was first created and aired in the Netherlands in 2021 under the Dutch title “De Verraders.”
  • The concept was then adapted internationally, including the British version on the BBC in 2022 and the American version on Peacock that premiered its first season in January 2023.

UK and US versions

  • The British series “The Traitors” (hosted by Claudia Winkleman) debuted on BBC One in November 2022, filmed at Ardross Castle in the Scottish Highlands.
  • The American series “The Traitors” (hosted by Alan Cumming) premiered on Peacock on January 12, 2023, also filmed at Ardross Castle, with all episodes of season 1 released that day.

If you meant “traitors” in history

  • If the question is about traitors in the historical or political sense (people committing treason), that concept is ancient, appearing in legal and moral discussions going back to classical civilizations.
  • Many legal systems have long defined treason as betraying one’s sovereign or state, often considered one of the most serious crimes, but this is a broad idea rather than something with a single start date.

If you clarify whether you mean the TV show “The Traitors” or traitors in a historical/political sense, more specific dates and examples can be given.