The Traitors: Peterborough's Freddie on life in the castle, Claudia Winkleman - and THAT double cross by Charlotte

It has been a whirlwind few weeks for Peterborough’s Freddie Fraser – one of the stars of BBC1 show The Traitors.

The 20-year-old politics student was front and centre of much of the drama in the Scottish castle – and came within a whisker of making the final, only being ‘banished’ on the final day.

The show’s cast have been front and centre of media coverage since the final was broadcast on Friday – and today Freddie sat down for a chat with the Peterborough Telegraph, where he discussed life in the castle, his future plans – and THAT double cross by Charlotte.

‘Day two or three, my name started getting thrown about, and I was like ‘oh my God, this is it.’

The 20-year-old former Sacred Heart, Ken Simpson, Deepings School and Arthur Mellows Village College pupil faced a lot of pressure early doors, as some of the other contestants accused him of being a Traitor.

Freddie said: “Going in there I always thought you don’t expect for people to think it is you for some reason – in your head you think ‘how could you possibly think it was me.’

"But day two or day three, my name started getting thrown about, and I was like ‘oh my God, this is it.’

"So each day, I would go in there and I would have to write a massive defence of what I am going to say. Luckily it worked out for me, as I got quite far because of it – but honestly, it was a very stressful time because some times, you just did not want to be the one that was the centre of attention.

"But it seems that I was the punching bag of the season, and that everyone would just say, it's me say it's me.

“So trying to defend myself, got quite a lot of points, but it was, it was fine – it taught me all by myself.”

‘I think one of my most memorable moments was getting Minah out’

While taking part in the show, contestants have to take part in a series of challenges in a bid to add money to the prize pot.

With many of them being physical challenges, Freddie might have had a small advantage, having been ranked number one in the country at the sprint hurdles as a schoolboy.

But it was the iconic Round Table sessions that were Freddie’s most memorable during his time on the show.

He said; “The missions were really fun as that is the time we would come come together – not forgetting about the game, but working together as a team – it was quite nice for those few hours that they are not really stressful and intense strategically.

"But I do love the Round Table, and everyone talking about each other, how the social hierarchy works.

"I think one of my most memorable ones was getting Minah (a Traitor) out, because I kind of led the charge on that one.

"When you get it right, you do feel a sense of accomplishment – I was like ‘oh, I am actually kind of good at this game.’"

"I thought if Claudia touches my shoulder, it is game over because I might have physically thrown up everywhere”

During the later part of the game, Charlotte – who was using a fake Welsh accent during the show – was ‘recruited’ to become a Traitor – much to the surprise of many of the contestants when her role was finally revealed.

And it was after Minah had been banished that Charlotte delivered an ‘Ultimatum’ to Freddie – either become a Traitor, or be ‘murdered.’

Freddie, of course, went along with it and became a Traitor – but he was unaware Charlotte had planned to set Freddie up, and the pair tried to ‘murder’ Leanne – with Freddie one of two people, along with former Oundle School pupil Alexander – not to know that Leanne was protected by a shield.

Unfortunately for Freddie, despite a putting up a strong defence through most of the day, he stumbled on some details and was banished.

Freddie said: “I said to Claudia at the start that I wanted to be a Traitor, but even in that moment I was lying because I think you know when you get caught up the moment you think ‘I want to be a Traitor’ – but when we were sat down and put the blindfold on (when the Traitors were first chosen) I thought if Claudia touches my shoulder, it is game over because I might have physically thrown up everywhere and there is no way I’ll pull this off.

"So I am really glad I didn’t get picked.

"It was a really chaotic last 24 hours. I had to defend myself through the entire show saying I was a Faithful, which obviously I was. And then the fact I had to stand up there and say I was a Traitor – it was almost like my opportunity to speak my truth had been taken away from me.

"I remember when I received the letter and got asked by Charlotte to join her or die.

"Obviously you just hope that you can get through it. I didn’t want to accept it.

"I was really angry.

I kind of knew when she selected my that I was a sacrificial lamb, because that is what normally happens in this sort of thing – especially when I had so much heat on me. I though she would just push the narrative on me, and I could do it back – but I didn’t expect there to be a whole shield play involved, and that was the downfall of me.

"It had been such a late night, and I was so tired and exhausted.

"But now I look at it and think I got to play both roles, which not many people get to do, so that was a nice experience.”

‘I was rooting for the Faithfuls’

Freddie said he was still in touch with the others on the show. He said: “It is just a game at the end of the day, so we do form strong bonds within the game. It is nice to chat to them, as they understand what we went through.”

Despite finishing the game as a Traitor, Freddie said he was cheering for the Faithfuls in the final,. He said: “I was rooting for the Faithfuls, but if any of them had won I would have been happy with the outcome, because even if Charlotte won, even though she double cross me, she played a blinder as a Traitor, especially when Frankie knew her identity, because if she can spin this and get through, you have to respect it, and with the other four, I wish they all won. It was a tough watch.”

Along with the competitors, and the glorious Scottish castle and countryside, the star of the show is presenter Claudia Winkleman. Freddie said: “She is lovely – she is so down to earth as well. She was really lovely with all of the cast members, and she plays the role of the host so well – she really does fit the Gothic theme.”

‘Going on the show has really opened my eyes to a whole new world of career paths’

Freddie admitted to telling his friends and family he was going on an MI5 internship while filming was on, as an excuse as to why he didn't answer his phone.

He also said he had kept the result a secret from his loved ones. He said; “When we get out, we don’t tell anyone what happened, because you don’t want to ruin the show for them as well. You want them to watch it and be on the edge of their seats. That was quite nice as I was getting texts from all my friends and family saying how well I was doing. They were all really supportive of me.”

Freddie now plans on finishing his university course before deciding on his next move.

He said: “I’m in my third year at the University of Nottingham studying politics and international relations.

"Then this year, I am going to finish my degree and go from there, because going on the show has really opened my eyes to a whole new world of career paths, which is really exciting.”