KATIE HIND: I've had a sneak peek. And trust me, Traitors fans... this is the best TV you'll see all year

By order of the Traitors, last Tuesday I found myself sitting in a plush cinema tucked away inside an upmarket London hotel. 

Cloaked in the same intrigue that has turned the BBC’s smash-hit show into a nationwide television event – with 15million viewers hooked on every dastardly plot twist and turn – I joined a select group of 60 for a sneak preview of the hotly-anticipated Celebrity edition, which kicks off this week.

Recorded earlier in the year at Ardross Castle in the Scottish Highlands, with a new cast of A-list stars, comedians and national treasures who are more than fond of a spotlight, it has been quite a feat to keep this year’s gameplay under wraps until the first episode airs on Thursday.

Even viewing the opening episode at Charlotte Street Hotel in Fitzrovia required us all to sign a cast-iron non-disclosure agreement (sadly, not with a quill inside a turret) to ensure we wouldn’t divulge any of the show’s secrets.

But what I can say without fear of being next on the Traitors’ hit list is that, if the rest of the series is as brilliantly gripping as the first 75 minutes proved to be, keeping schtum about it will have been a gargantuan task for the cast.

What happens at the castle must surely be the most closely guarded secret in television, as well as the eventual winner or winners.

However, for the show’s army of armchair sleuths who scrutinise visual clues for any indication of what might be to come, there are some subtle hints out there, along with some glaring red herrings, if you know where to look.

Covert friendships between the cast members are starting to emerge. And while some predate the show, others could well reveal some of the allegiances – or rivalries – which may have developed during filming.

Even more tantalisingly, could those relationships indicate which stars were among the Faithful – and which were recruited to become Traitors? And could they hint at the eventual winner?

Take, for example, comedian Rob Beckett and Jerry Hall, the Texan model and former partner of Sir Mick Jagger. Neither had crossed paths before the show and, with a 30-year age gap, they appear an unlikely pairing.

But anyone looking closely enough at them today will realise that they must have formed a tight bond – so much so that Beckett, 40, posted a photograph of himself looking cosy with Ms Hall, 70, during a lunch date.

He excitedly told one journalist that he ‘got on really well with Jerry, really well’ and described her as ‘an incredible woman’.

Revealing that he had taken his family to have lunch at her home, he said: ‘We’re both really chilled and very family orientated. All she does is talk about her kids and stuff like that. She’s brilliant. So yeah, we went and had lunch, and she was amazing. She’s great fun.’

One source familiar with some of the show’s cast has pointed out that close friendships often develop in the castle when two people spend a lot of time together – which is particularly likely if they are both Traitors. 

Though, of course, the ‘bromance’ between last year’s contestants Joe Marler, a former rugby player, and comedian Nick Mohammed came from them both being Faithfuls. But whatever the truth, it certainly suggests that they remained on the show for long enough to form a bond.

Jerry was already close to Oscar-nominated actor Richard E Grant, 69, after they were neighbours in well-heeled Richmond, south-west London, for decades and could be this year’s ‘Big Dogs’. (Last year, Marler’s theory was that, of the two biggest names in the castle – Stephen Fry and Jonathan Ross – one was likely to be a Traitor. He was right).

 Jerry and Richard were in the 2004 film Tooth, and were pictured attending the Chelsea Flower Show together the same year.

Friends say Richard and his late wife, Joan Washington, socialised occasionally with Jerry and Sir Mick, and in 2016 the couple were guests at Jerry’s wedding to Rupert Murdoch. Of course, as Traitors aficionados will know, having such a long-standing friendship isn’t always a good thing.

Last year, singer Paloma Faith found herself murdered by her best friend, Traitor Alan Carr, in just the second episode.

Meanwhile, Richard and fellow actor Michael Sheen, 57, have also known one another for decades. They worked together on the film Bright Young Things in 2003, which was written by last year’s contestant and ‘Big Dog’, Stephen Fry.

They are said to have struck up a close bond – which could, of course, potentially benefit one or both of them at any point on Traitors.

A more covert – and highbrow – pairing is perhaps TV mathematician Hannah Fry, 42, and former Today programme host Amol Rajan, 43.

The Cambridge professor, who applies statistical analysis to everyday situations and could be seen as an early threat, spoke at a conference in January alongside Cambridge-educated Rajan.

The pair discussed how AI is reshaping education, and – while it isn’t clear how close they are – if they do have an unlikely alliance, it could prove formidable. 

Perhaps the most well-known pre-existing friendship is between Beckett and BBC golden boy Romesh Ranganathan, 48, who have hosted various shows together including Sky’s Rob & Romesh Vs.

But will that help or hinder either one of them? Those who know the men say that they were both unaware of the other’s participation.

However, Romesh has already admitted he can’t trust his friend. ‘He’s just as easily going to be on my side as he is going to twist the knife in my back given the opportunity,’ he has said. ‘It’s completely unpredictable.’

But is it a double bluff? Romesh is also close to former Coronation Street actress Julie Hesmondhalgh, 56, who does the voiceovers on Romesh’s The Weakest Link.

‘Julie is lovely and is so loyal to her friends,’ says a former associate of hers. That may well be put to the test as tensions and suspicions flare in the castle.

There is quite a mob from the UK’s comedy circuit taking part this year, and all of them will know each other fairly well. Rob is also friends with Joe Lycett, 38, for example, and James Acaster, 41, is part of that circle, too.

Joanne McNally, the Irish comedian who hosts a podcast with Vogue Williams, is also an occasional member of their gang.

Then there’s Maya Jama, 31, the glamorous Love Island host who made her name co-presenting Saturday night gameshow Cannonball on ITV alongside Freddie Flintoff.

It has already been widely predicted that she will be the stand-out star, but she could also benefit from a little help from her friends.

Step forward Little Mix singer Leigh-Ann Pinnock, 34, who is said to be close to Maya after their paths crossed at various events, including the British Fashion Awards.

Singer James Blunt, 52, is another wildcard who many expect to go far in the series. A captain in the Army’s Life Guards for six years before launching his music career, he is also said to be close to Maya.

Earlier this year they joined forces to present the Best Artist award at the Brits, handing the gong to pop singer Olivia Dean. Traitors began filming three months later. ‘James and Maya got on really well that night,’ says my insider. ‘They both love a laugh.’

Even the youngsters on the show seem to have their own little clique. Actors Bella Ramsey, 23, and Sebastian Croft, 24, starred in Game of Thrones together and there are several photographs of them socialising on social media.

Yet sources tell me that, despite these friendships behind the scenes, producers have gone to great lengths to ensure that the show’s secrets are not revealed.

Runners on set even follow them to the toilet, according to Beckett, to make sure they remain on top of any rumour-mongering and keep interactions on camera. 

‘There were people in the toilets all the time in case you went in and then shouted something out the door to somebody and they couldn’t use it in the show,’ he said.

And what of the winner? There is certainly a small group of people who already know – those who work on the final of the show, and the celebs who made it to the last round table. 

Of course, the interest in such news – and the gossipy nature of celebrity – means leaks are inevitable. Last year a friend of a friend of Alan’s told me he had won before it was aired – which means that, despite the crew’s best efforts, not everyone sticks to their NDAs.

Perhaps someone needs to remind Joanne, 43, of the need to remain cloak-and-dagger. Speaking on her podcast, My Therapist Ghosted Me, Joanne told her co-star Vogue that she knows who the winner is – a pretty big clue that she may have gone far in the show. Either that, or someone else who did has been highly indiscreet.

Asked if she knew who wins the show, Joanne replied: ‘Yes, of course.’ But perhaps in a bid to backtrack, she jokingly added: ‘I won.’

It was not her first faux pas. Lycett has admitted he and Joanne told each other they were doing the show before filming began – another breach of the rules set by BBC bosses.

Joe said: ‘I asked Joanne McNally, who is one of my favourite people in the world, and she said, “I’m in as well,” so the comics sort of worked out who was in because we all talk to each other.’

He also admitted he broke the terms of his NDA, adding: ‘We weren’t meant to ask people if they were doing it – you sign the NDA, and they say don’t tell anyone you’re doing it, but if you search the word “Traitors” in my WhatsApp, I told everyone! I was telling Uber drivers.’

One star who has stuck to the rules is former EastEnders star and documentary presenter Ross Kemp. He insists he took the directive very seriously, saying the NDA for Traitors is ‘longer than the Bayeux Tapestry’.

One BBC insider mused: ‘If only they were all like Ross.’

Having seen the first episode, I now know who the Traitors are, too. And believe me, it’s the best television you will see all year.

There is a lot of competition to secure those enigmatic mantles – and the additional airtime and exposure that comes with them. So much so, in fact, that I am hearing rumours that celebrity agents have been pressuring the show’s producers at Studio Lambert to choose the clients.

That decision, of course, is entirely up to host Claudia Winkleman. But the fact that such skulduggery began before the show started filming has set the scene for what promises to be a wild ride.

‘After seeing Alan win last year, it’s clear what it can do for your career,’ says my source. ‘The competition before the show was vicious; they all want to win but they can’t – which means we are in for some major backstabbing.’