Traitors Channel 4: Viewers are loving Keeley Hawes' spy thriller

(Image credit: Channel 4)

published 18 February 2019

After a roaring success with BBC drama Bodyguard, Keeley Hawes has returned to TV screens with a brand new Channel 4 drama, Traitors.

The first episode of the six-part spy thriller premiered last night (Sunday), and introduced viewers to a world of dark political espionage set in 1945, at the close of World War Two.

Keeley Hawes returns to her political acting roots in the drama - but in a very different capacity to the formidable Home Secretary she played in Bodyguard. The actress stars as the Cabinet Office's under-secretary, Priscilla Garrick, the woman who stands by the side of the Prime Minister.

The first instalment sees Feef Symonds, played by Emma Appleton, convinced to spy on the UK government by American officials.

And it seems viewers were pretty impressed with the opening of the new show, with many positive comments on social media.

One said, '#Traitors on @Channel4 is soooo good! The kinda drama I love', while another wrote, 'Congrats all involved with @Channel4 #Traitors great Sunday night telly.'

A third also said, 'Well done #Channel4 a brilliant spy drama'.

Other fans specifically pointed out Keeley's perfomance as a highlight - despite the fact that she didn't feature hugely in the first episode.

A social media user commented, 'Loving @Misskeeleyhawes in Traitors so far 😍 it's another fab production! #Traitors #Channel4'.

While another said, 'OMF traitors is so so good and Keeley Hawes is too good #traitors'.

However, some viewers did point out a few historical accuracy errors in the show - including the fact that the election results came in on the same night of the election.

One person explained, 'Um, that's a bit wierd on #Traitors because polling day in the 1945 general election was Thursday 5 July but the votes weren't counted until Thursday 26 July because of all the postal votes being repatriated from soldiers serving abroad.'

As well as Channel 4, the show will also be available to watch on Netflix, meaning fans outside of the UK and Ireland will get the chance to see it too.

There's no exact date for the Traitors Netflix launch, but it is expected to be up on the streaming service in 'early 2019' - so pretty soon!

Amy Hunt is an experienced digital journalist specialising in homes, interiors and hobbies. She began her career working as the features assistant at woman&home magazine, before moving over to the digital side of the brand where she eventually became the Lifestyle Editor up until January 2022. Amy won the Digital Journalist of the Year award at the AOP Awards in 2019 for her work on womanandhome.com.