Well that didn’t last long.
Obiter said after the first episode of The Traitors that we did not have high hopes for barrister Hugo to go far in series four of the BBC show.
But even we had not expected him to exit the castle as early as episode three.
Sadly, the Welshman was partially hoisted by his own profession, as fellow players questioned at the roundtable why Hugo had not done more to cross-examine potential suspects.
He was also probably doomed after he had taken control of the room to make an impassioned toast to murdered Ben – just hours after signing off on his death.
What made the episode so intriguing was that Hugo was largely brought down by (unbeknownst to him) a fellow legal mind. Faithful player Harriet Tyce is now a successful crime writer but she spent ten years as a criminal barrister – a fact she has hidden from her team mates.
It was pure gold for the watching lawyers to see Harriet and Hugo effectively each try to convince the jury of their case at the roundtable, with Harriet decisively winning the argument.
In her brutal takedown, Harriet said other players had been intimidated by his professional standing into not taking him on.
Hugo later told the Traitors: Uncloaked podcast: ‘I was chopped off at the ankle, I was defeated. It was like a machine gun opening up and there was just no way back to it.
‘Fair play to her. I don’t know if she has fallen out with another barrister in the past – perhaps it may have been the motivation, but the delivery of it was like a missile. Hats off to her – or wigs off to her as we say.’
He added that he had considered also hiding that he worked as a barrister, but had opted to be honest and treat the game like a stage rather than a court.
One other intriguing aspect was during Harriet’s piece to camera, when she referred to her hidden side. A lawyer-turned-writer with a penchant for concealing their true identity and a gift for a persuasive argument? Never mind exposing a traitor, have we finally uncovered the identity of the Secret Barrister?
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