Marian McHugh: The Traitors (Studio Lambert for BBC1 and other versions)

I’m like a Hungry, Hungry Hippo when it comes to The Traitors – obsessively gobbling each series as soon as it pops up on iPlayer.

Whether it’s the “dumb-dumbs” of Australia S2 (surely in contention for the worst cast ever?), the astonishingly good faithful of New Zealand S1 or the ‘did she drink the fizzy rosé?!’ drama of UK S2, no other show this year has had me constantly on the edge of my seat at every turn.

The beauty of the format is that having now watched seven series of it, I have yet to see an outcome repeat itself: various iterations of faithful heartbreak, brilliant faithful going toe-to-toe with cunning traitors, a traitor’s dilemma, traitorous faithful – every single one has had me gripped. (And not just me, I discovered via a text from my mum during the UK S2 finale that she had been, unbeknownst to me, watching the series throughout. It turns out I had unintentionally converted my linear, non-committal TV-watching mother into a Traitors fan during my Christmas stay the previous year.)

Alas, my obsession looks set to continue into 2025: US S3 has one of my fave reality stars playing my favourite TV competition, and my countrypeople will be taking their seats at the roundtable in the Irish version. Bring on the betrayals.

Honourable mentions:

The Push: Murder on the Cliff (Channel 4) – As heartbreaking as it is anger-inducing, this is a study of a family trying to piece themselves back together when the heart has been torn out of them. Fawziyah’s story is told with such care that you can’t help but mourn with them.

Smoggie Queens (BBC3/iPlayer) – Led by a character best described as a cross between Hyacinth Bucket and Blanche from Corrie, this found family sitcom doesn’t sacrifice the laughs as it tackles coming out, living authentically and the struggles of hosting a murder mystery dinner party.

• Marian McHugh is a reporter, Broadcast