The Traitors: Dramatic funeral scene 'better than an envelope'

18 January

A still from episode 7 of The Traitors. Led by host Claudia Winkleman, the players walk as part of a funeral procession ahead of ushers and black horses pulling a carriage. All the players wear black and are pictured on a gravel path surrounded by greenery. Diane, a white woman in her 60s who has a short ginger bob, folds her hands as she stands behind Claudia. She is flanked by fellow players Molly, Evie. Paul and Miles. — Image caption,
The players walk as part of a funeral procession after the traitors were tasked with poisoning a "faithful"

By Riyah Collins & Andrew Rogers

BBC Newsbeat

For days, the nation held its breath after seeing a retired teacher bring a glass of sparkling rosé to her lips.

That cliffhanger finale of last Friday's The Traitors left viewers guessing as to the fate of Diane Carson, 63.

If you're one of them and haven't caught up yet, stop reading now - spoilers ahead.

But what those who were watching did know, and Diane didn't, was that the glass of fizz was toxic.

And the most recent edition confirmed the question we'd all been asking: "Did she actually drink it?"

As we know now, she did.

'Worst hangover in history'

Diane, whose ginger bob and suspicious expressions caused an online sensation, caught up with BBC Newsbeat after her murder and funeral was aired on Wednesday.

"I never learned my lesson about fizzy rosé," she says.

"I continue to get hangovers but this has got to be the worst hangover in history."

The Traitors, hosted by Claudia Winkleman, sees 22 strangers gather in a Scottish castle for the chance to win up to £120,000.

A handful of contestants must pick off their fellow players, the faithful, with nightly "murders" while remaining undetected if they want to snatch the prize fund.

Episode seven, which aired on Wednesday, had a record number of viewers on BBC One with about 4m people tuning in - not including anyone who watched on iPlayer.

Since series two started, Diane, from Northern Ireland, has been a firm fan favourite with her no-nonsense vibes and says she's been blown away by the online reaction and countless memes about her.

"I'm just completely bemused," she says.

"My family filled me in and my daughter's helping with this Instagram account. Before we set it up I think I had 10 followers, apparently now I have over 7,000.

"All the memes are probably horrendous, but very, very funny and very flattering."

Diane's promotional shot for The Traitors. Diane is a 63-year-old white woman who has a ginger bob. She wears a patterned pink and white blouse over white trousers and has her hands in her pockets while smiling at the camera. She is flanked by two cloaked traitors in front of the Scottish castle where the series is filmed and flames have been added for dramatic effect

BBC/Studio Lambert/Mark Mainz

Diane's final send-off on The Traitors was branded a "state funeral" by fans online

In episode six, traitors Paul, Harry and Miles were tasked with murdering in plain sight by giving a poisoned chalice - the rosé - to their chosen victim.

They settled on Diane, who lives in Lancashire, but to their surprise she was still there at breakfast the following day after gladly accepting the fateful glass of fizz from Miles.

It wasn't until a morbid funeral procession later in the show where potential victims Diane, Paul and Evie had to get into coffins that her fate was confirmed.

"I loved the drama, I loved the ceremony, the pomp - I thought it was fabulous," says Diane.

"I definitely thought it was better than receiving an envelope on a chair.

"I still wasn't absolutely sure it was the rosé that did it for me but I thought it was fabulous way to go."

Luckily Diane says she's not claustrophobic, "so laying in the coffin was actually OK".

Diane pictured in episode 3 of The Traitors. Diane is a 63-year-old white woman with a ginger bob and brown eyes. She wears a blue gilet over a pale blue shirt and is seen giving suspicious eyes to fellow player Brian who is pictured from the back wearing a patterned black and white shirt. They are inside in the castle hallway which is painted in light colours with dark red drapes and wooden features

BBC/ Studio Lambert

Diane became a firm fan favourite for her no-nonsense vibes

The most difficult part of Diane's exit was saying goodbye to her "secret" son, fellow player Ross.

Diane revealed their relationship to viewers in the third episode but they managed to keep it from the rest of the contestants.

"Within five minutes I was getting on to the train [to the castle] I thought we were blown because Ross got the story wrong," Diane reveals.

"I was like, oh my god, we're never going to survive this.

"But once Zack thought Paul was my son, it deflected everything and I knew we were safe."

With the final due to air next week, Diane says she's hoping for chaos.

"I definitely hope it's going to come crashing down on the traitors and I hope Ross is going to lead that campaign," she says.

"Revenge is sweet."

Watch new episodes of The Traitors on BBC One and BBC iPlayer from 9pm on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday nights.

Listen to Newsbeat live at 12:45 and 17:45 weekdays - or listen back here.

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