Blaise Tapp: It seems everyone’s watching the Traitors – except me

Even if you haven't watched a second of Claudia Winkleman elegantly sweeping around a Scottish castle, it's highly unlikely you will have avoided it completely, such is the hype surrounding this programme - I believe it is called a cultural phenomenon, rather like the Hula Hoop or the Macarena.

The result of the show featured prominently on news bulletins across the weekend with anchors and presenters solemnly warning viewers that they should switch channels if they wanted to avoid the dreaded spoilers - which in 21st Century society are considered to be comparable to adultery or insulting the monarchy.

Millions watched it loyally for four weeks, not missing a minute of the action - if you can call a group of strangers in cardigans sitting around action - including three quarters of the Tapp household. As has often been the case throughout my 49 years, I was the odd one out, even though I did catch the key highlights while flitting in and out of the living room while doing more important things such as folding underpants.

The show’s entire premise, which is basically people telling lies and double crossing strangers that they pretend to form a bond with, has never appealed to me. As a parent who has spent the past decade and a half telling my children to always tell the truth, I do feel like I’ve failed at my most important job, given that they adore The Traitors. Its fans argue that it is all a bit of fun and that’s fine if backstabbing is your idea of fun.

I have never been a big fan of reality television, a craze which really gained a foothold in popular culture around a quarter of a century ago with the arrival to our screens of Big Brother, which I was vaguely interested in for a couple of episodes until I realised that it really was just a bunch of wannabes boring on about their next meal.

Call me old fashioned but when I want to be entertained, I would much prefer it if it were trained professionals doing the entertaining, rather than a blacksmith from Dundee who has been on a journey. There are exceptions - I love the excellent Grand Designs, especially when a really smug couple in turtlenecks fail to convert an 18th century coal bunker into a subterranean eco-home.

I know millions will disagree with me but if I want to experience reality, I will go down the pub rather than switch on the telly.