EXCLUSIVE: The Traitors is all about backstabbing and accusations, but accusations of deception have now extended to the behind-the-scenes production of the hit show.

The BBC has been accused of painting a “truly shocking picture” when it comes to the number of people working on the show who are based in Scotland, which is where it is filmed and where it qualifies as a “Scottish commission” under Ofcom regulations.

The Traitors UK is made by Studio Lambert Scotland and is filmed at a castle in remote Inverness. However, veteran Scottish TV director Peter Strachan, who is on the board of trade body Director’s UK, has claimed the show could be failing on the Ofcom regulations. These regulations require producers to meet two of three criteria to qualify as out-of-London: having a “substantive base” in the region, investing 70% of “production spend” outside the English capital and having at least 50% of the off-screen talent based outside London.

Strachan claims he has run the rule over The Traitors production team and found that “over 80%” are based outside Scotland. He also claims that if a Glasgow-based BBC executive producer was removed, no “above the line” roles would be filled out of Scotland.

In a LinkedIn post that is being shared throughout the UK production community and has amassed more than 650 likes, Strachan said the data paints a “truly shocking picture.” He accused the BBC of “de facto cultural bias” and said it is “refusing to behave fairly.”

“Even if The Traitors does meet these two criteria, it’s clearly not being done in the spirit of the Ofcom Regional Production regulations,” added Strachan. Informed sources in the Scottish sector tell us that these questions have been raised within the Scottish production community over the past couple of years, since The Traitors launched with a bang in January 2023.

Insiders told us that the third season of The Traitors does meet the Ofcom criteria for an out-of-London production and that opportunities for local freelancers have increased as the seasons have rolled on. Studio Lambert has around 10 staff in its Scotland office in Glasgow and is working on developing other shows and training opportunities.

Screen Scotland Director David Smith told Deadline his team is “actively engaging” with the BBC and Studio Lambert regarding The Traitors and, while improvement is required, the show is on a “journey.” “This is a show that is representing an element of Scotland, its geography, really positively, so as a consequence we are supportive of it,” he added.

But Strachan described his findings as the “tip of the iceberg” for TV production in Scotland. “We have found many other supposedly Scottish productions are failing to create jobs for broadcast freelancers in Scotland,” he added. “It’s proof that the BBC is not commissioning fairly and that its spend isn’t translating into a fair level of job opportunity across the UK.”

Strachan’s post is timely. A Screen Scotland report from late last year found that only five of the top 15 Scottish producers were headquartered in Scotland. Defending the findings from this report as recently as yesterday, new BBC Scotland Director Hayley Valentine said BBC Scotland’s definition of what makes a ‘Scottish’ company is wider than what Screen Scotland says and said Screen Scotland’s data was viewed through a “prism.”

But issuing a statement yesterday, Smith rejected Valentine’s notion of the “prism.” “That prism was Ofcom’s Made Out of London Register, and the episodes the BBC had opted to say were Scottish qualifying in that Register,” he said, while questioning the lack of evidence over the BBC’s claim that it spent £300M ($370M) last year on content in Scotland.

The UK’s networks have long been plagued with criticism from the indie sector over their London skew. Nations & Regions rules are set by Ofcom and are in place to create a fairer system and more work for ‘true’ local indies. They were last updated around six years ago.

The Traitors launched its third season last week and has been posting its best ratings yet, with more than 5M tuning in again last night. A celebrity version will also launch later this year. The show has sold around the world and a successful U.S. version airs on Peacock.

The BBC and Studio Lambert declined comment.