A Cornish priest from the Lizard has swapped her cassock for cunning as she joins the forged of BBC’s hit show The Traitors.
Rev Lisa Coupland, 62, is about to seem within the third season of the nail-biting game show, which tests contestants’ abilities to detect deceit while competing for a prize pot of as much as £120,000.
Her day job as an Anglican priest might sound at odds with the show’s themes of treachery and manipulation, but her passion for whodunnit stories makes her a fitting addition to the forged.Â
Rev Coupland was born in London and delivered by nuns, leading her to consider her Christian calling was “from birth”.
“My most important driving force is that I’m completely obsessive about murder mysteries,” she told CornwallLive. “If there is a murder mystery on the go, I’m there. I’ve watched every episode of Poirot, every Agatha Christie greater than once, Midsomer Murders, Inspector Morse, Grantchester, Father Brown, Sister Boniface. I’m just obsessive about murders and the mental aspect of attempting to work out who did it.”
The show, hosted by Claudia Winkleman, will see 22 contestants gather in a distant Scottish castle to pit their wits against each other. Lisa hopes her sharp mind and calm demeanour might be assets within the high-stakes environment.
“I wish to think that I can think a bit bit laterally, and I wish to think that I’m a fairly good judge of character,” she said. “Although that is a synthetic scenario, because individuals are bringing to the sport, and this includes me, not necessarily who they’re as an actual person. In standard life, I’m sure people usually are not that treacherous; I’d wish to think.”
She went on, “I feel I’m quite calm. I’m quite a realist. And so, I’d wish to bring some type of calm to situations in the event that they get a bit overwrought. And be there for people as well. Listen to them, but additionally be taking a look at people from outside the box. I’m quite an observer.”
While Lisa describes herself as competitive, she acknowledges the moral dilemma of balancing her Christian values with the sport’s premise.
“Oh, I’m so competitive. So competitive,” she admitted. “People have said to me, and that is something that I’ve needed to reflect on quite quite a bit, about happening a programme like The Traitors where deception and lying is an element of the sport and the way does that sit with being a priest? It doesn’t exactly speak of the values that we uphold as a priest.
“But it is a game. And just similar to if I’m sitting across the kitchen table with my family, for those who’re playing the sport, you play the sport, whatever that entails.”
Rev Coupland emphasised that everybody on the show understands the foundations and expectations: “You know that after they go in there, they know what the role is, they usually know what the sport is. What confuses it, after all, is because there is a money pot at the top of it. But genuinely, that does not trouble me. I’m not in it for the cash. And that is real. If I won the cash, I would not keep it.”
If she were to win, her focus could be on giving back to her family and community.
“I’ve got three sons, so I’d probably help them out a bit bit,” she said. “I actually have a friend who runs an animal charity in Ireland who I’d also wish to help.”
Coupland has served amongst Cornish parishes inside the Meneage Benefice and the Deanery of Kerrier, positioned along the Lizard Peninsula. Naturally, the church communities there would welcome any financial support.
“We have an old vestry that we would like to convert right into a community place in order that we will have lunches for individuals who have been widowed, who’re bereaved and wish to return together. I’d wish to open a Lego club for youths to return and find a way to be creative.
“It’s not in regards to the money for me genuinely. Well, okay, that is a lie. It could be lovely to win the cash because I do know that I could do some really positive things with it. But if I do not win the cash, I’m not going to be heartbroken.”
Coupland’s mixture of sharp commentary, calm leadership, and a love of puzzles could make her a powerful contender in The Traitors. Will she emerge victorious or fall prey to the treachery of others? Cornish viewers will little question be rooting for his or her local vicar as she takes on this unique challenge.
The Traitors, season three, is on the market to observe on BBC 1 and iPlayer.
