As 'The Traitors' continues its reign as a talking-point for the nation, psychologists at the University of Chester joined with a former contestant to analyse the explosive finale and look at what lies ahead.

The latest episode of the popular Psychology Of..... The Traitors podcast has been released, after series three of the TV phenomenon.

In the new installment, the hosts, Dr Clea Wright, Professor Lisa Oakley and Dr Kevin Hochard, welcomed special guest Ivan Brett who starred in the first series of the hit show.

They unpacked the final episode, including the build-up across the last three episodes, pivotal points and the shape of future series.

Together they provide a psychological and inside take on the tactics and changes in this series' ending: the most watched in its history.

The BBC One programme places a fascinating focus on human behaviour, described as the "ultimate reality game of trust and treachery", pitting Traitors against Faithfuls to win a grand prize.

Guest and former contestant, Ivan, provides insights from how he played the game, and what it was like being part of the first series before it became the success it is today.

Clea said: "The show continues to fascinate people, including us as psychologists, because we can see such a wide variety of human behaviour and psychological principles at work.

"As well as obvious things like deception, betrayal, how trust develops and why people trust each other, we also get an insight into how first impressions work, how groups form, how relationships emerge between individuals, how people judge each other and make decisions about other people, amongst lots of other things."

Kevin added: "Thank you to Ivan for joining us on the podcast, it was a joy to welcome him and hear his thoughts and experiences.

"Thank you also to everyone listening.

"The response since we launched the podcast has been fantastic and we hope this new episode helps to fill the gap for those missing The Traitors."

During this series, Kevin, Clea and Lisa have shared their psychological expertise in the national media on The Traitors, including contributing to pieces in The Guardian, BBC Radio 5 Live and The New Scientist.

To listen to the podcast, which has been streamed more than 2,650 times during the last month, please visit the Psychology Of….The Traitors profile on Spotify.