The Traitors fans have hailed this year's series as the 'best ever' as they branded the nail-biting finale as 'beautiful' television.

The smash-hit fourth series of the BBC show concluded on Friday evening as Traitors Stephen Libby and Rachel Duffy emerged victorious and took home the huge cash prize.

Stephen, Rachel, James Baker, Faraaz Noor, Jade Scott, and Jack Butler went head-to-head to be crowned the winner.

The group ultimately chose to banish Faraaz first, before voting to eliminate Jack in a dramatic second round of banishment.

Traitors Rachel and Stephen were left overwhelmed with emotion as host Claudia Winkleman announced they had won the game, with each contestant taking home a whopping £47,875.

As fans at home watched the pair celebrate their win with a glass of champagne outside the castle before the credits rolled, they praised this year's series as the 'best ever'.

Flooding social media with comments, viewers said the episodes were the 'most satisfying' to watch, like 'Shakespeare'.

One said: 'God that wasn't just good telly that was *licks fingers* bloody Shakespeare!!!';

'Yep. This is the best finale of the UK series. This is how, sometimes, reality TV makes the best story arcs without even trying';

'They did it!! most deserving winners so far, our iconic traitorous duo!!'; 

'So deserved. They did it with strategy, batted off suspicions, played the rest against each other and stayed loyal to each other. They made it a very satisfying and fun series to watch. Congrats to Rachel and Stephen';

'Your favourite English teacher and the little gay boy she lets sit in the classroom with her over lunch as she marks her papers have only gone and done it. Absolutely insane game and season. DESERVED';

'The first ever likeable winners of the show'; 'Stephen, you absolute legend. He had so many opportunities, but he made a promise, and he stuck with it. What a beautiful ending';

'OMFG Stephen could’ve won £95k - but kept his promise and took home £47.5k with Rachel. And they’re the first TRAITORS to make it to the end! What a decent man Stephen is. And what a f***ing great pair they made. Amazing';

'My nervous system has still not recovered from the final of #TheTraitors. The greatest episode of reality TV in years. Rachel and Stephen are by far the best winners yet. I can’t get over how she mastered so many moves, right up to flipping Faraaz at the end. Truly sensational'.

Both Rachel and Stephen appeared on spin-off show Uncloaked immediately after the finale as they spoke about their win to host Ed Gamble and Claudia Winkleman.  

Rachel said: 'I was so nervous for Stephen so watching it back, it made me cry.'

Stephen added: 'I didn't know what I was going to do, watching it back I can see in my face. I'm just so proud of the decision that I made, proud of myself and Rachel.'

Earlier in the series, Stephen had expressed doubts over whether Rachel would keep her side of the pact they made never to write each other's names on their slates at the roundtable.

Now, speaking after their win, the pair explained why they were determined to stick to the agreement, despite initial doubts.

Rachel said: 'I knew from the minute it came out of my mouth I wouldn't break the pact and I thought this is a new game for me I'm not breaking it.'

Stephen added: 'It's so hard to trust someone in there whose job it is to lie and so I was really struggling to see how Rachel could hold onto that pact for the whole game which is why to the end I was wobbling.'

The BBC has already commissioned a fifth series of the civilian series of The Traitors with applications now open, while a second series of the celebrity edition has also been ordered by bosses.