"Anyone can be anyone..."
The Circle is a British reality television show, produced by Studio Lambert and Motion Content Group for Channel 4. The show's first season initially started airing 18th of September 2018 and lasted for a total of 21 days, concluding on 8th of October, 2018 with a live final on its first successful season.
The show revolves around the social media aspect with the concept and constant saying of "Anyone can be anyone (in The Circle)". The show has been heavily compared with Big Brother with a Catfish and Blackmirror twist.
The first season was won by Alex Hobern, who was catfishing players as his girlfriend; Millie, but in The Circle as "Kate".
He was also declared the viewers champion, winning a total of £75,000.
The second season was won by Paddy Smyth winning the cash prize of £70,000, while the viewers champion was won by Tim Wilson, who won the cash prize of £30,000.
Format[]
In the Circle, the "Players" each move into a block of flats, each player getting their own private apartment. The players are never allowed to see each other face to face, but instead communicate through a specialized social media network; The Circle. This would mean they'd be able to portray themselves in whatever way they wanted to be.
As the series progresses, players will get the chance to rate each other. During these ratings, the 2 players who have the highest rating, will be made the influencers and will get to make the joint and deciding decision as to who gets blocked (eliminated) from The Circle. The Influencers will be immune to said blocking, putting the rest of the players at risk. When blocked, a player is therefore eliminated from The Circle, and they are also given a chance to see one of the remaining players face-to-face.
At the finale, the contestants would be tasked with rating each other one more time, and the highest rated player will be crowned the winner, winning the cash prize of £50,000. The viewing public will also be given the chance to choose their "Viewers Champion", who will take home £25,000.
Series[]
| Season | Start Date | Final Date | Players | Winner | Runner-up | Cash Prize | Episodes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Series 1 | 18th September, 2018 | 8th October, 2018 | 15 | Alex Hobern | Freddie Bentley | £50,000 | 18 |
| Series 2 | 24th September, 2019 | 18th October, 2019 | 14 | Paddy Smyth | Georgina Aurelia Elliot |
£70,000 | 22 |
| Series 3 | 16 March, 2021 | 9 April, 2021 | 13 | Natalya Platonova | Manrika Khaira | £100,000 | 21 |
| Series 1 | 9 March, 2021 | 15 March, 2021 | 12 | Lady Leshurr | Saffron Barker | 6 |
History[]
The Circle's first series began airing from 18th of September, 2018 hosted by Maya Jama & Alice Levine. The first series lasted until October 8th of the same year, with a total of 21 days. On October 8th, it was announced that Alex/Kate had managed to come out as the winner, with Freddie Bentley coming out as the runner-up.
A second series of the show, was later confirmed, later being confirmed to be launched in September 2019. However for the second series, Emma Willis would replace Maya and Alice as the host of the show. On the 18th October, it was announced that Paddy Smyth was crowned the winner of Season 2 taking home £70,000 with Georgina Aurelia Elliot coming out as the runner up and Tim Wilson being the viewers champion.