The Circle (British TV series)

This article is about the British show. For other editions, see The Circle (franchise).

The Circle
GenreReality
Creative directorTim Harcourt
Presented by
Narrated bySophie Willan
Theme music composerPatrizio Knight
Opening theme"The Circle Theme"[1][2]
Country of originUnited Kingdom
Original languageEnglish
No. of series3
No. of episodes61
Production
Executive producers
  • Tim Harcout
  • Daisy Lilly
  • Toni Ireland
  • Cam de la Huerta
  • Martin Oxley
Camera setupFixed rig
Running time60-95 minutes (inc. adverts)
Production companiesStudio Lambert[3]
Motion Content Group
Original release
NetworkChannel 4
Release18 September 2018 (2018-09-18) –
9 April 2021 (2021-04-09)
Related
Infobox instructions (only shown in preview)

The Circle, sometimes called The Circle UK,[A] is a British reality television game show and the original version of The Circle franchise. Produced by Studio Lambert and Motion Content Group and airing on Channel 4, the show bills itself as a game based around social media, with the concept that "anyone can be anyone in The Circle". Throughout the show, contestants live in the same apartment building but are never allowed to meet. The show is narrated by Sophie Willan, whilst the first and last episode of the first series were hosted by Maya Jama and Alice Levine (later replaced by Emma Willis from the second series onwards). The show has been compared to Big Brother and Catfish in format,[5] as well as Black Mirror episode "Nosedive" with the concept of having to rate other people.[6]

The first series was won by 26-year-old Internet comedian Alex Hobern, who had played the game claiming to be a 25-year-old woman called Kate, using photos of his real-life girlfriend Millie. Hobern also won the "viewers champion" for an additional £25,000, claiming £75,000 in total. The second series was won by Paddy Smyth, with Tim Wilson winning the "viewers champion" vote. In June 2020, The Circle was renewed for a third series. The Celebrity Circle was also announced.[7] The Circle was cancelled in May 2021.[8] However, Studio Lambert are reportedly in talks with Netflix to launch the British version of the show on the streaming service.[9]

  1. ^ "About". www.patrizio-knight.com. Archived from the original on 16 February 2021. Retrieved 23 September 2018.
  2. ^ Knight, Patrizio. "The Circle Theme (Extended)". SoundCloud. Archived from the original on 16 February 2021. Retrieved 23 September 2018.
  3. ^ "C4 commissions The Circle from Studio Lambert and Motion Content Group". www.channel4.com. 16 May 2018. Archived from the original on 16 February 2021. Retrieved 16 September 2018.
  4. ^ Manori Ravindran (7 May 2021). "'The Circle' U.K. to End After Three Seasons". Variety. Retrieved 20 January 2022.
  5. ^ White, Peter (8 October 2018). "Netflix Remakes Studio Lambert's British Reality Series 'The Circle' In The U.S. & Two Other Global Markets". Deadline. Archived from the original on 16 February 2021. Retrieved 5 June 2019.
  6. ^ Abdulbaki, Mae (26 September 2019). "Netflix's New Reality Competition The Circle Is Already Super Popular In The U.K." Cinema Blend. Archived from the original on 16 February 2021. Retrieved 29 September 2019.
  7. ^ "'The Circle': Channel 4 Confirms Season 3 & Celebrity Edition, As Studio Lambert Tweaks Format Amid COVID-19". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on 16 February 2021. Retrieved 15 June 2020.
  8. ^ Warner, Sam (7 May 2021). "The Circle cancelled by Channel 4 after three series". Digital Spy. Hearst Magazines UK. Retrieved 7 May 2021.
  9. ^ "The Circle: Channel 4 decides not to re-commission the reality show". BBC News. 7 May 2021. Retrieved 23 May 2021.


Cite error: There are <ref group=upper-alpha> tags or {{efn-ua}} templates on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=upper-alpha}} template or {{notelist-ua}} template (see the help page).