It has been confirmed today that Channel 4’s reality TV game show ‘The Circle’ has been renewed for a third series and a charity celebrity special is in the works too.
The Circle is a social media-inspired game show that centres around the concept that “anyone can be anyone in The Circle”. Throughout the series, contestants live in the same apartment building, but are never allowed to meet and instead must communicate solely using their profiles on a specially-designed app.
The hit show is filmed in Salford.
As well as the third series, a Stand Up To Cancer special has also been commissioned and the lineup will solely be made up of celebrities attempting to win alliances, form cliques and ultimately be crowned the most popular contestant.
Channel 4 has confirmed that both the third series and the celebrity spin off show will be filmed in line with strict COVID-19 guidelines, meaning that episodes will be pre-recorded and there will be no studio audience or live shows as there has been in both previous series.
Production and filming is set to begin later this year, with the show aiming to be on air at the start of 2021.
Emma Willis will return as host, alongside comedian Sophie Willan on voiceover duty.
Speaking on the renewal of the series, Emma Willis said: “The Circle is just brilliant, unmissable television,”
“I loved every minute of being a part of it and I’m delighted to be returning to it for another series where I’ll be right at the centre of all the mischief and drama! To add to that, we’re also doing a celeb version – I can’t wait to see who’ll be in the line-up and whether they’ll play as themselves or as another celebrity, it’s going to be incredible.”
Gilly Greenslade, who commissioned all three series for Channel 4, said: “When we were developing the series three years ago, I knew it would reflect how we live but I never expected it to be quite so prophetic.”
“Now many more of us have had a taste of living our lives isolated and online, I am excited to see the strategies and tactics that the new players bring to the game.”
“Since the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic, people around the world have been learning the power of connecting remotely. Perhaps in the light of this, the new series will resonate even more for audiences as well as offer them the distraction of fun, warmth and strategy.”