The Circle will return for a third series AND a celebrity version for Stand Up To Cancer  

Channel 4 has recommissioned award-winning reality series The Circle for a third run, alongside an additional celebrity series, The Celebrity Circle.

The latter will be part of the Stand Up To Cancer campaign this year, which sees shows such as Hunted and The Great British Bake Off get the celebrity treatment to raise funds for Cancer Research UK.

Emma Willis will return to front the show, as she did for the previous season.

The concept of the reality format is ‘anyone can be anyone’ – and echos Big Brother in that it sees a group of strangers sent to live under 24 hour camera surveillance.

The difference is that the contestants aren’t able to see one another or talk, and they are separated, all living apart.

The show’s second season in 2019 was Channel 4’s highest rating 10PM series for 16-34-year-old viewers since 2010 and was one of All 4’s top 10 most viewed titles of the year.

Joining Emma again will be comedian Sophie Willan, who will narrate the show.

Prior to season three, the special week-long celebrity edition will run with production planned to begin later in 2020 and broadcast set for 2021.

Producers have assured that filming will proceed in line with COVID-19 TV guidelines prompting a change to the format that will see the UK series closely reflect the international versions of the show which are pre-recorded.

This means the studio audience and the live shows will be scrapped for this season.

The show will see an apartment block in Britain welcome a new set of residents who will live in separate units and befriend each other using only a social media platform called The Circle.

Players rate each other based on whom they like – and dislike – and compete against each other to gain power, with unpopular players at risk of being blocked. Once blocked, and before leaving the show, the eliminated players will get to meet other players in person for the first time. 

Host Emma – who is currently taking part in Big Brother: Best Show’s Ever on E4 alongside Davina McCall, Dermot O’Leary and Rylan Clark-Neal – 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.’