The Circle on Channel 4: Everything you need to know as the reality show returns

The Circle is back on Channel 4 for round two, with a brand new host and a new cohort of contestants.

A reality show for the social media era, the concept could be described as Big Brother crossed with MTV's Catfish - with a dash of Black Mirror.

Participants must decide whether to use their own personality or craft an entirely new online persona in order to win the support of their fellow players.

Here's everything you need to know ahead of the show's return next week. ​

What is The Circle all about?

In a twist on the typical reality TV format, The Circle focuses on a group of contestants living in a block of flats who cannot meet one another face to face.

Instead, they communicate using a dedicated social media platform known as - you guessed it - The Circle and must attempt to become the most popular person on the network.

Contestants can choose to either play as themselves or take on a different identity which they believe could be a bigger hit with the other participants. The players regularly rate one another, with the least popular contestant then ‘blocked’ and thrown off the show.

Once they’ve been eliminated from the competition, they will have the chance to meet another player in person and reveal their true identity.

What’s the prize?

The player voted the most popular will win a cash prize of £100,000 - a step up from last year’s series, which saw winner Alex Hobern take home £75,000 after pretending to be a woman named Kate.

Who will present The Circle?

Former Big Brother presenter Emma Willis has joined The Circle for series two, replacing last year’s presenting duo Alice Levine and Maya Jama.

Discussing her latest venture, Willis revealed that she “totally missed” the show the first time around while she was working on the final series of Big Brother, as she viewed it as “competition” - until her friends implored her to give the newcomer a chance.

“Lots of my friends that used to work on Big Brother but had left to work on other things said they were watching it,” she explained. “I said, ‘“What do you mean you’re watching that? What about Big Brother?’ and they went, ‘Oh no, we’re watching that too, but it’s really good and you’d love it.’

“I didn’t think I would and then I watched it after Big Brother finished and I couldn’t stop watching it!”

Noting the differences between the two shows, Willis said that she views The Circle as more of “a game.”

“I hated Big Brother being compared to a game but this is clearly a game with the interaction of people, how they’ll react in certain scenarios and then seeing who is going to be themselves and who is going to play it to try and be the most popular and win that money,” she revealed.

When is The Circle on TV?

The series begins on Channel 4 on September 24 at 9.15 pm, with episodes then airing weeknights from 10pm.

Friday evening shows will be broadcast live from the studio, with Willis joined by a panel of celebrity guests and the latest player to be blocked from the series.

Episodes will also be available to stream on All 4.

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