Yahoo News The Circle "is everything Black Mirror warned us about"
Channel 4 premiered its new, social media-based reality show The Circle tonight (September 18), and it didn't take viewers long to draw comparisons to Charlie Brooker's Black Mirror.
Hosted by Alice Levine and Maya Jama, the show sees eight players communicate and compete against each other through a specifically-designed, voice-activated social media platform called The Circle.
Meet the players below:
Meet Aiden... #TheCircle pic.twitter.com/D9Bp1BZwJf
- Channel 4 (@Channel4) September 18, 2018
“My gameplan is WIN. But I wanna win for being me. I wanna win on my own terms.”
We *think* Dan's quite determined to win. #TheCircle pic.twitter.com/p5ogzUI1YV- The Circle (@C4TheCircle) September 18, 2018
Meet Jennifer. Under NO circumstances let her give you a check-up...#TheCircle #FakeDoctor pic.twitter.com/dUNV8X2ic9
- Channel 4 (@Channel4) September 18, 2018
Meet Mitchell, a lovely mummies boy who... OH NO STOP SEXTING!#TheCircle @C4TheCircle pic.twitter.com/qqsUSYWqsz
- Channel 4 (@Channel4) September 18, 2018
“This is a risky plan, risky strategy, but I'm 100% confident I’m gonna win the money.”
Really hope Alex has agreed to share that money with his girlfriend. He owes her BIG time. #TheCircle pic.twitter.com/Z1Lx4E2RB6- The Circle (@C4TheCircle) September 18, 2018
Meet Freddie... #PlayingItStraight on #TheCircle pic.twitter.com/yAYX0YEMCd
- Channel 4 (@Channel4) September 18, 2018
Meet Sian... #TheCircle pic.twitter.com/hxDOJs8O3m
- Channel 4 (@Channel4) September 18, 2018
The final player in #TheCircle is Genelle... pic.twitter.com/mAQjqmPkxu
- Channel 4 (@Channel4) September 18, 2018
In the first episode, the players settled into their individual apartments in the same block and set up their profiles. The aim of the game is to make yourself the most-liked member in The Circle, with the winner receiving a cash prize of £50,000.
But with everyone eager to win, some were resorting to dirty tactics and pretending to be people they're not, AKA catfishing.
Meet Kate... err... I mean Alex... Who's pretending to be his girlfriend Kate... Got it?#TheCircle pic.twitter.com/Q3jQCyYjdS
- Channel 4 (@Channel4) September 18, 2018
With the show acting like some sort of twisted social experiment, demonstrating how easy it is to be tricked by people online, it's only natural viewers are comparing it to the technophobic Black Mirror.
#TheCircle 🙈🙉🙊 I seriously don't know if I could cope in the circle, its like some black mirror shizz pic.twitter.com/qEjtQnXpHo
- ichigoxkiss (@xichigoxkissx) September 18, 2018
Black mirror has become a real life TV programe #TheCircle
- Emma (@Smartie1976Emma) September 18, 2018
So this is like that Black Mirrors episode isn't it #TheCircle
- Rebekka-Mary Darling (@RebekkaMary) September 18, 2018
Interesting so far...Reminiscent of one of my favourite Black Mirror episodes Nosedive... #TheCircle pic.twitter.com/ofw6NfD98G
- Tarah (@TeeBerry81) September 18, 2018
There's a touch of the first series of Big Brother, and a lot of Black Mirror about #TheCircle. I'm betting it becomes more like the former as the series goes on.
- Phil Rumens (@PhilRumens) September 18, 2018
#TheCircle looks like a black mirror level of fucked up. Im weiridly intrigued though what it has to offer.
- Rebekah 🍁☕🎃🍂 (@Bekah_26) September 18, 2018
isn’t this programme just like the ‘nosedive’ episode from Black Mirror? bit mad #TheCircle
- yasmin✌️ (@missyasmincath) September 18, 2018
The show #TheCircle is everything #BlackMirror warned us about😩 I absolutely LOVE IT! 😭😂👌🏾🙌🏾
- Barbara George (@Barbara__George) September 18, 2018
The circle is everything black mirror warned us about #TheCircle
- Lauren Devine (@laurendevineex) September 18, 2018
By the end of the episode, the players all had to give each other a rating out of five, based on how much they like them.
Ironically, the person who came top was one of the catfishers. Posing as his girlfriend Kate, player Alex had not only successfully convinced everyone he is a girl, but was also voted the most likeable.
The Circle continues tomorrow night (September 19) at 10pm on Channel 4.
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