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".

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.

The second series was won by Paddy Smyth, with Tim Wilson winning the "viewers champion" vote.

[8] However, Studio Lambert are reportedly in talks with Netflix to launch the British version of the show on the streaming service.

[9] The show's contestants ("players") all move into a refurbished block of flats in Salford, though series 1 was filmed in London.

Contestants do not meet face-to-face during the competition, living in individual flats and communicating through messaging devices.

This includes sharing their age, relationship status, a short bio, and one photo to use as their profile picture.

[16] At any time in the control room, there were between twenty and thirty producers and camera operators working, recording, and sending all the messages from The Circle.