Channel 4 seek contestants for social experiment show

A new Channel 4 show will use an interactive social network to discover how contestants portray themselves online and how other individuals view them for a chance to win £50,000.
Channel 4Channel 4
Channel 4

The Circle has been commissioned by Channel 4 and will be produced by Studio Lambert and Motion Content Group who brought the factual entertainment series, Gogglebox, to our screens.

The Circle is essentially a popularity contest and contestants will all be housed within one modern block but live separately in individual apartments.

They will only be able to interact with one another through a bespoke voice-activated social media platform called The Circle.

This social media platform will enable contestants to chat, make friends, argue and maybe even fall in love. Building their own profiles, contestants will only get to know each other from what they choose to reveal via The Circle.

They will be able to communicate as a group or individually, allowing cliques to form and private allegiances to be made.

Gilly Greenslade, commissioning editor, Channel 4 said: “Are people we meet online who we think they are? The Circle is unique in that it promises to give viewers the chance to see how tech can change both who we are and how we’re perceived. It’s hard to imagine a more timely show. “This is a genuinely innovative concept and we are truly excited about the ambition, scale and potential of the project.

“We are thrilled to be working with Studio Lambert and Motion Content Group on what promises to be both riotously entertaining and a fascinating comment on how we live today.”

Throughout the contest the competitors will rate each other with whoever is liked the least running the risk of being ‘blocked’ and removed from The Circle.

It is only when someone is blocked that the others will learn about who they have really been interacting with and whether their online persona matches the real life person.

Creative Director, Studio Lambert Tim Harcourt added: “It used to just be film-stars, rock-stars and narcissists who would do anything for the adulation of thousands of strangers. Now we’ve all caught the bug. So many of us do bizarre things or become very different versions of ourselves just to be ‘liked’ online.

“And whilst sometimes social media seems ridiculous and shallow, at other times it becomes a force for positive change.

“This series promises to explore all of this in a fashion that is dramatic, funny, warm and compelling.”

Martin Oxley, Motion Content Group added: “The Circle is a truly exciting format that will make us all think about our social media behaviour and the people we mix with online and we can’t wait to see it on air.”

Filming for the program will require three weeks and will take place during September and October this year.

For information, applications and entry requirements click here, email [email protected] or call 0203 040 6955.

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