Chapter Text
Emma Willis: The nation’s most famous block of flats is about to welcome a whole new cast of housemates. A £100 000 are at stake. This… is The Circle.
The players will live here, in their own luxury apartments—just metres apart, but they can’t see or hear each other. Instead, they’ll communicate through a voice-activated system called The Circle.
But on The Circle, not everyone is who they seem. It’s a game like no other, where the players don’t know who is real… and who is a catfish. The aim is to be the most popular player in The Circle. What will the players do to win a potential £100 000?
Welcome to The Circle.
Narrator: Oi, I missed you lot. Welcome back to The Circle. I wonder which people were bonkers enough to sign up for this… umm… well… without further ado, let’s meet our first player.
Darcy: Oh my Goooddd… this room is blooming amazing!
Narrator: Think she got the memo about not jumping on the bed? Oh, nope, apparently not.
Darcy: This is proper posh! I can’t believe it! Oh! Rainbow coloured wallpaper! Yes! And the unicorn neon sign! I absolutely bloody love it. Can I take this home? How do I get this off the wall? Do you think they will notice it if I nick it?
Narrator: Yah, no, Darcy, the twenty cameras all pointed at you won’t catch a thing.
[Bio Intro Interview Plays]
Hi, my name is Darcy. I’m a 26-year-old bartender from London. My personality is loud and proud. I’m a lesbian who likes a little banter with the mates, and a little flirt with the lasses. Some people think I’m a bit too wild and manic when they first meet me, so in entering The Circle, I’m going to be playing my boss Olivia, who’s just super chill and a total laugh to be around.
She owns the bar I work at but is always a great person to hang out with. Everyone always feels she’s a safe person to talk to because she’s a great listener. She’s a mother of two adult boys and her husband of 18 years is a total sweetheart. Playing a 46-year-old married woman, I’m not going to be flirting with any of the other housemates, obviously, but I think I’ll build up trust and friendships with people by being kind, funny and relatable… non-threatening and totally honest.
Narrator: Mmmhmmm… a totally honest catfish, that is. Okay, girl.
‘Olivia’: Circle, take me to my profile. God, if there are any pretty girls in here, it’s gonna be so hard for me to remember I’m supposed to be a married straight woman with grown-up kids…
‘Olivia’ selects her profile photo and writes her bio, finishing it with the hashtags #DrinksOnMe #CircleMom and #ImACoolMom.
Narrator: As ‘Olivia’ decides whether she should add the beer or wine emoji, let’s welcome our next guest.
Will: Woah… this room is really… yellow. And that couch. Interesting choice of teal blue.
Narrator: And today’s weather forecast calls for a little bit of shade.
Will: I mean, yah, it’s really… bright in here. Cool, cool.
[Bio Intro Interview Plays]
Hey, so I’m Will and I’m a 33-year-old graphic designer from Glasgow. I love art, music, dancing, travelling and raising my precious little girl, Sarah, who’s three. My ex-husband and I went through surrogacy to have her and then about a year into us being a family, he decided parenting wasn’t really for him, leaving me for another guy. It’s been a hard couple of years managing on my own, but I wouldn’t change a thing, honestly. Working from home, I can, with a bit of help from me mom, manage to raise Sarah on my own and it’s so amazing every day.
But mom encourages me to get out and meet new people, which is pretty hard with a young one so dependent on me all the time. She pushed me to try out for my favourite show to help me rediscover my own identity again and maybe find some new friends or even a new boyfriend. Who knows, right?
I’m going into The Circle as myself, just hoping my social skills aren’t totally limited to speaking baby talk and playing paddycakes. My strategy is to not really have a strategy, just to be a nice person who people like and can trust. I’m going to miss my baby all the time, but £100 000 could buy a lot of baby food. Ra-ra, this one’s for you!
Narrator: Ra-ra? As if that isn’t the cutest thing ever. Let’s hope Will meets someone. Sarah needs two daddies, amiright?
Will selects an adorable photo of him shirtless in bed with little Sarah lying on his chest, and writes his bio with the hashtags #WhosYourDaddy #GraphiqueMystique and #CircleFamily.
Narrator: The block is starting to fill up now. Who’s the next player to enter The Circle?
Tara: Oh wow, I finally made it! Check it out. This place is so cool. Ooh… I love these marquee signs! And the kitchen is pink! That’s awesome!
Narrator: A pink kitchen is totally convenient. If your cooking’s bad, it will remind you there’s a bottle of Pepto-Bismol in the loo.
[Bio Intro Interview Plays]
Hello, everyone! This is Tara. I’m 26, a dancer and lesbian from Birmingham. When I dance, I can express myself and feel free, but around people I can be quite shy and sometimes it takes a while for people to get to know me. I think if I went into The Circle as myself, people would think I am standoffish but usually I just need a little time to get to know someone and feel I can trust them.
I’ve decided instead to pretend to be my little sister, Corinna, who is super outgoing and extroverted. She has a really popular online channel as a lifestyle influencer, and she’s always been super popular no matter where she is or what she’s doing. It’s going to take me a little effort to feel as confident as she is, but no one knows my sister better than me and I follow her channel regularly so I know all her content. Everyone’s going to fall in love with me… well, her, so watch out. I’ve got that prize money in the bag.
Narrator: Tara… I mean… Corinna… is feeling pretty confident. Seems like she’s already got her head in the game.
‘Corinna’ fills out her profile, marking it as single, with a pretty, but not-too-sexy photo of her on the beach. Her hashtags are #LifesABeach and #BlackGirlMagic.
Narrator: Okay, while ‘Corinna’ settles in, let’s meet our next singleton… ladies, pay attention now. It’s Nick!
Nick: No way, mate! This place is mint. Haha… oh, I guess it actually is mint. Is that what this green is called?
Narrator: Okay, so maybe he’s not the brightest, but did you see those arms? Can we just cut to him going to the rooftop whirlpool already?
[Bio Intro Interview Plays]
Oi, mates! I’m Nick and I’m from a small little town in Kent called Rochester. I’m 26, a teacher, and coach our school’s rugby team. Being a teacher is great! I love seeing that moment when a young kid understands something for the first time, with excitement on their little face. It’s so adorable and it feels amazing to help children learn. My other loves are rugby, of course, my two dogs, Nellie and Henry, fountain pens, and my amazing mom.
My mates like to tease me and say I’m a momma’s boy which I totally am. I just moved out of the house in a place still close enough for me to visit. I don’t know what I’d do without my mom, she’s the best! I’ll be going into The Circle as myself. I think my openness and honesty will help me make friends in here pretty easily. I’ve always just got on with people right away and having some banter with the lads will be a lark.
I guess I do okay with the birds as well. I’m not super forward and flirty with women but often they hit on me which can be a little overwhelming sometimes. If a girl wants to make a move that’s cool. It can’t hurt my strategy in the game, and for that matter if a guy hits on me, I’ll be cool with it, too. I’m not homophobic, I’m an ally. So it’s all good if it helps me win The Circle.
Narrator: Okay, so this season’s hunk is single and ready to mingle. I wonder how long it will take for him to take his shirt off… oh, not long, apparently. Thank you, Circle.
Nick picks a photo of him in class wearing a tight white dress shirt and camel-coloured chinos, also tight. He’s sitting on his desk in front of his students with a cute, lopsided smirk on his face. His obligatory bio hashtags are #HotForTeacher #RugbyKing #GingerSnack and #SupportiveStraightFriend.
Narrator: With four players in The Circle, we’re half full already. Let’s open a Circle Group Chat to let them get acquainted with each other before the others arrive.
‘Corinna’: Oh, The Circle’s opened a group chat for us already?
Nick: Hey, there’s only four of us in here?
Will: Hmm. let’s check out the other players, first.
The four players read each other’s bios before entering the chat. Will’s impressed with Nick’s photo, Nick is happy to see there’s a cool mother figure in The Circle with ‘Olivia’’s profile, ‘Corinna’ thinks she could try flirting with Nick even if Tara, her real persona, is totally not interested.
[OPEN CIRCLE GROUP CHAT]
‘Corinna’: SQUEEEE! We made it! Welcome, everyone, to the ⭕️
Nick: Hi, everyone. Thanks, Corinna! I’m excited to meet all of you! 👋🏻
‘Olivia’: Hi, kids! The bar is open. Can I serve up a drink for you all? 🍸
‘Corinna’: Ooh… yes, please. A cosmo for me, Olivia!
‘Olivia’: Coming right up, dear. Can you believe this place? It’s even cooler than it looks on TV. 😮
Will: And brighter, too 🤣🤣🤣 What’s your room like, everyone?
‘Olivia’: Hi, Will! My room’s like a rainbow exploded in it… my 15-year-old self would have loved it. Love that photo of you with your daughter! Reminds me of when I was raising my boys. What’s her name, dear?
Will: She’s Sarah but I call her Ra-Ra for short.
Nick: She’s adorable, Will. I hope to have kids one day. All I’ve got now are my two fur babies, but they’re the best! 🐶🐶
‘Corinna’: Hey, Nick. I absolutely love dogs… I hope I get to meet yours someday.
‘Olivia’: Ooh, Corinna, and what about the owner? Do you want to meet him too?
‘Corinna’: MOM! Oh my god, you’re embarrassing me already? #blushing #YoureNotWrong
Will: Can’t blame you, Corinna. Nick looks pretty fit. Must be all the rugby playing… #OrangeCrush
Nick: if you guys don’t stop, I’m gonna leave the chat 🙈🤣
‘Olivia’: so when do you think we’ll meet the other players, kids? It can’t be just us for now. #FabFour
‘Corinna’: I’m scared to get our first Alert. 🚨 It’s never good news. I hope the new people are nice.
Will: yah, me, too. Can’t be nicer than you lot, though. #OriginalCircleFam
Nick: I can’t wait to meet the other players. I have a feeling we’re going to meet some really cool people. 🤞🏻 #anticipation
[CIRCLE GROUP CHAT IS CLOSED]