The Circle (British series 3)

The third and final series of The Circle began airing on Channel 4 on 16 March 2021, hosted by Emma Willis,[1][2] and concluded on 9 April 2021 following twenty-one episodes. The series premiered after the conclusion of The Celebrity Circle.[3] Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the series was pre-recorded from 13 September 2020 to 6 October 2020.[4][5]

The Circle
Series 3
Presented byEmma Willis
No. of days24
No. of contestants15
WinnerNatalya Platonova as "Felix"
Runner-upManrika Khaira
Other finalistsAndy Smith
Hashu Mohammed
Joey Alabi
Pippa Walker
Country of originUnited Kingdom
No. of episodes21
Release
Original networkChannel 4
Original release16 March (2021-03-16) –
9 April 2021 (2021-04-09)
Additional information
Filming dates13 September (2020-09-13) –
6 October 2020 (2020-10-06)
Series chronology

On 9 April 2021, the series was won by Natalya Platonova, who had played the game catfishing as "Felix", a 29-year-old Paratrooper.[6] Manrika Khaira was the runner-up of the series. Both players finished joint-first in the final ratings, but due to Natalya receiving the most top ranks, she was crowned overall winner. In a change from previous series, there was no viewers winner. Instead, Natalya received the full £100,000 prize fund. In May 2021, Channel 4 announced that it would not be renewing the show and that season 3 would be the last.[7]

Format changes

Due to the series being pre-recorded, the weekly live shows that featured in the previous series were axed and instead replaced by a regular highlights episode.[8] Unlike previous series, host Emma Willis delivered video messages to the players informing them of upcoming twists, similar to the spin-off Celebrity series. These messages could be private to the players or shown to the group.[9] Due to being pre-recorded, the viewers vote at the end of the series was also axed. Instead, the winner from the series received the full prize fund of £100,000.

Players

The first set of contestants taking part in the series were revealed on 13 March 2021.[10][11]

Name Age Hometown Playing as Entered Exited Status Ref.
Jamie Dutton-Forshaw 57 Hampshire Father & Daughter playing as "Penny", a 49-year-old letting agent Episode 1 Episode 4 Blocked [12][13]
Millie Dutton-Forshaw 20
Yolanda Thomas[lower-alpha 1] 30 London "Chris", her 29-year-old husband, but single A clone of "Tally" Episode 1 Episode 4 Blocked [14][15]
Billy Dawson 19 Essex Himself Episode 1 Episode 8 Blocked [16][17]
Tally Brattle 23 Worthing Herself, but single Episode 1 Episode 10 Blocked [18][19]
James Crossley 47 London "Gemma", a 31-year-old NHS nurse Episode 1 Episode 13 Blocked [20][21]
Vithun Illankovan 23 London Himself Episode 1 Episode 14 Blocked [22][23]
Scott Paige 30 Manchester "Dorothy", his 85 year-old grandmother Episode 5 Episode 19 Blocked [24][25]
Shabaz Ali 29 Blackburn "Alice", a 23-year-old teacher Episode 17 Episode 21 Blocked [26][27]
Pippa Walker[lower-alpha 2] 26 Manchester Herself "Tom", a 29-year-old priest Episode 11 Episode 21 Fifth place [28]
Joey Alabi[lower-alpha 2] 26 London "Femi", a Nigerian immigrant version of himself Episode 11 [29]
Hashu Mohammed 28 Birmingham "Syed", a 63-year-old restaurant owner Episode 1 Episode 21 Fourth place [30]
Andy Smith 34 Solihull Himself Episode 1 Episode 21 Third place [31][32]
Manrika Khaira 24 Birmingham Herself Episode 1 Episode 21 Runner-up [33][34]
Natalya Platonova 30 Reigate "Felix", a 29 year-old paratrooper Episode 5 Episode 21 Winner [35][36]
  1. Yolanda became the first player to be blocked during the first episode. However, rather than leaving The Circle, she stayed to become a clone of one of her fellow players. She chose to clone Tally.
  2. Joey and Pippa joined forces during Episode 16 to become "Tom"

Results and elimination
Colour key
      The contestant was blocked.
      The contestant was an influencer.
      The contestant was immune from being rated and blocked.
      The contestant was blocked, but returned as a different contestant.
      The contestant was at risk of being blocked following a twist.
Episode 1 Episode 3 Episode 4 Episode 7 Episode 9 Episode 12 Episode 14 Episode 16 Episode 18 Episode 20 Episode 21
Final
Natalya
"Felix"		 Not in
The Circle		 Exempt Not
published		 =2nd 2nd 1st 5th Not
published		 =1st Winner
(Episode 21)
Manrika =6th 5th Yolanda
to block		 1st Not
published		 Exempt 1st 3rd =1st Not
published		 =1st Runner-up
(Episode 21)
Andy 3rd 2nd Yolanda
to block		 2nd Not
published		 1st 5th 7th 3rd 1st 3rd Third place
(Episode 21)
Hashu
"Syed"		 8th 1st Yolanda
to block		 =4th Not
published		 4th =3rd 4th =1st Not
published		 4th Fourth place
(Episode 21)
Joey
"Femi"		 "Tom" Not in
The Circle		 Exempt 6th 6th Exempt Not
published		 5th Fifth place
(Episode 21)
Pippa Not in
The Circle		 Exempt 7th 5th
Shabaz
"Alice"		 Not in
The Circle		 Exempt Not
published		 Blocked
(Episode 21)
Scott
"Dorothy"		 Not in
The Circle		 Exempt Not
published		 =2nd =3rd 2nd 4th Blocked
(Episode 19)
Vithun =4th 3rd Tally
to block		 =4th Not
published		 5th 8th Blocked
(Episode 14)
James
"Gemma"		 1st =6th Yolanda
to block		 =4th Not
published		 6th Blocked
(Episode 13)
Tally =6th Exempt Not eligible
to vote		 3rd Not
published		 Blocked
(Episode 10)
Billy 2nd =6th Tally
to block		 7th Blocked
(Episode 8)
Yolanda
"Chris"		 "Tally" =4th Exempt Not eligible
to vote		 Blocked
(Episode 4)
Jamie & Millie
"Penny"		 9th 4th Blocked
(Episode 4)
Notes 1 2 3 4 5 6 none 7 none 8 9
Influencers James Andy,
Hashu		 none Andy,
Manrika		 Andy Andy,
Manrika		 Manrika,
Natalya		 Natalya,
Scott		 Hashu,
Manrika		 Andy none
Blocked Yolanda
"Chris"
Influencer's
choice to block		 Jamie & Millie
"Penny"
Influencers'
choice to block		 Yolanda
"Tally"
4 of 6
votes to block		 Billy
Influencers'
choice to block		 Tally
Blocker's
choice to block		 James
"Gemma"
Influencers'
choice to block		 Vithun
Influencers'
choice to block		 Pippa
Natalya's
choice to block		 Scott
"Dorothy"
Influencers'
choice to block		 Shabaz
"Alice"
Super Influencer's
choice to block		 Joey & Pippa
"Tom"
Lowest
rated player		 Hashu
"Syed"
Fourth highest
rated player
Andy
Third highest
rated player		 Manrika
Highest
rated player
Joey
"Femi"
Scott's
choice to block
Natalya
"Felix"
Highest
rated player

Notes
  • ^Note 1 : After Yolanda was blocked, she was told that she was still in the game, and that she had to clone a persona of another participant to continue playing. She chose to clone Tally.
  • ^Note 2 : In this round, Tally and Yolanda were immune because of the ongoing clone twist.
  • ^Note 3 : In this round, there were no ratings. Instead, players had to vote between Tally and Yolanda as to who should be blocked.
  • ^Note 4 : In this round, James was given a secret mission to try and get a player of his choice blocked. If he failed his mission, then he would be blocked, if he succeeded he would become immune at the next blocking. He chose to target Billy. As he was successful in getting Billy blocked, James earned immunity for the next round.
  • ^Note 5 : In this round, there were no influencers. Instead, the two lowest rated players, Scott and Tally would be at risk of being blocked. It was then up to the remaining players to vote for one influencer who would hold the sole responsibility of blocking one of the players at risk.
  • ^Note 6 : In this round, the two new players Joey and Pippa chose one person to become an influencer.[37] The remaining players rated each other to determine the second influencer.[38]
  • ^Note 7 : In this round, the two influencers, Natalya and Scott were given the opportunity to block each other. They chose not to do so. Instead, they had to choose two other players to block, picking one player each.[39] Natalya chose Pippa, and Scott picked Femi respectively. Following the blocking, Joey and Pippa continued in the game together as new player Tom.
  • ^Note 8 : In this round, the top rated player was a secret super-influencer, whose identity was not revealed to the other players. The ratings were not revealed to the players nor the audience. The secret super influencer had to block a fellow player face-to-face.
  • ^Note 9 : Natalya and Manrika both placed 1st in the ratings. However, Natalya won the series due to being ranked 1st the most in the final ratings.

Reception

The Guardian reviewed the series positively in the final week, describing it as "The next Big Brother" and embracing "the unnatural nature of reality TV", though "twists may have tipped slightly into excess in the final week".[40]

Manrika Khaira was singled out for abuse and death threats on social media during the airing of the programmes. Digital Spy put this down to young women being "often seen to be 'acting above their station' if they are anything but apologetic and accommodating to others. Other factors, such as race, can also compound this issue." Digital Spy concluded that she was "getting a lot of air time at the moment, which just goes to show that without her involvement there can't be much else happening in The Circle that would be worth us watching."[41] After the series finale, Khaira's management company asked Channel 4 to stop posting content about her, in an attempt to reduce the backlash.[42]

The i newspaper described players "Syed" and Andy as "beloved both in and out of The Circle" and described Manrika as "a reality TV gift". It concluded that the series had "made for exceptional television, gripping us with twists and turns every night".[43]

Viewing figures

Official, 28-day consolidated ratings are taken from BARB and include Channel 4 +1. Catch-up service totals are added to the official ratings.[44]

Viewers (millions)
Week 1 Week 2 Week 3 Week 4
Sunday No episode1.37No episode1.32
Monday 1.371.371.48
Tuesday 1.741.241.311.52
Wednesday 1.411.411.611.47
Thursday 1.391.491.541.44
Friday 1.551.671.861.72
Weekly average 1.52 1.43 1.54 1.49
Running average 1.52 1.46 1.49 1.55
Series average 1.55

References
  1. Warner, Sam (3 March 2021). "The Circle confirms return date of brand new series 3". digitalspy.com. Digital Spy. Retrieved 1 April 2021.
  2. Morris, Lauren (16 March 2021). "The Circle 2021 start date: Host, line-up and latest news on series 3". radiotimes.com. Radio Times. Retrieved 1 April 2021.
  3. "Channel 4 orders The Circle series three and The Celebrity Circle in aid of Stand Up To Cancer". channel4.com. Channel 4. 15 June 2020. Retrieved 1 April 2021.
  4. Kanter, Jake (15 June 2020). "'The Circle': Channel 4 Confirms Season 3 & Celebrity Edition, As Studio Lambert Tweaks Format Amid COVID-19". deadline.com. Deadline. Retrieved 1 April 2021.
  5. Circle Spy [@circlecpy] (9 April 2021). "Here you go…" (Tweet). Retrieved 9 April 2021 – via Twitter.
  6. "The Circle announces series 3 winner". Digital Spy. 9 April 2021.
  7. "The Circle: Channel 4 decides not to re-commission the reality show". BBC News. 7 May 2021. Retrieved 23 May 2021.
  8. Crosbie, Eve (4 March 2021). "Hit reality show The Circle is returning - but with one major change". hellomagazine.com. Hello Magazine. Retrieved 1 April 2021.
  9. Alexander, Susannah (16 March 2021). "The Circle viewers excited over contestant's secret Gladiators connection". digitalspy.com. Digital Spy. Retrieved 1 April 2021.
  10. Hutchinson, Emily (13 March 2021). "The Circle series 3 cast unveiled". digitalspy.com. Digital Spy.
  11. Flash, Oprah (13 March 2021). "Brummie YouTuber, Solihull boss and Walsall Tiktok star to compete for £100k on The Circle". birminghammail.co.uk. Birmingham Mail. Retrieved 1 April 2021.
  12. "The Circle: Interview with Millie and Jamie". channel4.com. Channel 4. 16 March 2021. Retrieved 1 April 2021.
  13. Dosani, Rishma (19 March 2021). "The Circle stars hit with brutal double blocking as Tally twist comes to a head". metro.co.uk. Metro. Retrieved 31 March 2021.
  14. "The Circle: Interview with Yolanda". channel4.com. Channel 4. 16 March 2021. Retrieved 1 April 2021.
  15. Morris, Lauren (22 March 2021). "Exclusive – The Circle's Yolanda on pretending to be fellow contestant Tally: "It wasn't as hard as I thought". RadioTimes.com. Radio Times. Retrieved 31 March 2021.
  16. Clarke, Annaleigh (23 March 2021). "Who's Billy on The Circle? Age, job, and all about the player!". tellymix.co.uk. tellymix. Retrieved 1 April 2021.
  17. Henry, Grace (25 March 2021). "Exclusive – The Circle's Billy reveals who should win season 3 after being 'blocked' from Channel 4 show". RadioTimes.com. Radio Times. Retrieved 31 March 2021.
  18. Holden, John (25 March 2021). "Channel 4's The Circle: Who is Worthing's Tally Brattle?". Retrieved 31 March 2021.
  19. Henry, Grace (30 March 2021). "Exclusive – The Circle's Tally reveals how she really feels about Manrika and what she would have done differently on the Channel 4 show". RadioTimes.com. Radio Times. Retrieved 31 March 2021.
  20. Darvill, Josh (25 March 2021). "Who's James on The Circle? Age, Instagram, and all about his 'Gemma' persona!". tellymix.co.uk. tellymix. Retrieved 1 April 2021.
  21. Pearce, Tilly (31 March 2021). "The Circle: James and Manrika have nasty clash as Gemma is blocked from the game". metro.co.uk. Metro. Retrieved 31 March 2021.
  22. "The Circle: Interview with Vithun". channel4.com. Channel 4. 16 March 2021. Retrieved 1 April 2021.
  23. Dosani, Rishma (3 April 2021). "The Circle: Vithun Illankovan predicted Felix was a catfish and came clean to Andy Smith in unaired scenes". metro.co.uk. Metro. Retrieved 8 April 2021.
  24. Clarke, Annaleigh (25 March 2021). "Who's Scott on The Circle? Age, Instagram, and all about his nanny Dot persona!". tellymix.co.uk. tellymix. Retrieved 1 April 2021.
  25. Henderson, Cameron (8 April 2021). "Exclusive – The Circle's Scott on Natalya catfishing as Felix: "It is a little bit close to the bone"". RadioTimes.com. Radio Times. Retrieved 8 April 2021.
  26. "The Circle: Interview with Shabaz". channel4.com. Channel 4. 5 April 2021. Retrieved 8 April 2021.
  27. Darvill, Josh (9 April 2021). "The Circle 2021 results: Who left? One player blocked by 'super secret influencer'". tellymix.co.uk. tellymix. Retrieved 14 April 2021.
  28. "The Circle: Interview with Pippa". channel4.com. Channel 4. 29 March 2021. Retrieved 14 April 2021.
  29. Clarke, Annaleigh (29 March 2021). "Who's Joey on The Circle? Age, Instagram and all about his 'Femi' persona!". tellymix.co.uk. tellymix. Retrieved 1 April 2021.
  30. Clarke, Annaleigh (19 March 2021). "Who's Hashu on The Circle? All about the YouTuber as he joins Channel 4 show". tellymix.co.uk. tellymix. Retrieved 1 April 2021.
  31. "Who is Andy from The Circle? Meet the player's children and wife!". realitytitbit.com. Reality TitBit. 16 March 2021. Retrieved 1 April 2021.
  32. Dosani, Rishma (11 April 2021). "The Circle's Andy Smith reveals 'blazing row' with Manrika Khaira in unaired scenes". metro.co.uk. Metro. Retrieved 14 April 2021.
  33. "The Circle: Interview with Manrika". channel4.com. Channel 4. 16 March 2021. Retrieved 1 April 2021.
  34. Henry, Grace (10 April 2021). "Exclusive – The Circle's Manrika says she wouldn't change a thing, despite "difficult" backlash". RadioTimes.com. Radio Times. Retrieved 14 April 2021.
  35. Clarke, Annaleigh (25 March 2021). "Who's Natalya on The Circle? Age, Instagram and all about the new player!". tellymix.co.uk. tellymix. Retrieved 1 April 2021.
  36. Henry, Grace (10 April 2021). "Exclusive – The Circle 2021 winner Natalya on her game plan: "I have a lot of regrets!"". RadioTimes.com. Radio Times. Retrieved 14 April 2021.
  37. Pearce, Tilly (29 March 2021). "The Circle: Newcomers stir up trouble as they're left in charge of next influencers". metro.co.uk. Metro. Retrieved 31 March 2021.
  38. Pearce, Tilly (30 March 2021). "The Circle: Gladiators' Hunter in danger as Andy and Manrika named influencers for next blocking". metro.co.uk. Metro. Retrieved 31 March 2021.
  39. Darvill, Josh (4 April 2021). "The Circle 2021: TWO players blocked - but there's a big twist". tellymix.co.uk. TellyMix. Retrieved 4 April 2021.
  40. Chakraverty, Michael (8 April 2021). "The next Big Brother? How The Circle breathed new life into reality TV". The Guardian. Retrieved 8 April 2021.
  41. Turner, Laura Jane (7 April 2021). "The response to The Circle's Manrika highlights a huge problem". Digital Spy. Retrieved 8 April 2021.
  42. Dosani, Rishma (10 April 2021). "The Circle's Manrika Khaira asked Channel 4 not to post about her on social media amid vile death threats". Metro. Retrieved 10 April 2021.
  43. Baker, Emily (9 April 2021). "The Circle 2021 final: She may not have won, but Manrika has been the perfect reality TV contestant". i (newspaper). Retrieved 10 April 2021.
  44. "Weekly top programmes on four screens (from Sept 2018)". BARB. 27 August 2018. Retrieved 21 May 2020.
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