ROUND THE TWIST
EMMA WILLIS TAKES OVER HOSTING DUTIES FOR THE REALITY SHOW’S SECOND SERIES…
For a long time, the best way to win a reality show was to just be yourself: after all, viewers and voters would always spot a phoney, right? Then The Circle came along and the rules changed, because in The Circle
– a private, voice-activated social network where players don’t meet face-to-face – you can be whoever you want. Last year’s winner played a blinder by pretending to be someone else, but is that always the right strategy?
The first series was a hit for Channel 4, and it returns this week with a few tweaks, including a personnel change as Emma Willis takes over hosting duties. Inside TV caught up with Emma to find out why she wanted to log in…
Were you a fan of the first series of the show?
I didn’t watch it when it aired, because it was on against Big Brother. I kind of went [hisses] at it! But I kept hearing friends talk about it, then I watched it afterwards, pretty much back-to-back, and I loved it.
Were you surprised to be asked to do then, given your association with
The Circle,
Big Brother?
I was a little surprised to be asked, but I was very grateful because I lost my job and got another one! I suppose there are big similarities – a bunch of people living in a building, and there’s a cash prize at the end of it. But I’ve always viewed Big Brother from the social experiment point of view, whereas with The Circle,
I view it more as a game show, and any psychological stuff that comes into it is kind of a bonus, I think.
What’s changed this year? Last year the presenters were fairly hands-off…
There’s an extended run, a live launch and a live final. And there will be live shows on Fridays, too – I’ll be there every week with a panel, talking about what’s happened. Plus, there’ll be lots of interactive elements that the audience can get involved in that will impact on the apartment block. I suppose it will be a bit more immersive for everyone.
Do you think the gameplay will evolve because the contestants will have seen last year’s series?
Yeah, like anything, once it’s been on and people know what it is, they can think about how they want to play it. This year, people will be far more aware, but I’d still love to see purity. I hope there’s an equal split of people being themselves and those being who they think will be the most popular to win.
Do you think they’ll be more cynical, because they’ll be expecting to be catfished?
Definitely. There’ll be much more paranoia! But I think that’s so brilliant – you should have that paranoia in your day-to-day life as well, when you’re not watching TV, or when you’re not a contestant on a game show. Be paranoid! I’m such a paranoid person, and I love it! I try to instil it into my kids, too, so you’re always kind of aware, and you’ll never fall into a trap of being screwed over or lured into something…
I THINK IT’S SO BRILLIANT THAT THERE WILL BE MORE PARANOIA!”