The Circle will return on Tuesday night and Emma Willis will host the hit Channel 4 show for its second series, which once again will centre around eight contestants battling it out to win £50,000. All eight of them will be holed up in the same building and are only allowed to communicate via a social media app called The Circle, and the aim of the game is to become the most popular person on The Circle, whether by creating a fake profile or playing as themselves. Ahead of the series two launch, all eight contestants have now been revealed, so let's take a look at the list.
Brooke
Brooke, 24, is a Buckinghamshire-based travel addict who will be competing in The Circle as herself. Brooke is a globe trotter on a mission – she wants to travel to 25 countries before her 25th birthday, and only has one more to go! (But she better get a move on, she turns 25 on 29 September!) Brooke works as a disclosure officer, but she won't be revealing that on the Channel 4 show as she doesn't want people to "get their backs up". The single 24-year-old decided to apply to be on the series because "it's a popularity contest, and I don't struggle with being popular in real life" and is happy to flirt with guys if it helps her get ahead.
© Photo: Channel 4Emelle
Emelle, who hails from Manchester, will be changing her sexuality and her real age on The Circle. The 31-year-old has revealed that she'll tell her fellow contestants that she's actually 24, and will also hide the fact that she's a lesbian – instead playing the game as a straight woman because she believes that straight privilege will help her get further on the show. Emelle said that she finds the show's concept "interesting" and "very relevant to today's world". How far will Emelle go to win? She's said that although she’ll do what she can, she wouldn’t feel comfortable purposefully turning other contestants against each other.
© Photo: Channel 4MORE: Zoe Ball's son Woody lands first TV job - and reveals how his parents reacted
Georgina
Playing as herself, Georgina is a Nottingham lass that works in the tailoring industry. The 21-year-old suffers from Crohn's disease but strives to be as open as possible about her illness on social media – and in the past has even shared snaps of herself in her bikini with an ileostomy bag! Inspiring stuff. Georgina had actually hoped to appear on season one of The Circle but wasn't able to recover from surgery in time. This year she hopes to go far by being her "authentic self" and she'll "have a bit of a flirt with people" if need be. The young Crohn's sufferer doesn't think she'll have too many problems winning other contestants over, adding: "I'm pretty charming so I don't think it would take too much effort."
© Photo: Channel 4MORE: The first TWO Dancing on Ice contestants have been revealed
James
Liverpudlian James works as a recruitment consultant and hopes that his top-notch communication skills will help him storm ahead in the show. The 26-year-old will be creating a totally new persona, going by the name 'Sammie' – a young single mum with a baby. James has seen first-hand how tough life can be for young single mums, and if he wins will use his prize money to help open a refuge for women and children. James was popular back in his school days, and wants to shake the image of being a "pretty boy" who "loves himself", when in fact he's very "down to earth", something that he "might not have time to get across" in The Circle if he played as himself.
© Photo: Channel 4Katie
Katie, 45, will really be mixing things up in The Circle by playing as her 25-year-old son, builder Jay. It might seem like quite a jump, but Katie insists that she knows her son inside and out so playing him will be a walk in the park. Katie owns a beauty salon and is married with four children. She's even hoping that she might find a future girlfriend for her son on the Channel 4 show, as he's "useless" at talking to girls in real life. Katie credits Holly Willoughby as being her favourite social media star, and if she wins she plans on taking her whole family on holiday.
© Photo: Channel 4Sy
A fourth-generation farmer, 35-year-old Sy is single and will be playing himself on the show, describing himself as "confident, loud and cheeky". Sy decided to enter The Circle because he fancied a break from the countryside, and is looking forward to spending some time in the city and meet new people. The farmer plans on being completely honest with the other contestants, and hopes that all his snaps of animals and dogs will get him far in the competition. If he wins he'll be spending his cash on a prize bull and new barn, and Sy also revealed that he's been the victim of catfishing in the past – so he might have a few tricks up his sleeve.
© Photo: Channel 4Tim
Tim, who describes himself as being a cross between "Santa and Mrs Doubtfire", is a 58-year-old academic who is currently teaching at a University in Moscow, but also considers himself an animator and artist. Tim was once a monk, but was kicked out of his monastery after being offered a place at Oxford University. The teacher is currently in a 19-year-long relationship and although he uses social media he certainly wouldn't consider himself a pro. He has no idea whether or not he's ever been catfished, and says that he will always consider "kindness more important than brutality". His social media pet peeve? The bleeping sound that WhatsApp makes.
© Photo: Channel 4Woody
Brighton boy Woody is 18 and currently working in a pub. He'll be playing as himself on The Circle, but he won't be revealing who his famous parents are (presenter Zoe Ball and record producer Norman Cook aka Fatboy Slim). Woody says that he's sick of people making assumptions about him because of his parents, which is why he'll be keeping schtum about them. Woody, who is bisexual, will be open about his sexuality on the show and is currently in a relationship, albeit a very new one. The teenager has added that he won't backstab anyone for the sake of winning, and if he were to come out on top he'd put the money towards musical equipment and founding his dream record label.
© Photo: Channel 4Richard Madeley
In what might be the curveball of the year, Channel 4 has confirmed that presenter Richard Madeley will be participating in this year's The Circle – but there's a twist. The 63-year-old TV veteran won't be playing himself in the competition. Instead, viewers will get to decide his profile by voting. The This Morning host accepted that his decision to participate might come as a surprise to some, but explained: "I get asked to do things all the time, and usually the answer is 'No thank you' because it sounds a bit boring. This is genuinely different. It's not your normal reality show. It's got quite a lot going for it intellectually."
© Photo: Channel 4
