Time to say goodbye to The Circle...
The Circle will not return for a fourth season, with news of its cancellation coming as its most recent season has drawn to a close.
Confirming the news in a statement, the broadcaster said: "The Circle has been a huge hit for young audiences and has grown successively over three seasons on Channel 4, consistently outperforming slot averages.
"We're incredibly proud to have worked with Studio Lambert North and Motion Content Group to invest in such an innovative show and to have given it a springboard for its international format success."
They added: "In much the same way as when we originally commissioned The Circle, Channel 4 has a responsibility to continually look at how we reinvent and create space for new ideas, and so we have decided not to commission the show for a fourth season.
"We'd like to thank Studio Lambert, Motion and all those involved for The Circle's huge success over the last three series."
The Circle combined mystery with a classic game show format, with many comparing it to Catfish due to the anonymous nature. It was up to competitors whether they played the game honestly, or created an entirely new personality in an attempt to trick those around them.
They only communicated via social media, with players housed separately in a block of flats. The winner is ultimately voted for by other contestants, and players can even be blocked which can sometimes result in them being replaced by a new player.
The social media element of the game had players creating a profile, sharing their age, relationship status, a short bio, and one photo to use as their profile picture. Of course, they could lie about all of these things if they wanted!
The season one winner was Alex Hobern as "Kate", followed by Paddy Smyth in series two and Natalya Platonova as "Felix" in the most recent season.
The Circle is available on demand via All4.
