As Emma Willis gears up to host new Netflix spin-off, Love Is Blind: UK, she spoke about another reality show that has a special place in her heart – The Circle.
Although the TV personality is looking towards pastures new as she co-hosts the dating show with her husband Matt Willis, she hasn’t ruled out a return to the past.
The Circle was a Channel 4 reality game show, hosted by the 48-year-old presenter for the last two seasons, in which contestants competed against each other on the titular social media site to land a huge cash prize.
The series ran from 2018 to 2021, pulling in an average seven-day audience of 1.3 million viewers by the end.
But all that came to an abrupt end just a year after Netflix picked up a US version which has since produced six seasons and impressive viewing numbers of its own.
In an exclusive interview with , Emma revealed whether she would ever return for a reboot of the hit show.
‘The Circle – I absolutely adored it and I was gutted that they didn’t keep going with it. Yes, if they brought it back I would love to do it,’ she confirmed.
‘I think the American one is huge and they still make that so I don’t think they need a UK version, maybe. But hey, Netflix, if you’re gonna make a UK version, I’m still here!’
Emma’s suggestion to shift the show to the steaming platform is not an outlandish idea considering the success of the US spin-off.
When The Circle was originally cancelled, Channel 4’s Chief Content Officer Ian Katz said it was due to their content going in a different direction.
‘It was a terrific show for us. A hugely entertaining, compulsive show. But it was a big chunk of our schedule and we decided to try something new,’ he said at the time.
At one point Netflix were even rumoured to be considering picking up the UK version up but this never came to fruition.
The streaming giant has form with rescuing linear TV shows such as Black Mirror, Lucifer and Brooklyn 99 to name a few. So there’s every possibility that Netflix might hear Emma’s pleas.
In the meantime, Emma and husband Matt are putting their all into Love Is Blind: UK and explained what made this dating show stand apart from the deluge currently on air.
‘Everyone taking part genuinely wanted to find love,’ Emma said.
‘You can’t really enter into it if you’re not in it for the right reason, because you have to get married at the end of it. They found that pocket of people who were just sick of the dating world, and wanted to just settle down.’
She emphasised the importance of casting people who ‘genuinely want to have those conversations that would maybe take a couple of years’
‘They’re like, “let’s just get into it.” We need to know where we stand on things. So it’s kind of fascinating across the board.’
And Matt echoed the sentiments, adding: ‘If you look through the history of Love Is Blind. There are marriages that are still together. There’s Love Is Blind babies. We’ve seen firsthand that love can be blind.’
There’s no doubt the show – which has eight other international versions including the original US – has produced several successful couples over the past four years.
Including fan-favourite season one couple Lauren and Cameron, as well as Amber and Barnett, Bliss and Zack and Tiffany and Brett.
Here’s hoping the UK can recreate the magic.
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The first four episodes of Love Is Blind: UK will air on Netflix on Wednesday, August 7. Episodes 5-9 will drop on August 14 and episodes 10-11 will arrive on August 21.