The Circle returned to Channel 4 for its second series on Tuesday 24th September and has grown its audience across every episode so far compared to the first series, including its share of viewers aged 16-34.

The new series’ launch episode has attracted a consolidated audience of 1.9m million viewers and a 9.5% share of viewing - taking into account time-shifted viewing on a TV across seven days - an increase of +27% on last year’s debut episode (1.5m).

The innovative reality show is appealing particularly strongly to young viewers. Across its first eight episodes the second series, fronted by Emma Willis, is averaging a 17.3% overnight share of 16-34 year olds which has grown a massive +53% compared with the same number of episodes of last year’s debut series’ and is up +86% compared to Channel 4’s slot average.

Overall the second series of The Circle is attracting an average overnight audience of 723k viewers and a 6.0% share per episode, representing a significant increase of +33% for volume and +42% for share, compared with series one.

Biggest weekly 16-34 overnight share since 2011

Channel 4 recorded its biggest weekly overnight share of 16-34 year old viewers in eight years last week (10.8%).

This is thanks to strong performances from The Circle’s hit return as well as The Great British Bake Off which attracted Channel 4’s largest overnight 16-34 share since 2007 (Celebrity Big Brother) with a huge 58.2% and the show’s biggest overnight audience of the series so far (5.9m). Last week’s episode attracted a consolidated audience of 9 million viewers and a huge 65.7% share of youngs –Channel 4’s biggest 16-34 share in the 8pm slot on record, GBBO’s biggest ever 16-34 share on Channel 4 and the highest for a Channel 4 show since 2006 (Big Brother final).

In addition, Gogglebox pulled in its best ever overnight share of 16-34s (34.1%), its biggest overnight audience since March 2018 (3.2m) and its largest individuals overnight share in four years (20.2%). Whilst award-winning Soap of The Year Hollyoaks recorded its biggest overnight weekly share of both young viewers and all individuals.

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