Channel 4 show The Circle is set to return to Salford after the town hall granted permission for filming to continue in the city.
The reality TV show – which sees contestants communicate only via a social media platform before meeting in person in the final show – finished filming its second series in Salford last year.
Now Salford council have approved plans for a studio – based at Salford University’s Adelphi campus car park – to stay in place for the next series.
The space is only used sporadically throughout the series – mainly for the live final and weekly shows in front of a studio audience when a contestant is evicted from the show.
A report that went to Salford council last month saw the the town hall re-approve permission for the series to continue filming at the space for the next three years.
It said: “It is not practical for the structure to be dismantled between each recording, and this would be likely to cause greater disruption, particularly due to the necessity for a temporary road closure for the erection and dismantling process.”
Filming of the third series is expected to start in September 2020, the officer report added.
The show’s main action takes place in a Salford apartment block, where contestants are separated from one another and can communicate only through a voice-activated social media platform.
It means contestants can take on the identity of someone else when speaking to their fellow housemates.
Last series saw one contestant, James, pretend to be a single mum, while TV presenter Richard Madeley pretended to be a 27 year old PR professional named Judy as part of a ‘secret mission’ on the show.
