Made In Chelsea returns to production in just ONE location amid Lockdown 3.0

Filming has recommenced on Made in Chelsea‘s 21st series – and has sidestepped the issue of lockdown by setting it in one single location.

While specifics are set to be revealed in due course, the cast have been whisked away to spend lockdown together, all in one setting.

An E4 spokesperson told MailOnline: ‘The health and safety of cast and crew remains a top priority, and the most up to date industry guidelines and strict COVID-19 protocols will be followed at all times.

Knock, knock! Filming has recommenced on Made in Chelsea’s 21st series – and has sidestepped the issue of lockdown by setting it in one single location [pictured: Returning stars Olivia Bentley and Sophie Hermann]

‘Further information on the series and cast will be announced in the coming months.’

MailOnline can also reveal that former cast member Miles Nazaire will return, after teasing as such in a recent radio interview.

Miles has inexplicably absent from series 20, sitting out the latest run of episodes, which were filmed in the back-end of last summer and the run-up to Christmas.

Fans were left confused by the unexplained absence – especially with Miles’ penchant for sharing his daily comings and goings on Instagram.

Confirmed: MailOnline can also reveal that former cast member Miles Nazaire will return, after teasing as such in a recent radio interview

But the 25-year-old lifted the lid on the situation during a chat on FUBAR Radio’s Access All Areas with hosts Bobby Norris and Stephen Leng in December.

‘Series 19 was really tough for me because of my ex [Maeva D’Ascanio] and my ex best mate [James Taylor] at the time,’ he said, addressing the fact that the pair are now in a long-term relationship.

He went on: ‘I’d gone through a lot of things and coming to series 20, when we went into the first lockdown, I kind of took it as an excuse to take some time off. I’d been on the show for two years and a bit and I was like, ‘okay well, I think mentally, for me, if I want to continue to be on this show.’

‘You know I didn’t say, ‘goodbye!’ I was like, ‘look I just need to take a step back, reassess myself, make sure that I’m grounding myself with really good people around me. And then, when I do come back, I feel like, you know, it’s a better version of myself’.’

Newlyweds: Ollie and Gareth Locke will also appear, having married at the end of season 20

Reconciled: Sam Thompson and Zara McDermott will be part of the new series, having got back together at the end of the last season following much turmoil

He continued: ‘So that’s what I did, I was like, look I’m going to take this opportunity to actually say, ‘hey guys! Go ahead, smash it. Enjoy series 20. I’m just gonna go and do my thing for a bit, and then I’ll come back’. So that’s what I’ve done.’

When asked whether the show were okay with his decision, he explained: ‘I think at the first stage, when I did say it, they didn’t really understand. I think they were like, ‘oh no, can you dip in and out? Can you do this?’ And they were still asking me to, you know.

‘It is very hard to detach yourself sometimes because you have given so much of your life on that show to completely say, not goodbye but completely say, ‘look, guys, give me a break you know?”

Shedding some light: ‘Series 19 was really tough for me because of my ex [Maeva D’Ascanio] and my ex best mate [James Taylor] at the time,’ Miles said about why he took time away from the show [the pair are pictured]

Explaining the effects on his mental health, Miles noted: ‘I think there’s a lot of things that people don’t see and it’s usually with the mental health side. I think it’s been a lot more spoken about and I really love the fact that a lot of us are talking about it a bit more’

He continued: ‘If you are a big foundation on the show, they want you to be present. And I love that, you know. It’s always lovely to know that you’re wanted and you have a big part on the show.

‘But I think we had a lot of back and forth and it got to one meeting where I was like, ‘look guys I’m going to be completely honest with you. I just need to do this for my mental health. I just need to have this step back.’

‘And as soon as I said that, they completely understood. They went like, ‘okay look, you know, enjoy this. And hopefully, please come back’. And I was like, ‘okay, we’ll chat to you in the new year.”

Of returning to the show for series 21 Miles had previously teased: ‘So, I don’t know how much I am allowed to say. I’m not going to lie, yeah, I’m thinking of definitely coming back’

Dance card full? Jamie Laing is expected to return after sitting out some of season 20 to take part on Strictly Come Dancing – on which he reached the final

Explaining the effects on his mental health, Miles noted: ‘I find it really funny because a lot of people who watch reality, they go, ‘oh that’s an easy life!’ And don’t get me wrong, there are some huge perks of being on reality TV, literally. And I would never say a bad word about it because I wouldn’t be here today and I love it!

‘But I think there’s a lot of things that people don’t see and it’s usually with the mental health side. I think it’s been a lot more spoken about and I really love the fact that a lot of us are talking about it a bit more.’

Of returning to the show for series 21 Miles said: ‘So, I don’t know how much I am allowed to say. I’m not going to lie, yeah, I’m thinking of definitely coming back.

‘I’ve had a very nice kind of open conversation with the show last week. You know, they are talking about the new series and yeah I think that, hopefully, there might be a return of Miles on the show. That’s all I’m saying.’