Who would have thought that controversial artists Jake and Dinos Chapman would ever get involved with Big Brother? Or Little Britain's Matt Lucas or art critic Brian Sewell for that matter? But they have.
Channel 4 has released the names of the famous faces who will take the place of Big Brother in the new Celebrity Hijack format which launches on Channel 4 and E4 tonight and there are some more surprising names than the usual Celebrity Big Brother D-listers.
Having dumped the usual January CBB show in favour of the new format, it seems a wider selection of famous names are willing to get involved.
Lucas will be the first celeb on screen with the Chapman brothers, Sewell, comedian Jimmy Carr, Bo' Selecta star Leigh Francis' comic creation Keith Lemon, punk pioneer Malcolm McLaren, American comedian Joan Rivers and former footballer Ian Wright all to follow.
Channel 4 is keeping the exact role of the celebrities under wraps, but if the Daily Star is to be believed, and you may want a hefty pinch of salt here, there have been some ructions and a format rejig.
What will be more interesting is how the actual housemates will fare, with this year's intake a bunch of 12 hand-picked "gifted" young people, including a fashion designer, a brother and sister circus act, a boxer and politician. There is also a beauty queen, which needs some sort of talent I guess, but Channel 4 points out that she is also a member of Mensa, so there.
Here is the low-down on the housemates:
John, 20, from Edinburgh Talent: Politician Chairman of the Scottish Youth Parliament and the first teenager ever to be appointed to the position, he manages a team of staff, most of whom are in their 30s and 40s. He says he hopes to run for office next year and is studying for a politics and sociology degree. He adds that one of his main aims is to "tackle child poverty in the UK" and says he would also like to see a "revival and attitude change" towards red-haired people.
Liam, 19, from Liverpool Talent: Entrepreneur Liam started his own business when he was just eight years old, selling web space. He is now managing director of his own company, providing web hosting and design services, which has been responsible for hosting 2 million websites for clients worldwide. He currently has 12 people working for him and the firm has a turnover of £200,000.
Latoya, 19 from London Talent: Dancer
Latoya has appeared in over 20 music videos for artists including Madonna, Jamelia and Craig David and was nominated for best female in the 'Dance Off Awards' 2007.
Anthony, 19, from Suffolk Talent: Boxer
Anthony is an international boxer who has captained Great Britain's team in the world, European and junior Olympic tournaments. He won the junior Olympics in 2004 and was crowned world under 17 champion in 2005. He hopes to represent Great Britain in the 2008 Olympics. He says he would like to become world champion one day but also wouldn't mind becoming the first mixed race James Bond. His boxing name is 'Beautiful Brown Suga'.
Calista, 19, from London Talent: Classical musician
Calista began playing the violin at age three and is currently in her second year at Kings College London, studying for a BA with the Royal Academy of Music. She has written over 100 songs ranging from full orchestral to cheesy pop and teaches children piano, violin and singing.
Jade, 21, from London Talent: Beauty queen
Jade has won numerous beauty pageants including Miss Essex 2006, Miss Winchester 2007 and was Miss England runner up. She is just back from competing in 'Miss Global City', where she won the European section and was also awarded 'Miss Sunshine Beauty 2007'. She has also been a member of Mensa since the age of four. Jade won a scholarship to a school for gifted children. She is also an award winning dancer and has competed internationally.
Nathan, 21, from London Talent: Singer/songwriter
Nathan was nominated alongside Amy Winehouse and Lemar for best R 'n' B act at the 2007 Mobo awards. He has achieved a top 40 hit and a critically acclaimed album, titled Masterpiece. Recently back from performing in Japan, Nathan pens his own music and also counts rapping and music producing amongst his talents.
Amy, 21, from Leeds Talent: Conceptual artist
Amy is currently studying for a BA in fine art at Ruskin College, Oxford where she won the Geoffrey Rhodes Prize for the highest first year exam results. She is an award winning conceptual artist working with photography and installations, but she doesn't paint as she finds it "too messy". She says she wants to use her experience in the Big Brother house as a Turner Prize entry.
Jeremy, 19, from: Hampshire Talent: Racing driver
In 2006, Jeremy was nominated for the McLaren Autosport BRDC young driver of the year and in 2007 was named British Racing Drivers Club rising star ,classing him in the top six best young drivers in the UK. Following in Lewis Hamilton's footsteps, Jeremy won the British cadet kart championship in 2000 and has won several Formula Renault UK races.
Emilia, 18, and her brother Victor, 19, from Birmingham Talent: Circus performers
As roller skating contortionists, the pair are the star attraction at the Palazzo Variety Show in Berlin, where they perform a dangerous acrobatic act on a high platform. The pair spend half the year in Germany and travelling Europe with their shows and have performed for Princess Anne and Prince Charles. They come from seven generations of circus performers.
Jay, 19, from London Talent: Fashion designer
Jay has previously won the Tyler Media award for young designers and has showcased his collections at both New York and Caribbean fashion weeks. He is also stocked in design stores in Manhattan.jay says he is on the look out for a muse and hopes the house might be the place to find one.
So there we are. Does it sound like a fun filled house or a recipe for a dull disaster?
Join Anna Pickard for our live blog of the launch show tonight from 9pm on Channel 4 & E4 to find out!
