It's nearly that time of year again when Channel 4's schedules get taken over by vaguely famous faces screaming nonsense at each other and effigies of its executives are burned on the streets of India.
Except this January, that probably won't happen.
With Channel 4 "resting" Celebrity Big Brother in 2008, it has instead slipped a spin-off replacement into the schedules. Welcome thus, Big Brother: Celebrity Hijack.
This January there won't be any Jade Goodys or Danielle Lloyds rampaging through the famous house causing an international race row.
Instead, a group of famous faces will go behind the camera to act as Big Brother and direct 12 "exceptional" young scientists, artists, athletes, musicians and entrepreneurs.
Channel 4 hasn't confirmed any names yet, but Malcolm McLaren and Joan Rivers are rumoured to be involved.
The show will launch with a simulcast on Channel 4 and E4 on January 3 before being consigned to the digital channel for the rest of its run.
With Channel 4 getting itself into big trouble with last year's Celebrity Big Brother and its handling of the race row it decided it would have an easier life if it gave the show a miss next year.
But as the format is such a huge cash cow, not to mention filling up E4's schedule, it couldn't stay away altogether, hence Hijack was born.
Now, I am not a Celebrity Big Brother obsessive, but I do enjoy the show and find it very watchable.
Where else would you be able to see George Galloway licking imaginary milk out of Rula Lenska's hands ("you've got cream all over your whiskers"), or Vanessa Feltz going crazy or Jackie Stallone's entrance ("yeah, Jackie!")
Great telly moments. Even though this year's race row was awful, there is an argument that it got talking Britain talking about racism and of course the victim, Shilpa Shetty, ended up triumphing and becoming a new national sweetheart while the bully, Goody, was ostracised.
But from reading the new show's press pack, the new Hijack series sounds, well, just a little bit dull.
It proudly proclaims there won't be any "pillow-fight-friendly" four or five-man beds - gifted young people prefer single bunks it seems - while the surreal split kitchen will be put back together again.
However, there will still be a hot-tub, maybe on the off-chance that a budding young entrepreneur fancies some Kinga-style wine bottle action.
From what I can gather, Channel 4 is still hoping for some of the usual Big Brother racey action, just not that kind of racey action. And by bringing in people with a little bit of intelligence it hopes things won't ever go down that road.
But, the thought of happily tuning in to see a group of Britain's brightest doesn't fill me with excitement. If I want to watch exceptional young things I'll watch BBC4.
Surely the whole point of Big Brother is the salacious guilty pleasure of watching a bunch of people so desperate to be famous - or has-beens simply wanting another bite of the fame apple - that they will quite happily spend weeks talking nonsense, screaming at each other and trying to get laid.
I know Channel 4 has had a tough time of it of late and the last thing it needs is another scandal, but I'm just a little worried that instead it might have on its hands something even worse - a boring show.
