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Big Brother has unveiled housemates with a difference for it's 2008 show.

Instead of the usual fame-hungry wannabes, the 12 contestants competing for the £50,000 prize on 'Big Brother: Celebrity Hijack' have been chosen because they each have a talented gift.

An urban feel to the BB Bedroom!

The housemates moving into the Big Brother House in Borehamwood, include an Olympic boxing hopeful, a classical musician, a MOBO-nominated singer, an internet entrepreneur and the chairman of the Scottish Youth Parliament.

There is also a racing driver, a dancer, an Oxford University-educated conceptual artist, a fashion designer and a brother-and-sister circus duo. Even the beauty queen and former Miss Essex has been a member of Mensa since the age of four!

In typical BB style, the 2008 show has a twist!

Matt Lucas will be the first celebrity taking part

Celebrity Hijack will feature a group of famous faces in the role of Big Brother who will set tasks for the housemates. In charge for about 24 hours at a time, they will be "making rules, creating mayhem, setting sublime and ridiculous tasks, and taking away food as punishment".

Little Britain's Matt Lucas will be the first star to take control of proceedings.

The series will feature Jimmy Carr, Jake and Dinos Chapman, Keith Lemon, Malcolm McLaren, Joan Rivers, Brian Sewell and Ian Wright, all taking over the role of Big Brother.

Controversy

The series launched on Channel 4 and digital channel E4 on Thursday 3 January, and comes less than five months after BB bosses declared they had axed the celebrity format from the 2008 schedules, citing "creative renewal" not controversy as the reason.

The Diary Room Chair awaits!

The change in format comes after the furore surrounding 2007's Celebrity Big Brother, when Bollywood actress Shilpa Shetty was the victim of alleged racist bullying by fellow contestants Jade Goody, model Danielle Lloyd and singer Jo O'Meara.

A record 45,000 people complained to Ofcom over the incident, which ruled that Channel 4 had made "serious editorial misjudgements" in its handling of the incidents.

Still popular?

But will this show prove to be as popular as previous series and is it perhaps time to bring a halt to Celebrity Big Brother?

Jason Dashwood who hosts the Big Brother fan website bigbrotheronline.co.uk, told BBC Three Counties Radio that in his opinion the show has become just a money spinner and channel filler for E4.

"I'm not sure that this is a series that we either need or want…" Jason told Breakfast Show presenter Roberto Perrone.

The Housemates are:

John Loughton, 20, from Edinburgh, Talent: Politician;
Liam Young, 19, from Liverpool Talent: Entrepreneur; 
Latoya Satnarine, 19, from London Talent: Dancer;
Anthony Ogogo, 19, from Lowestoft, Suffolk, Talent: Boxer;
Calista Robertson, 19, from London, Talent: Classical musician;
Jade Eden, 21, from London, Talent: Beauty Queen;
Nathan Fagan-Gayle, 21, from London, Talent: Singer-songwriter
Amy Jackson, 21, from Leeds, Talent: Conceptual artist
Jeremy Metcalfe, 19, from Hampshire, Talent: Racing driver
Emilia Arata, 18, from Birmingham, Talent: Circus performer
Victor Arata, 19, from Birmimgham, Talent: Circus performer
Jay Wilson, 19, from London, Talent: Fashion designer