Little Britain star in BB spin-off - Dec 23 2007
Artists Jake and Dinos Chapman, Little Britain star Matt Lucas and Sex Pistols manager Malcolm McLaren have signed up for the new spin-off Big Brother.

Match of the Day pundit Ian Wright, Evening Standard art critic Brian Sewell, outspoken US comedienne Joan Rivers, comic Jimmy Carr and Bo’ Selecta! character Keith Lemon are also on board.

The celebrities will take on the role of Big Brother - maintaining control by setting tasks, handing out punishments like removing food, and listening to housemates in the Diary Room.

The contestants for Big Brother: Celebrity Hijack are expected to be young scientists, athletes, acrobats, and Mensa members. More celebrity names are expected to join the month-long E4 show.

McLaren’s decision to join comes after he pulled out of I’m a Celebrity ... Get Me Out of Here! last month, saying it was "fake" and "he didn’t have the time".

The Chapman brothers are famed for their bizarre artworks, including a group of sexually-mutated child mannequins, and Hell (1999-2000) a swastika shape of more than 5,000 tiny Nazi figures acting out the roles of victim and executioner.

A Big Brother spokeswoman said of the celebrities: "Just what they will be getting up to as they take control of the house and who else will join them as celebrity hijackers remains a closely-guarded secret."

Dermot O’Leary will present the series - his last Big Brother job. Davina McCall returns in the summer.

The last series of Celebrity Big Brother caused a huge furore over the racism row. Channel 4 decided to replace the show this year with Big Brother: Celebrity Hijack.

The house has been given a makeover and Banksy-style stencilling and graffiti adorns the walls. The E4 show kicks off on January 3 at 9pm.

Matt heading for BB house? - Dec 14 2007
Matt Lucas could be heading to the Big Brother house to take over the controls in next month’s new series Celebrity Hijack, according to a report.

The Little Britain star, 33, is apparently due to use some of his infamous characters to help order the unsuspecting housemates around, such as Vicky Pollard making them do her homework, reports the Daily Star.

An insider is quoted as saying: "We are so excited to have Matt on board. This is such a fantastic coup."

The new format, which replaces the normal Celebrity Big Brother, will see famous faces taking over the reins of the voice of Big Brother and making housemates do whatever they like.

Celebrity Hijack will be screened on E4 and hosted by Dermot O’Leary in his last duty for the show before he gives up next year to concentrate on X Factor.

Joan Rivers has also been lined up to appear on the show - she spilled the beans about her appearance to Simon Mayo on Radio 5 Live.

Little Britain stepping into unknown - July 25 2007
David Walliams and Matt Lucas can’t wait to hit the US with their cult show Little Britain - because it’s virtually unheard of there.

Whenever the pair head outside in the UK, they have to endure fans yelling catchphrases like "yeah but no but" and "I’m a laydee".

And David, 35, said in a documentary about their Australian tour that he liked the thought of pastures new.

He said: "I quite like the idea of starting again. Very little is known of us in America."

The US television series will begin in the Autumn, featuring new and old characters.