Will Big Brother 8 steer clear of controversy?

The identities of the contestants will be revealed in the live launch show but they include a member of the Women's Institute, a political protester, a relative of a Premiership footballer, a former lap dancer and the show's oldest housemate.

The Premiership footballer's relative is reportedly Charlie Richardson, the cousin of Manchester United player Kieran Richardson.

According to the Sun, the fiery 20-year-old lives in the East End of London and is good friends with David Beckham's little sister Joanne.

However the Daily Star reports it could be Wayne Rooney's cousin Natalie Rooney, who auditioned for the show.

Channel 4 bosses hope they will prove ratings winners. But the fame-hungry housemates are under strict instructions to mind their behaviour in the wake of the Celebrity Big Brother race row.

House rules for Big Brother 8 have been updated to warn against bullying and to make clear that it is unacceptable to make offensive remarks on the grounds of race or religion.

Media watchdog Ofcom criticised Channel 4 last week over its handling of the race row, which prompted over 45,000 complaints from viewers about the treatment of Bollywood actress Shilpa Shetty by housemates Jade Goody, Danielle Lloyd and Jo O'Meara.

Channel 4 are being forced to broadcast an apology at the beginning of the launch show - to be followed by another on tomorrow's highlights programme and a third on Friday night.

The Commission for Racial Equality has vowed to closely monitor this year's housemates.

Davina McCall is returning to present the show, which will run for 14 weeks.

Channel 4 has released some details about the housemates. Two have children, nine are single and three have never been on a plane.

One was a child prodigy - she could read by the age of two. And this year's house should be spick and span - one of the contestants is a cleaner.

This will be the first time a Women's Institute (WI) member has appeared on the show.

The WI was best known for its old-fashioned "jam and Jerusalem" image until a group of them famously posed nude - a stunt which became the subject of hit film Calendar Girls, starring Dame Helen Mirren and Julie Walters.

The Big Brother house has a surreal look to it this time around.

Housemates will have to wash in public because the bath is in the middle of the living room, surrounded by multi-coloured lights.

The fridge is at the bottom of the garden and the cooker is in the bedroom. Some of the housemates will have to share beds.

And anyone hoping for a cuppa will be in for a shock - the kettle and toaster have been locked away in a see-through cabinet, and only Big Brother will decide when to open it.

Aerial snaps of the house at Elstree studios in Borehamwood, Hertfordshire, have also revealed the existence of a secret garden hidden away from the main house.