...at least he's someone you've heard of

Julian Clary has become a housemate in the new series of Celebrity Big Brother.

He went into the house last night alongside former Coronation Street star Julie Goodyear, Spandau Ballet’s Martin Kemp and ex-Loose Woman Coleen Nolan.

And producers are hoping to court controversy by including journalist Samantha Brick, who achieved notoriety after writing about how difficult it was to be so beautiful.

This is the third celebrity version to launch the year since Channel 5 picked up the rights – although many of the contestants are far from household names.

The rest of the housemates are former EastEnders actress Cheryl Fergison; Team GB judo competitor Ashley McKenzie; Mike ‘the Situation’ Sorrentino from US reality show Jersey Shore; former So Solid Crew rapper MC Harvey; glamour models Rhian Sugden, Danica Thrall; Prince Lorenzo Borghese, from American reality series The Bachelor; and Jasmine Lennard, whose claim to fame is that she says she once had a fling with Simon Cowell.

The show runs for 24 days, until September 7.

Published: 16 Aug 2012