Big Brother's producers have revealed that there will be no "official housemates" on the series ten launch night.

Eight men and eight women will enter the compound at 9pm tonight on Channel 4 to compete for the £100,000 prize. However, their first challenge will be to become official housemates.

On arrival the hopefuls will be informed that they are not fully fledged contestants and that they have not been granted full access to the Big Brother house.

All 16 will have to earn the right to remain on the show. Each applicant will be given specially designed tasks to challenge their "fear and pride".

They will not be given access to a bedroom, kitchen or bathroom and will have to survive without their suitcases. Big Brother will provide the contestants with porridge and cold water to survive on.

The group's only cleaning facilities are a bath and a tap providing cold water. The only way to get the water in the bath is via a bucket, which has holes at the bottom.

A source told Digital Spy: "Every year on Big Brother, we try to come up with new ideas that will shock and surprise people. So this year, there is literally no furniture. They have crates and barrels to sit on and they will have to sleep on the floor.

"Over the course of the first few days, all the hopefuls will have to earn the right to be housemates. There will be various tasks that individuals have to go through. They will range from testing their fears and seeing how stupid they are willing to let themselves look - all the usual Big Brother fun and games. If they fail the task, they will no longer be a housemate."

The insider added: "From the very word go, the contestants will have to work. They think they've done the hard bit at auditions, but they will get here and from the very start, try to earn their right to be here. This will hopefully move the goalposts a little bit, because no one will be expecting this on launch night."

Big Brother 10 starts at 9pm tonight on Channel 4.