Big Sister: week one in the BB house

Sinister clones, or allies for life? Every year more than 10,000 sets of twins are born in the UK. And twins are on the increase, mainly due to older parents having IVF treatment.

There have been countless reports of twins being telepathic - knowing when the other one has been in pain or danger. All this can make the rest of us a tad uncomfortable.

So it is that Big Brother 8, ever in search of a new wheeze, has jumped at the chance to include identical twins Sam and Amanda, 18, from Newcastle-under-Lyme in the initially all-female line-up. True to the show's reputation for titillation, the twins have already suggested they would be happy to share a threesome with a male contestant. The first, model Zac Lichman, arrived on Friday.

But will the twins' special unity make them stronger against the other housemates as the show gets into its 14-week run, or will they turn on each other as the big prize beckons and they are forced into competitive rivalry?

Chartered psychologist Kairen Cullen, who features on the spin- off Big Brother on the Couch, broadcast tonight, said: "I think the twins will be very popular among the viewers. They are pretty, they appear strong and they are bonded so they will be finishing each other's sentences. But if they get to the end, it will be interesting viewing to see them go head-to-head."

The emphasis of tonight's programme will be on the group dynamics of an all-female prison, says Dr Cecilia d'Felice, a clinical psychologist who is one of the show's experts. She writes this paper's "How to be happy" column in The New Review. But will this all boost the fortunes of an ageing show ever more embroiled in controversy? Ofcom, the media watchdog, forced Channel 4 to issue an apology over the Shilpa Shetty "racist bullying" row, on Wednesday. Also last week, there was condemnation of Australian Big Brother's decision not to inform a contestant her father had died. Then came The Big Donor Show in the Netherlands, in which three dialysis patients were supposedly competing to win the kidney of a terminally ill woman. Except that turned out to be a ratings boosting hoax.

Viewing figures for BB8 suggest vulgarity fatigue may be setting in - at 6.2 million, the audience was down a fifth on last year's launch night. But Endemol, the show's maker, knows it will need some scam to ensure the show retains its capacity to fascinate and appal in equal measure. Stand by!

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