Mostly harmless

They might be a bunch of unlovable lunatics, but I have to confess while the personalities may be hard to take, the interaction is certainly worth looking at.

Part of the problem is that there will inevitably be comparisons to last year when every housemate was a memorable character, without exception.

So, who are this year?s defining characters and who are the current shrinking violets?

It was immediately apparent that Derek would be a big figure in the house. People have asked how a man like him could end up in the spotlight of the house. Isn?t he supposed to be mate of Neil and Christine Hamilton? A publicity seeker? Surely not.

I think he's been excellent value so far, his early morning soliloquies to camera ensuring him plenty of airtime and notoriety on the highlights shows. Despite the obvious gulf between him and the body of the group, he has thrown himself into things wholeheartedly while being perfectly prepared to stand his ground and attempt to be authoritarian when he thinks it's needed.

Unfortunately for Derek, sometimes his directness when upset can come across as a hissy fit, which may not help his cause.

Will the real Makosi please stand up?

The problem with the unlucky housemate business is that we don't know the real Kosi yet, so it's difficult to judge just how much of a prima donna she actually is. If they'd at least let her confide in one housemate, it would have been easier to assess. As things stand, mission from Big Brother or not, she is causing wounds in her relationships with the others that may not be easy to heal.

It's hard to imagine that all of them will reappraise her personality when the truth comes out, but while her roomies may be irritated by her, in entertainment terms, the princess has been top notch.

To hear him go on sometimes you'd be forgiven for thinking it was Maxwell's house and everyone else was just visiting. I'd be unhappy if rumours of him being a mole turned out to true. If he is, there is no reason why we as viewers shouldn't be in on the secret. Max is a hard man to take to with his views getting more extreme and outrageous every time he has a drink.

Maybe over the course of the show, the outward laddiness will be peeled back and we?ll see the inner Max.

I wouldn't hold your breath though.

If anyone is playing up the cameras it's weirdo witch Mary, who attempts to come across as mystical and mysterious but is actually portraying herself as a nutter.

All that quietness and sulking at the start of the run was just an attention-seeking facade that seems to have worked superbly as other housemates hang off her every ridiculous word.

Even lippy Max has been enchanted. I?ve a feeling that Mary's spookiness will wear very thin very quickly and she could make an early exit. I wouldn't put it past some of them in the house to use the pool for a spot of witch dunking, so let's just hope she comes out in one piece.

If being noisy means being noticed then it's hard to ignore Science, a man who seems to be louder than Dom Joly's mobile phone bloke. Science actually has some salient points to make, but it is really hard to give him the credence he deserves when everything is delivered in such an aggressive manner.

If the great one wants to be taken seriously he needs to slow down and digest what the others are saying to him before he blows his stack.

Roberto's nice guy veneer disappeared rather rapidly but I have to say that I still like him. He has added straight talking and top quality insults to his charm offensive, making him seem a much more rounded individual. I was worried at first that he may come off as a bit on the fake side but now we are seeing him in his true colours and it's clear he won't take any nonsense from anyone. How this will play with the general public remains to be seen but his early popularity in the betting market may not be misplaced.

It's not just Anthony?s looks that could be his fortune in this show. Shut your eyes and he sounds remarkably similar to Declan Donnelly and you all know how popular he is.

Anthony's drawback may well be that Max will lead him too far down the lad path from where it will be difficult for him to return. If there is to be a romance in there, he is the man most likely to but this could well put paid to any chance of victory. It certainly didn't do Paul or Stuart any favours in the popularity stakes.

Kemal has that typical failing that affects many people of his age, he thinks he knows it all but only as he gets older will he realise how little he does know. He seems to be in state of confusion about his own identity, be it his religious beliefs or his sexuality and his over confident nature could merely be a mask to hide these insecurities.

The problem he will face is that the Big Brother house is notorious for how fast it takes for these sorts of defence to crumble. He may seem full of himself but a few weeks in there and any self doubt he may have will be placed cruelly and starkly under the microscope.

On then to Craig, who it is more difficult to get a handle on. All the lippiness and vitriol from his audition tape has only surfaced occasionally.

To be honest I find him a bit on the boring side and I wouldn't be surprised if the backbiting moments turn out to be out of character.

I don't know why I've taken to Saskia but I just have. I thought all that crying in the loft when a minor spat was taking place was quite endearing. She seems to be a caring person, a facet that could leave her vulnerable in a house full of snakes all looking to bag the main prize.

I'm expecting this year's bunch to stitch each other up big time and Saskia looks to be a easy target.

There's just something so uninteresting about Sam, though no doubt she'll be the new darling of the lads mags before too long. Her "one hundred grand and famous" quote seemed to sum up her vacuous nature perfectly.

We'd be doing her a favour by voting her out early. The sooner she can start doing those photo shoots for Nuts the faster she can achieve her dreams of wealth and celebrity.

So we come to the housemate who has made the least impact on me, Vanessa. I'm sure she will come into her own as the numbers decrease, assuming of course she's still there and when she does, I?m fairly sure I'll find her intensely annoying. As yet though, I hardly notice her presence.

Lesley? I'm feeling charitable so it's best I don't say anything.

I'll be back later in the week with my thoughts on the nominations.