Shahbaz leaves the Big Brother house

Shahbaz has left the Big Brother house and will not be returning, the group was informed this evening.

His decision to quit follows a number of bizarre comments and incidents in recent days, resulting in him being blanked by most of the housemates. Producers had been monitoring the 37-year-old closely after he had claimed that he had entered the house "to die" before imitating machine gun fire.

George read the news - presented on a laminate - to the stunned group at 8pm this evening. "Shabhaz has left the Big Brother house and will not be returning," the announcement said. "There is now a leadership position open inside the Big Brotherhood. Big Brother will get back to you."

The housemates had varying reactions to the news. Some, such as Mikey and Sezer, appeared disinterested while Lisa speculated that producers would now make it appear as if the group had pushed him out.

Richard was the most vocal, describing the situation as "very serious" before warning the group that they would have to be "respectful" when packing Shahbaz's belongings.

At this stage it is still unclear whether the first eviction will proceed this Friday as planned, or whether Shahbaz will be replaced by a standby contestant.

Stick with DS:BB for more on this story as it develops.