THERE'S nowt so queer - or interesting - as folk. The truth of that old saying has been proved in recent weeks by the eight million viewers who have been regularly switching on to the latest Big Brother series.

The foibles of the contestants have kept the nation enthralled - and keen to reach for the phone and vote on the future of Jade, PJ, Adele, Sophie, Alex, Jonny et al.

Tonight, Worcestershire will be on tenterhooks waiting to discover whether Tim Culley is to be evicted from the house.

As we settle down to watch the latest instalments in the saga, one thing that we're sure will strike viewers is the amount of pure vitriol that Big Brother 3 has generated.

Contestants in what is, after all, no more than a game show, have been booed as they left the house; been subjected to vicious campaigns in some sections of the media; and - in Tim's case - become the subject of a website which aims to have him voted off the programme.

There may be some who consider that anyone who subjects themselves to the nation's intense scrutiny in the hope of winning the £70,000 top prize - or developing a media career - deserves exactly what they get.

But it's well worth considering that the decisions being made about the future of the housemates will be based on an edited picture of their personalities.

Can Tim really be the man he's portrayed as being on Channel 4? Tonight we may find out.