A FORMER Malvern student who admits he fancies Margaret Thatcher has become the latest hopeful to enter the Big Brother house.

Tim Culley, who attended Malvern College and is a self-confessed womaniser, went into the Elstree-based house at 7.15pm yesterday, in the wake of unhappy contestant Sandy's departure.

The keen sportsman and tennis coach, who has travelled extensively, is now one of nine housemates in the running for the £70,000 prize in the cult Channel 4 show, which has established a loyal following during its two years of transmission.

The globetrotter - who is proud of his private school education - lived in Hong Kong for 10 years after being born in Kuwait, and has just graduated from Durham University with a business finance degree.

He started up his own company - The Select Talent Company - a head-hunting agency for models, last April. His parents - a restaurateur and an interior designer - are based in Upton-upon-Severn.

In his application to the show, he said he entered Big Brother as a huge challenge which had come just at the right time in his life.

He added he would miss the World Cup and Wimbledon, but would not miss having to pay for things, or his two pet hate foods - liquorice and rhubarb.

His biggest fear is that people will just see him as an "arrogant toff", but Swedish girlfriend Johanna Dahl believes he has the potential to win.

Ladbrokes is currently giving odds of 10 to 1 for him to bag the £70,000 prize money.

Tim encountered a turbulent atmosphere when he entered the house last night. The house has been split in two, with half the housemates living like kings and the other half having to live off meagre rations.

He has been lucky enough to enter the "rich" side, will be exempt from the next eviction process, and will not be able to nominate or be nominated in the first week.

Three people have already been evicted from the house, two have "walked", and another stands to be kicked out on Friday.

A spokesman for Malvern College refused to confirm Tim was a pupil at the exclusive school, saying it did not want to be associated with a show he said was at the "gutter end" of the entertainment spectrum.