[Matt]

Press release:

Twelve thousand miles away from the UK, in a beautiful lagoon deep in the South Pacific, two deserted islands are about to become home to this year's Shipwrecked castaways. Shipwrecked is back! Once again two rival tribes are battling it out to win over new arrivals each week. The island with the biggest tribe at the final beach party will be crowned the winners of Shipwrecked 2009 .

But this year there's a dramatic twist: little do the tribes know that for the first time ever, instead of going to one tribe, the £70,000 prize money will go to just one Shipwrecker!

It may look like paradise, but this year Shipwrecked is tougher than ever and goes back to basics. The Shipwreckers have to survive on meagre rations, build their own camps from scratch, hunt and fish for their food, and cope without basic supplies like matches and toilet paper.

And each week two new arrivals spend half a week with one tribe, before crossing the lagoon to spend the second half of the week with the other. The tribes don't know that each week the new arrivals will be implementing brand new island law, designed to test the tribes and push them to their limits. The tribes must carry out the new arrivals' commands, or risk losing their vote at the beach party. At the end of the week, both new arrivals have to make a joint decision about which island they want to live on for the rest of Shipwrecked 2009 .

As the first ten castaways approach the island, they have no idea of the challenges that lie in wait for them, or that one of them may leave the islands £70,000 richer!

First to arrive are 18-year-old Mark from Liverpool; 19-year-old boxer and wannabe ladies man Sonny from London; and 20-year-old ex-public school girl Hermione.

Just half a mile away, the second island becomes home to 19-year-old Welsh chatterbox Rosie; 20-year-old high-achieving London student and self-confessed feminist Hollie; and 22-year-old sports mad Mackenzie.

Mark, Sonny and Hermione discover their food chest. Each week the islanders receive basic food rations. If they want anything else, they'll have to hunt and fish for it themselves. Before they can tuck into the local delicacy of lamb's tongue, they have to find a way to cook it... without matches.

On the other island, Mackenzie and Hollie get stuck in to building their camp, but voice-over artist Rosie has other ideas about how to spend their first days in paradise.

As both tribes get to grips with island life and their first night on the island, they are about to be joined by more original islanders: 18-year-old boy-mad virgin Nadejah, and 22-year-old model and gym bunny Liam join Mark, Sonny and Hermione, while Hollie, Rosie and Mackenzie are joined by London promotions girl Soodi and 22-year-old recruitment consultant Xanthi.

The new arrivals tell each tribe that they must pick an island leader, who will be responsible for laying down the island laws but will also be forced to make a tough decision at the first ever beach party. But first, the tribes will finally get the answer to the important question: will they be Tigers or Sharks?

The Tigers and Sharks meet their rivals for the first time at the first beach party, where there's a shock announcement. And both tribes welcome the first two new arrivals, who will become the new island leaders and put the castaways through their paces before choosing one island as their home...

Cast Photos:

Left to right: Liam, Hermione, Rosie, Xanthi, Nadejah, Mackenzie, Hollie, Soodi, Sonny, Mark





Left to right: Sonny, Mackenzie, Liam, Mark, Xanthi





Left to right: Soodi, Hollie, Hermione, Nadejah, Rosie