[Arneldo]

Channel 4 are planning to show heroin addicts going cold turkey in a Big Brother-style house.

The series, which will be fronted by newsreader Krishnan Guru Murphy, will monitor participants 24 hours a day as they try to beat their addiction.

A source told the Sunday Mirror, "It's an unusual idea, but it's a great chance to show people what it's like to quit a drug like heroin."

Contestants will stay at a clinic near Harrogate for the show, called Cold Turkey, which begins a five-day run on February 20.

"We have expressed serious concerns. Heroin addicts are incredibly vulnerable people and we are worried they could be exploited," DrugScope spokesman Harry Shapiro explained.

A spokesperson for Channel 4 insisted, "We are hoping to inform youngsters about the harsh reality of beating drug addiction."

[BusyBee]

No please no. Who is going to choose who goes in the house. You are likely to get a houseful of wannabees who want their fifteen minutes of fame but have no intention of coming off drugs permanently. People who seriously wish to come off drugs know that there is no short term fix to becoming clean.

I work with drug addicts on a regular basis in my drugs and the number who commit crimes to go on rehab whilst in prison is huges. But what happens when they are released, the dealers offer them freebies and they are so weak that they accept and within days they are back to where they have been in the past.

This is what I think would happen to the people on this show. Going cold turkey is not fun and it isnt nice - most of the contents of the show will have to be shown after 9.00pm. And five days - no-one comes anywhere near clean within five days. They think they had a huge fight in BB5, this lot could end up making that look like a bun fight.

Another case of reality tv reaching the lowest common denominator.

Sure help people come off drugs, but this is not going to help in the long-term.

[Siouxsie]

not a good idea

[Clnbnt06]

how great does this sound!

[Z]

This is a ridiculous idea, as BusyBee said, it'll be very hard for heroin addicts to overcome their addiction. Also, the shame of being named as an addict could drive them to all sorts of trouble...

[SexyJade]

I wathed this yesterday and it was ****ed up.

[Z]

What time is it on?

[Clnbnt06]

It ended yesterday i think, it was on on a morning and night at around 11pm.