Magic couple sign up for The Farm

Paul Daniels and his wife were the first to sign up for The Farm

Magician Paul Daniels and his wife Debbie McGee have been signed up for a reality TV show called The Farm.

Set on a Wiltshire farm, the contestants will wake at the crack of dawn to milk cows, collect eggs, herd the sheep and do the mucking out.

A similar version of the show, which was broadcast in France earlier this year, was criticised after claims some animals died during filming.

The programme is part of Five's autumn and winter schedule.

Other highlights include Cosmetic Surgery Live, Boxing Academy and Celebrity Swap.

The Farm is a great idea that, I hope, will introduce us townies to the countryside Paul Daniels

The Farm - produced by Endemol, the firm behind Big Brother - will transmit nightly for three weeks from the end of September.

The Farm will see the celebrities, including model Sophie Anderton, face the harsh realities of life on a working farm.

Daniels said: "The Farm is a great idea that, I hope, will introduce us townies to the countryside, the hard work of the farming community, and even make the food chain real."

McGee said they decided to sign up for the show as it seemed "more real" than other reality shows they had been offered.

Eviction

Anderton said she was "delighted" to be involved but admitted it would be a "complete culture shock".

The contestants, who will be nominated for eviction by TV viewers, will live in a converted barn for three weeks.

In Celebrity Swap, three pairs of celebrities are transformed using the latest body casting techniques and prosthetics.

David Dickinson and motoring show Fifth Gear's Vicki Butler Henderson swap sex; James Hewitt and Linda Robson swap class and Melinda Messenger and Mike Reid trade ages.

Cosmetic Surgery Live will explore the process of life-changing procedures and their impact on patients, families and surgeons.

Meanwhile, Boxing Academy will follows the gruelling competition and training regime of young hopefuls.

Other programmes on the schedule include drama Murder Prevention, Extraordinary Illnesses, The World's Strongest Boy, John Lydon Shark Attack and Victoria Beckham's Secrets.