FINAL DAYS FOR APPLICATIONS

Applications for a place onboard the Ark have been flooding in for the past six weeks – but now this is the final week, as applications close this Friday, 28 February. Clare Rishbeth, one of the brains behind the Ark, has been looking at the application forms and reveals some of the reasons people have been giving for wanting a berth in the world's first internet reality gameshow. She reports as our interviewer in the queue for the Ark...

INTERVIEWER: Apart from your passion for your character, what else is tempting you to battle it out for 40 days to win that first place on the podium? You'll miss your mother-in-law's birthday party, forget to feed the cat and wear out your mouse mat – why put yourself though it?

PERSON 1: I love to try new things. I enjoy theater and improvisation, and I think that this sounds like a unique experience. It's a rare opportunity to have an international audience.

PERSON 2: It sounds fun! I am a Survivor fanatic, but could never really get away and play for real.

PERSON 3: Reality shows in general fascinate me – something about watching a group of people interacting, manipulating, cheating one another etc. The psychology behind why they do what they do, and whether it works, intrigues me.

PERSON 4: It's going to be a great experience in exploring cultural and religious diversity.

PERSON 5: I already spend enough time on the net, so I thought it would be great to participate in something so revolutionary. Plus, the website seems very creative and is great fun, so I expect to experience some cool times and take away fantastic memories... The promise of the game being worldwide is awesome! I can't wait to be a part of the global cyber experience!

PERSON 6: It is fun, relational and something different!

PERSON 7: One of my current hobbies is playing on Online MUSHes where a person makes up a character and interacts with other characters in a text-based medium. The idea of an internet reality show where one actually might end up with some sort of prize struck me as very funny!

PERSON 8: The Bible meets the cast of the real world. Too bad it won't be on Jerry Springer, eh?

INTERVIEWER: Well, you never know! We'll see what we can do.

TURNS TO CAMERA:

Chatting to the candidates certainly fires me with anticipation for the Ark launch on 20 April. It's clear they're up for it, excited by being part of something spectacular and unpredictable. And since most of them seem pretty hooked on the internet anyway, it's more a case of adjusting their bookmarks than rescheduling the football practice. It's also great to report a good balance of gender, ages and different nationalities.

TURNS TO QUEUE:

So, one last question before we leave you to continue your character development... how does this show tie in with your understanding of the Bible? Is that important to you?

PERSON 1: I get TERRIBLY bored with stuffy, dusty, lifeless, humorless approaches to the Bible. I feel that this would be a fun way to breath some new life into some familiar characters and stories.

PERSON 2: Religious discussions are always interesting. There are so many puzzling and apparently contradictory things to discuss.

PERSON 3: It's going to be very interesting to see how different people from different places and religious backgrounds interpret the Bible.

PERSON 4: I would like to enhance my biblical knowledge in an interesting and unconventional way. Putting the characters into an interactive format will flesh them into three-dimensional, real people.

PERSON 5: This is a chance for me to step outside of the safety net of my denomination/tradition.

PERSON 6: It should be fun to use biblical knowledge to predict how different characters would get on together, and behave in the Ark situation.

PERSON 7: It'll be a chance to poke holes in pretentious people's pretensions... to let the hot air out of stuffed shirts?

INTERVIEWER TURNS TO CAMERA:

We've met just a handful of the scores of hopefuls who've already sent us their application forms to be one of the Divine Dozen. It's not to late to join them! If you've got the imagination and the enthusiasm, tell us why the world would enjoy watching you chewing over the issues and mucking out the rhinos in the Ark.

Coming soon: The auditions.

Please note: the closing date for applications is 28 February 2003. Click here to apply for your place on the Ark.