FIRST GLIMPSE INSIDE THE ARK

With just 16 days to go before the Ark sets sail, the ship is rapidly taking shape and the first glimpse of one of the interior cabins has been unveiled. The pictures released today (see below) show a still screengrab of two of the characters onboard – Elijah and Eve – chatting inside the saloon, complete with portholes, piano, bookshelves and a roaring fire.

The Ark is a 3-D environment in which the full cast of 12 biblical cartoon characters – played by real-life contestants sitting at their computers around the world – will move around, talk to each other, cook, eat, sleep, play games and complete tasks for the 40 days and 40 nights of the gameshow.

The Arkmates will gradually be voted out by the audience, until just one of them steps onto Mt Ararat to win the £666 cash prize.

While Noah and his sons built the original Ark, the virtual vessel is being put together plank by plank by specialmoves.com, the London-based digital media agency which produced the online, 3-D version of the Osbournes' house, among other ground-breaking projects.

The Ark they are building will house the Divine Dozen in some comfort, with a variety of rooms, several of which contain hidden surprises. These including a galley (kitchen), a big eating area, a bathroom complete with showers and loos, two cabins for sleeping, plus a noisy and well-populated animal deck deep in the bowels of the Ark.

Meanwhile, up top will be the main deck, boasting sunloungers, umbrellas and a barbecue. The highest point on the whole vessel is the crow's nest, where the characters can climb up to confess all to God, and where they will be summoned to account for their onboard transgressions.

The Ark promises to be an innovative game environment on the Net. "The style of the rooms is different to the Shockwave 3-D games that have been done on the Net so far," says James Norwood, one the of specialmoves.com partners.

"We're getting away from typical Doom-style graphics and producing something that has proper video game quality like Nintendo or Play Station. I think people are going to say, 'Wow, I haven't seen anything like this on the Web before.'"

Alongside the biblical cast of 12, three other characters will also walk the Ark's decks. Ark Angel Gabriel will act as gameshow host, making sure that ejected characters walk the plank – and interviewing them before they go. And there will also be Noah and his wife Joan (of Ark), acting as characters which individual viewers can log into so that they can explore the Ark, watch the action and listen in to conversations.

Eleven of the 12 contestants have now been selected for a berth onboard. They claim their places on Easter Sunday, 20 April, when the ship will be set afloat. Next stop: Mt Ararat.