Ananova:

Tory MP Ann Widdecombe is being linked to a new reality TV show in which well-known Oxbridge alumni recreate the university boat race.

Widdecombe and 17 other graduates will undertake an intensive six-week training programme led by two Olympic rowers, says The Times.

The series showing the preparation for the celebrity boat race will air as a daily programme on BBC3 in the week leading up to the official race.

Other names in the frame are Timmy Mallett, Michael Palin and Will Self, while from Cambridge producers are considering Jeremy Paxman, Richard Whiteley and Simon Schama.

Widdecombe was an unlikely star of the ITV series Celebrity Fit Club, losing 36lb during the series.