A cage-fighting fashion designer, a Mr T lookalike and “anti-butch” lesbians – the final Big Brother auditions hit Manchester with a bang.

Hundreds of TV wannabes – many in mini skirts and low cut tops - defied the rain and freezing cold and queued for hours at Manchester Central for the chance to star in the notorious TV show.

It will be their last chance to appear in the show as Channel 4 has announced that Big Brother 11, screened this summer, will be the final series.

Doors opened at 8.30am. Queues wound through the Exchange Hall and main foyer of Manchester Central and out through the doors, into the rain, towards Windmill Street.

First in the queue were cage-fighter and fashion designer Ali Akbor, 20, and Leila Ahmed, a 19-year-old criminology student at MMU, who came to audition from home town Sheffield and slept in line from 10.30pm on Thursday night.

Leila said: “When we arrived no one was here so we thought it had been cancelled. We slept in the queue all night. I'm desperate for the loo but I'm not going in case I lose my place.”

Ali said he should get through because “there are too many crazy people put in the house. I am just an average Joe.”

Terry Ricky Martyn, a 45-year-old Mr T lookalike from Bolton, pointed to his bling jewellery and said: “My initials are TRM, which backwards spell MR T. Everybody calls me Mr T. I don't know why.”

18-year-old Hayley, from Sale, queued with best friends Laura and Melissa, both 20. She said she was applying to challenge homophobic stereotypes. She said: “We are lesbians and are fed up with all the lesbians in the house being butch, manly types. We want to show that some of us are pretty girls too.”

And Jonathan Lancaster, 25, who suffers from Treacher Collins Syndrome and comes from Featherstone, West Yorkshire, was hoping to change public attitudes to his condition by entering the house.

He said: “I was born without fully formed facial features. I have no cheek bones and my eyes droop. I want to go in the house to raise awareness about the condition and show other sufferers that it shouldn't hold you back.”

Once inside, hopefuls participated in warm-up exercises and group activities under the watchful eye of producers. Those who stood out were stamped on the hand with a Big Brother eye, the others led to the exits.

Leila and Ali got through, as did Mr T lookalike Terry.

Big Brother executive producer Katy Smith insisted they were not just looking for extroverts. She said: “We are looking for diverse types of people. Often people audition and imitate previous housemates but we are looking for new people and new personalities. A lot of people come in with big fronts up. We try to break that down to see who they really are.”

Auditions will be held throughout Friday and Saturday at Manchester Central.