A new reality TV show which is to show expectant couples moving in to a Big Brother -style house just days before their babies are born has been condemned as a 'circus act' by health experts.

Baby House , which is to be screened by ITV next month, follows six couples as they go through the experience of childbirth for the first time.

They will arrive at the house - a mansion near Guildford in Surrey - when the mothers are in their last week of pregnancy. Every afternoon, in the days leading to the birth, they will be filmed expressing their hopes and fears about the delivery.

The cameras will show the onset of labour, the rush to hospital and the birth, before following the couples back to the house and showing the mothers beginning breastfeeding. Celebrity guests will lend support and advice.

ITV says that the series will be informative as well as entertaining as it shows how both men and women deal with the challenges of becoming parents.

But both the Royal College of Midwives (RCM) and the National Childbirth Trust (NCT) refused invitations to be involved with the programme. They say that they are concerned about the stress it will place on the pregnant women, particularly if they do not like one another. The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists has also voiced concerns. Carol Bates, the RCM's education adviser, said: 'In the last few weeks of pregnancy, what you need is rest, peace and quiet, and a bit of time to prepare yourself emotionally. It cannot be helpful to put these couples through the stress of living with strangers and of being filmed every afternoon.'

She added: 'This sounds to me like something of a media stunt, a circus act. It is clinically unwise, in my view, to do something which could make these women more stressed and more anxious.'

A spokeswoman for the gynaecologists' professional body said: 'We feel that if this situation is not handled with delicacy, it could be an intrusive programme at a time of privacy.'

An ITV publicity statement suggests that over the course of the two weeks the show will explore every aspect of pregnancy, birth and postnatal care, live from the Baby House .

Viewers will see whether a hot curry can induce labour, watch the mothers attempt to begin breast-feeding and even examine 'hypno-birthing'.

The parents will be trying out baby equipment, from road-testing buggies to checking carrycots.

Staff at the local NHS hospital in Guildford, the Royal Surrey County Hospital, have had meetings with the independent programme makers, RDF Media, and decided to help them with the series.

The hospital will approach mothers to see if they are interested in taking part in the series. It is receiving a payment from the company which will go into the maternity unit's trust fund.

An ITV spokeswoman defended the series, saying: 'The parents who take part in the programme will receive advice and support from each other and from pregnancy and birth experts, including Miriam Stoppard. They are completely free to come and go as they please, and we will not interfere in any way with their pregnancies.

'It is not 24-hour filming and there are no fixed cameras. The programme has a single camerawoman who will be capturing their relationships and the support they all give each other in the house.'

The spokeswoman added: 'We hope that being in the house together will mean that the couples can support each other, and the fathers in particular will have other expectant fathers to talk to about their own hopes and fears.

'Their own doctors and midwives will still deal with antenatal and postnatal care, plus, of course, the birth itself. The midwifery department at the Royal Surrey County Hospital is giving its full support and backing to produce an educational and informative programme.'

NHS managers defended their decision to be fully involved with the programme. 'A number of discussions took place between the company and senior maternity staff prior to the hospital's agreement to assist,' said a statement from the hospital trust. 'These meetings reassured hospital staff that the programme would be informative to first-time parents and help them understand the last few weeks of pregnancy.'

In addition, assurances were given that moving into the 'house' was not a criterion for taking part in the programme.

'The Royal Surrey has agreed to provide facilities to enable hospital attendances to be filmed at the hospital's discretion. Assurance has been given that couples may withdraw from the programme at any time. RDF have agreed to make a donation to the maternity department's trust fund to help with the purchase of additional equipment as an acknowledgement of the assistance given.'