Britain and Ireland's Next Top Model: It's no ANTM, but are you watching?

So Britain and Ireland's Next Top Model is back on our screens and well underway at this stage. Although it tends to lack that extra bit of gloss and sparkle that America's Next Top Model has, I've still been glued to it. This time around they thankfully decided not to tear the arse out of the auditions stage like last year, but whether they're sticking to the terrible live final format remains to be seen. And while it may not have Tyra Banks and her endearing descent into madness, it does have two gorgeous Irish girls to cheer on in Lisa and Kellie.

The makover episode was this week, which we all know is the best episode of every series, so we can shout "Come on, suck it up! It's only hair! Don't you even watch this show? You KNEW this would happen!" and marvel at the transformations. Kellie's gruaig was chopped into a sleek Mia Wallace style bob, while Lisa was distraught at the knowledge that she was getting a pixie cut. Even though she should know by now that they only ever chop a girl's hair up super short on this show if she has a face amazing enough to pull it off.

Poor Roxanne got rightly screwed though. The team inexplicably decided to give her an orange afro, and while I'll concede that it looks kinda deadly in the prison-themed photoshoot, it looks ridiculous everywhere else and the poor girl hates it.

Then there's the judges. This year, Tyson Beckford and Whitney Port have joined Elle and Julien and I have to say, the lot of them make me shout at the telly far more than any of the judges on ANTM ever have. None of them are particularly nice or sympathetic to the girls, and every time one of them tells a contestant that she doesn't look like a model, I find myself shouting "Then why the feck did you put her through this far?! It's not her fault you're an idiot!"

Elle called Jennifer a wimp for almost passing out in the harness on the butterfly photoshoot and keeps going on about some of the girls not having enough personality. Which is a bit rich coming from someone who's regularly outshone by the very shiny pants she wears. Julien has always been catty and mean and to be honest I think he's a dick. Meanwhile, Tyson just seems so smug and self satisfied and as for Whitney, well I'll just throw in this quote from an earlier episode where she was speaking to the now-eliminated Nordie contestant, Diona. "I haven't seen you act but from what I've seen over the last two days, you're more suited to acting." Right.

So, have you been watching? Who are your favourites? What did you think of the makeovers? Am I being too harsh on the judges? So many questions!