Face Off

(Images via Chris Lobina/Sky Living) 

Lord knows I love a modelling programme. I don't know what it is, I can't get enough of them even though they are exquisitely trashy.

I hadn't managed to catch any of the UK version of The Face but they repeated the first few episodes yesterday and boy, they were stonkers. 

For one thing Naomi Campbell is so impossibly mean. 

Obviously being the most famous model the show is all about her. This seems somewhat unfair on the other mentors. Admittedly I haven't heard of Caroline Winberg but Erin O'Connor is certainly no slouch.  While the format for XXX's Next Top Model means that you get to know more about the contestants, The Face's mentors get much more attention, particularly Ms Naomi "I'm in a ming" Campbell.

It is definitely interesting seeing how the mentors manage the shoots, but I'm not sure I necessarily want to see them so much and the rookies actually modelling so little. Even after having seen four episodes I don't think I know which of the girls are particularly strong. The only ones who have made much of an impression have done so less because of their ability and more because of the scraps. While that supposedly makes for good tv it is only interesting for a very limited period, surely.

My highlight so far is the lovely Erin O'Connor. She's just very nice and seems to care about the job in hand. While Naomi is all stomping around throwing fits and intimidating everyone she seems more concerned about people's wellbeing than sensationalism. So she'll probably be out after this series because people are far more interested in diva histrionics. And that's a shame.