Beauty school cop outs: jamilla paul's diary

Rochdale salon owner Jamilla Paul is set to become a familiar face to the nation, mentoring the cast of new reality MTV show Beauty School Cop Outs. In an HJi exclusive, Jamilla will be sharing the secrets from the set - read part one of her show diary below...

This summer, I was asked to be in a new MTV series following eight young people keen for a career in the grooming industries: hairdressing, beauty, nails, fitness – that sort of thing. It was to be a single task – a brief appearance. But during the meeting everything changed. I could see it in the producers’ faces. They kept glancing at one another. Next thing, I'm being asked to meet the big boss at MTV. They reckon I'd be brilliant as the overall boss, the mentor to these kids. Suddenly, I'm in up to my neck and booked for eight weeks of filming. Now when I say a series about young people at the beginning of their careers, I don't mean a dry, informed, BBC sort of series. This is for MTV and it’s being made by the guys behind Geordie Shore and The Valleys; you get the idea. It’s a total hoot. When I met the cast they were exactly as you'd expect: beauty-obsessed, self-obsessed and up for anything. It quickly became clear that this was to be a reality show, more about the cast than the industry – any industry. But it was amazing, the kids are fab and such fun. Much of the filming was actually done in my Rochdale salon. As soon as filming was over, I had a bridal show for the Fellowship for British Hairdressing at Salon International to plan and organise – five models with an ethnic twist, plus loads of other stuff to deal with like being shortlisted as Business Woman of the Year locally and for North Western Hairdresser of the Year in HJ's British Hairdressing Awards. Meanwhile the producers had to condense eight weeks of 14-18 hours’ footage each day into eight 45-minute weekly episodes. The day before the launch party in London the texts have started. They buzz back and forward all day. I haven’t seen the producers or any of the cast since filming finished; we are all excited to see one another again and, to be honest, a bit nervous. It’s the big reveal. Eight weeks of filming – more for the producers with editing – to produce eight episodes. We will watch episode one at the party in front of 100 journalists. It’s going to be huge. The whole JP team is heading down for the MTV party. Well, who’d miss it? Two days after Salon International is over, I'm back in London, where 100 journalists are gathered to party in true media fashion. We're doing hair, and there are lots of other stations for the journalists to try out, including tattooing a pig’s head and shaving a condom filled with foam! I have to go up onstage with the cast for the big introduction but as soon as I’ve said my piece, my nerves pass and I start to enjoy myself. I feel calmer than I've felt for ages. I laugh along with the journalists as I watch the antics of the crazy cast. I know how being part of this programme is going to change the cast members’ lives and I also know it has to show them in the worst light to start with so you can really witness their development. Still, it’s a bit of a shock watching it. My mum is going to hate it. It's going to be loud, raucous and out of control, but it is also going to be a laugh. And, fingers crossed, good for my business."

Watch this space for more from Jamilla as the series gets under way....