Lee stafford returns to celebrity scissorhands

When the Celebrity Scissorhands hair and beauty Academy opened its doors last year it had the potential to be real car-crash television. Nine celebrities more at home on the television or in a recording studio were given four weeks of intense training and let loose on the general public's hair to help raise money for Children in Need. But under the stewardship of National Hairdressing Federation Hairdresser of the Year 2006 Lee Stafford the celebrities, especially star of the show 80s icon Steve Strange, excelled all expectations of them. Not surprisingly, the hugely popular show is back for a second series and one man who had no doubts that he wanted to be a part of it again was Academy Manager Lee Stafford. "When they asked me to be involved again, I didn't have to think about it for a second," says Lee. "I had the time of my life last year. I have always fancied doing a reality TV show and this is perfect for me. "It is something I love and something I am good at and I was the boss! It is a showcase of what I am about. It is long hours and it means spending lots of time in the salon, but this isn't work - it's play!"If training last year's rookies to cut hair was a challenge, then this series Lee faces an even bigger struggle with the celebrities who range from teen rocker Lil Chris to It Girl Tamara Beckwith and DJ Brandon Block. "Last year I had to cram three years of training into four weeks. This year the task is that I am cramming 13 years into three weeks because not only are they going to have to cut hair in a salon; they are also going to have to stand on stage in front of an audience of hairdressers and present," Lee adds. "Presenting well is a standard that takes years to get to and which some people never achieve. It is a very different, far more intimidating, experience than standing in a salon cutting clients’ hair." With such a mammoth task on his hands where on earth will Lee and his new sidekick Errol Douglas begin? It's simple says Lee. "You start by teaching them to hold scissors and a comb. But let's be realistic about this - we've all seen how much can be achieved when you have intense training with an expert on Strictly Come Dancing. "If you think about it these celebrities are getting 10 hours of training a day for six days a week. That's 180 hours over the course of the show. "On the other hand, youngsters starting out in hairdressing get maybe one model night a week, which is the equivalent of just over a hundred hours a year. "Having said that, we're not just asking them to cut hair. I want them to star on the stage and I don't just want the hairdressers in the audience to be thinking 'I can't believe they have achieved that', I also want them to be thinking 'I can't believe I learned something from them'." As one of the country's top hair professionals, Lee is used to clients leaving his salon with head-turning looks. So he wasn't going to start letting people leave his salon - albeit a very different type of salon - turning heads for the wrong reasons now. "Last year I asked every single client how they felt about their hair and if there was anything that they would like to change. "If they said that they were happy to leave then I let them go and most people were. "But there is more to hairdressing than cutting hair. Sometimes the most successful hairdressers aren't the ones who cut hair best, they are the one that make the client happy. "If the client feels good that is a case of job done; but if the client is unhappy with the whole experience then the stylist hasn't done their job." While Lee is determined to help the celebrity students to be the very best they possibly can at hairdressing in the short time he has, he's determined not to lose sight of the main reason for the show: charity. "Celebrity Scissorhands is about bringing a younger audience to Children In Need. That is what we did last year and I am sure we will do again. "If we raise lots of money then it's a bonus and I'm sure we'll do our bit on the night!” If you're keen to get involved in Celebrity Scissorhands, you can apply to be in with a chance of booking an appointment online. After receiving a treatment, all clients will be asked to pay for what they think their treatment was worth. All tips and donations made to the Academy will go directly to BBC Children in Need.