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Star Quality
Date Added: 2009-06-01
Andrew Barton and Lisa Shepherd. Previous British Hairdressers of the Year and brilliant masters of their craft with a huge zest for life, love and laughter. They are also the dynamic duo on CH4’s Ten Years Younger show. In a Salon Business exclusive, Andrew and Lisa join Emma Treadwell to talk TV…
As one of the brightest stars in British hairdressing, with an equally sunny personality, Andrew Barton shone when the producers of Channel 4’s addictive makeover show, Ten Years Younger, started their search six years ago for a show hairdresser. An instant hit, Andrew’s contract continued to be renewed, year on year.
Colour queen Lisa Shepherd joined the show in 2008 and together, the talented twosome share the hair transformations in every episode, Lisa taking responsibility for colouring and Andrew the cutting and styling.
Their working relationship has blossomed into a brilliant bond, these former British Hairdressers of the Year relishing the job of tackling the most challenging tresses on TV. Here, we find out how they balance running their booming businesses with their small-screen stardom, and why the makeover magic they help to create means so much to them.
So what are the best things about being a Ten Years Younger expert?
Andrew: The most exciting thing for me is the women we meet on the show have all kinds of reasons why they’re in the state they’re in. I love the emotional and mental transformation we see in them, even more than the physical side. It makes me feel so proud of the show. The background of many of these women can be so sad, but when they see their new look it gives them confidence to change their lives in other ways.
Lisa: What Andrew says about the candidates’ emotional transformation is absolutely true. Sometimes these women walk in and they’re so shy and insecure. By the time we’ve transformed their look they steal the show!
How do you work together on the makeovers?
Lisa: First we watch a video about each candidate and go from there. We connect really well together and our tastes are similar. It’s great working with someone like Andrew who is so absolutely brilliant at what he does. I can do my bit, and pass the client to him knowing the result will be perfect. Working with him has taken me back to working with my mentor, the late, great Umberto Giannini.
Andrew: To hear Lisa say our friendship reminds her of the very special relationship she had with Umberto is a huge honour. Lisa and I knew each other before we started working together on the show, but now we’ve become really close. We’ve formed an alliance that we hope represents British hairdressing in a really good light.
Ten Years Younger candidates don’t get to see their new look until the end of the show. Does that make your job harder?
Lisa: There really are no mirrors on the show – at any stage. In a journey through a colour change, you usually guide your client through what you’re doing, so without mirrors, it’s vital we win their trust.
Andrew: It’s the same with a cut. We film my cutting the day after Lisa’s finished the colour, so the candidate never sees the finished cut, coloured and blow-dried result until the final reveal, when show presenter, Myleene Klass, turns that big mirror around. They often carry on about their hair for ages – it’s the power of great hair!
What’s been your most challenging makeover so far?
Lisa: Mine was a candidate who was a hairdresser. We thought her hair was hideous but she absolutely loved it. We had to re-educate her on her look and give her the confidence to try something different. She loved the end result.
Andrew: A challenge for me was a woman who came in and said her mum cut her hair by putting a bowl on her head and cutting round the edges. I was astounded. She had never been on a train in her life, never worn lipstick or a bra. It was the way she had been brought up.
What if someone is really resistant to what you want to do?
Andrew: As I would in the salon, I try to give advice, be honest, and explain the benefits of what I want to do. As soon as you give people more information about the opportunities and choices they’ve got with their hair, it gives them an opportunity to say yes. The show takes people outside of their comfort zones to empower them.
Lisa: We’re not there to create a massive transformation for the sake of it – we’re there to make people look better. I’ve seen Andrew trim an inch or two off a woman’s hair, I’ve just tweaked her colour and it’s made a huge difference.
Where does filming take place, and how long does it take?
Andrew: The hair is done at Saks in Covent Garden – it’s a great airy space. They let us take over the whole place for about four days per series.
Lisa: We film about four candidates per day. I’ll usually start by correcting the colour they’ve got, then applying fresh colour, then toning. It’s often 12-hour days.
How do you find the time, with all your other commitments?
Andrew: This series has been challenging for both of us in terms of time – we’ve filmed for about 30 days for 16 shows. Everything we do is filmed from four angles, so it’s quite a slow process. I even have stubble continuity to think about! It’s a hell of a lot of time but the rewards are brilliant. I feel very blessed and honoured that every day is completely different and this job can be so diverse.
Lisa: It is hard work, but I love it. My latest salon, in central Birmingham, opened just as we started filming the last series, but I’ve got a great team around me who I know I can depend on completely. It can be tough to get the work/life balance right, but we definitely benefit from being on the show.
What kind of impact has appearing on the show had on your businesses?
Lisa: When I saw how little time I was on screen in the first episode, it didn’t seem like that big a deal. However, by 9.30am the day after the show aired, we had 35 emails to the salon. My receptionist said response was unbelievable and the effect it’s had on the salon since has been huge.
Andrew: From a career point of view, I’ve been creatively stimulated, challenged, and learned a lot on the show. It’s been a fantastic opportunity for both of us to grow our businesses and for me to grow my Shiny Happy Hair brand – it’s allowed me to develop my presence in the consumer area.
What kind of reaction have you had from the industry?
Andrew: We get a lot of communication from the industry. Sometimes once we’ve done something on the show, the phones go mad from hairdressers asking what products we’ve used, what techniques. I did a perm with cone-shaped rollers ages ago and we’re still getting emails asking where to get the rollers from! I’m delighted that the industry enjoys it so much and respects us for what we’re doing on the show.
Lisa: I’ve always been careful about appearing on television. It’s so important for me that I’m involved with something that’s good for the industry, which shows all the positive things we do in hairdressing and portrays us as professionals. From my point of view, I take what I do too seriously to be mocked on TV. Andrew and I are committed to doing the very best we can to fly the flag for British hairdressing.
Short cuts:
Andrew Barton
- 2007 British Hairdresser of the Year
- International Creative Director at Saks
- Founder of Shiny Happy Hair consumer range
Lisa Shepherd
- 2005 British Hairdresser of the Year
- Owner of three thriving Lisa Shepherd salons in the midlands
- Named British Colourist of the Year three years running
