He's literally got girls queuing up for him - and we're not too surprised; not only does Britain & Ireland's Next Top Model offer a huge winning incentive, but judge Charley Speed has been a bonafide pin-up himself, having gone behind the camera for everyone from Balmain to Calvin Klein. We caught up with him in the week that the seventh series of the show launches...

HM: Do all the judges hate each other really (Grace Woodward, Julien Macdonald and Elle Macpherson)?

CS: Ha, no. We all get on very well but there's always friction. We're all just more comfortable with the roles now.

HM: What about the guest judges? Are they any good?

CS: We've had some great guest judges. What struck me is what great feedback they've given either because they've been involved directly in the industry or they're just very outspoken. We've got Daphne Guinness, who's been a round for a long time - she was great. We've got Tyson Beckford on - he was one of the original male supermodels, so an amazing person to have. 

HM: It must be good to have someone come in with fresh eyes after you've been staring at the same faces for so long...

CS: Yeah, you work with these girls for so long and have so much invested in them that you can't help but get favourites, so we have guest judges come in with a fresh perspective - something will click and they'll point something out that you perhaps haven't noticed.

HM: So, are looks really that important?

CS: When you're stood in a queue or 50 people trying to be seen by a designer for a fashion show, something over than looks alone has to stand out. Last year I think I was sub-consciously looking for someone a bit edgier - I couldn't really help myself. I suppose because that's the side of the industry that I came from - I did commercial work, but I was more of an edgy editorial guy, so that kind of stuff is closer to my heart. This year I just went in blank and tried to have no preconception, so it really came about fulfilling the criteria. 

HM: What's your discovery story?

CS: I was discovered at the age of 16 in a television competition - I had no idea about the industry or fashion. I was privately schooled so all the money went on that. I didn't do the Air Jordan's, it was more about Hi-Tech! I got entered into the competition by a close friend of mine and I won it. They explained to me that I had a great look for that right moment - and said 'you can do it part time or full-time', so I was like 'let's just do it!' If you're the zeitgeist for that right moment, it's amazing - one big campaign can lead to another, and the next. You get to travel the world, which is a brilliant education.

HM: Is the industry very different now?

CS: Trends come and go so quickly, which is largely down to the advent and integration of social media - the next thing is always run the corner. I won my competition when terrestrial channels were really the only ones available, so there was much more focus on it. Perhaps that made it easier to get bigger that much quicker…

HM: Do draw from your own experiences when coming up with challenges? 

CS:  Absolutely, we all do. It's such an important part of it - we're trying to set these girls up for the industry. While not all will be a direct reflection of what will happen, they certainly challenge them in a way that they will experience. You really do have to jump out your comfort zone big time on a photo shoot. It's pretty hardcore at times!

HM: Are shows like The Model Agency and Dirty Sexy People making people more savvy at auditions?

CS: You assume that they've seen these kind of shows before and they know what to do and what not to do, but not always. I think a lot of it comes from their family - their mum might say 'you're tall, you can do it', but you have to says 'I'm so sorry, but there's no way can make it. You have to be cruel to be kind. We've had people who turn up and they're very savvy and will know all the poses, and that does impress because there's an art to it. 

HM: Ouch - do you end up feeling like a bastard?

CS: Well, it's certainly not all sweetness and light - the highs are very high and the lows are very low. That's why all our feedback is so important, even if it's negative, because in the real world of modelling, you're going to go to a casting and they'll talk to you like you're not even in the room. It's very frank.

HM: Yeah, it must be interesting to see them change...

CS: Absolutely, to watch them grow… They end up different girls. We don't brainwash them, but their energy and confidence really changes.

HM: It must've been difficult having the live final with the public vote last year… They public can't be trusted, can they?

CS: To be honest, none of the judges were that happy about that decision - it was quite last minute. We were the ones who'd made the decisions throughout the whole show and we're the professionals who know which girls are going to work, and then it gets handed over to the public. We've bought it back to us now.

HM: Who's your own favourite model?

CS: Obviously Elle is incredible, but I worked with Helena Christensen a few times and she's such a nice multi-talent person.

HM: And beautiful to boot! Do you ever scout yourself?

CS: I'm always looking out for models because I spend most my time in central London. I'm always double-taking - you can't help yourself. In the sea of black and white, it's nice to see colour. Normally if you spot someone they're already a model, you can tell by the walk or something. Then you'll look and see a portfolio in their bag. They've all been found in London! Professional scouts are there on the streets day in and day out.

HM: What about a favourite judge?

CS: I've got a lot of respect for all the judges - Julian's forthright advice is fantastic, Grace's eye is amazing - she's on it and will analyse a shot in seconds, but I feel a warmth for Elle - perhaps because we're the models of the show. She's such a lovely person, we've just got closer this year. 

HM: Would you ever do a version of the show for guys?

CS: There are murmuring about it. There's nothing in set in stone, but it's something I'd for sure consider - I think it would be VERY popular. A lot of people would watch it!

HM: Finally, you worked with Kate Moss on the Calvin Klein campaign - have you send her a congratulations car?

CS: It was SUCH a long time ago - haha. I was so green. I had no idea about the industry - I somehow got seen and was flown to New York and was sat in the fitting room - she was so late and then she turned up. I don't think it even clicked. We had fun - I have polaroids of us mucking about. I never followed up though. There was a certain hierarchy - I was such a young 'un and she was already so big. I'd like to think that she remembered who I was as we did a lot together...

HM: Hincy will be relieved. Thanks, Charley!

Britain & Ireland's Next Top Model is shown on Mondays at 9pm on Sky Living