SIXTY SECONDS
THE BUSINESSMAN AND APPRENTICE INTERVIEWER, 71, ON ALAN SUGAR’S RUTHLESS FOCUS AND AYDA FIELD LEAVING HIM SPEECHLESS
What’s it been like, going through all The Apprentice best bits?
It was just pure enjoyment, taking a trip down memory lane, and also very stress-free. With the real Apprentice there are moments of high tension, whereas with this you can just enjoy it because you know exactly what’s going to happen, although you forget just how funny or stressful it was. When I spoke to Alan about filming The Apprentice this year, early on he said lockdown won’t last long and we’ll just start a month later.
But in the end we just had to abandon it. The candidates had been chosen but it would’ve been impossible to film – there’s a lot of running around, going in and out of shops and meeting with people. But Apprentice fans will have fun watching this.
You have a wealth of material to choose from!
Yes, that’s the trouble, because so many things came to mind. After 15 years you have an enormous library of great and horrific moments.
You’ve been the only interviewer to appear on every series since it started…
I can’t believe it’s been such a long time but the years seem to have flown by and, according to Alan Sugar, he’s up for carrying on for another five or six years. So assuming the BBC want to carry it on, I think we have a few more exciting years ahead.
Why do you think the show has been so successful?
The mix of characters – all gelling or not – make for a fantastic show. Some are genuine prospects and a load of others firmly believe they can win although realistically they can’t but they provide a lot of thrills, spills and entertainment for everybody. Then you have the tension Alan Sugar brings, whether it’s in the boardroom or setting out the task where the candidates really are in awe of the situation. Karren [Brady] and I are there watching their every move and reporting back to Alan on how they’ve done so it’s quite a long, intimidating and stressful process. The candidates are exhausted, as am I!
How did you feel when Sir Alan first approached you about doing the show?
When all those years ago he said, ‘I’m doing The Apprentice, do you want to do the interviews?’ I didn’t know what he was talking about, frankly. I had no idea what I was letting myself in for and I’m not sure Alan did either.
Why is Sir Alan so perfect for the role? Is he really the toughest boss in Britain?
I’ve been involved with him for over 30 years and he has a certain way about him, which if you don’t know him is pretty intimidating. Even if you do know him, it’s intimidating! He’s clever but he’s not a clever dick, he’s just very focused. I think people appreciate that he’s there and giving them his time. He runs the thing brilliantly in terms of maintaining tension, being tough where people deserve it – but also there are some humorous moments.
Who has impressed you the most of your Apprentice hopefuls?
I’ve enjoyed watching all of them because they’re all trying their hardest to fulfil the task. Kayode [Damili] was wonderful at selling and I appreciated the fact he had no inhibitions about going up to complete strangers and selling them stuff. Charleine Wain was a fantastic salesperson and a lovely character. Even someone like Thomas [Skinner] last year was so enthusiastic but diabolical in how he approached resolving a task and led an otherwise sensible team into a path of complete destruction. But you have to distinguish yourself in some way from the other candidates.
Who have been your favourite celebrity candidates?
Sir Alan runs the thing brilliantly in terms of maintaining tension and being tough on people
I absolutely love those shows. Whereas I’m quite tough or at least tough-looking on The Apprentice, The Celebrity Apprentice is completely different. These are people who are giving up their time for a worthy cause and you can’t be too tough on Amanda Holden. Last time we had Ayda Field on, who I’d not met before, and she got on the phone and said, ‘Babe, can I have £500,000? If you give us money I’ll sleep with you!’ I thought, ‘This is going out on TV – what’s it going to look like?’ What I didn’t realise is her husband is Robbie Williams and that was who she was speaking to! I calmed down after that.
Are you naturally ruthless?
No, I don’t think I am ruthless. I’m quite tough and with The Apprentice I have one objective and that is to find somebody who’s worthy of Alan Sugar’s investment. I have a limited time in the interview to grill them and to make sure they have a business plan they can actually pull off.
How different are you to your on-screen persona?
I think I’m very different but people who work with me say, ‘Yeah that’s what he’s like, he’s awful!’
What do you enjoy doing?
I’m enjoying The Apprentice and a much calmer environment, albeit what’s going on in the world is incredibly distressing for young and old people.
The Apprentice Best Bits is on BBC1 at 9pm on Thursdays and BBC iPlayer
OCKDOWN hasn’t been tough for Sharon Osbourne – after all, the 67-year-old is still enjoying getting jiggy with husband Ozzy twice a week, according to the latest revelations on her US TV show, The Talk, this week, and spent June having fun filming The Osbournes Want To Believe (on Really from Oct 19) in her ‘cosy’ cinema room. Better still, the first month meant she could slob out. ‘I didn’t put on any make-up, no manicures or anything,’ she says. ‘I really enjoyed the first month because I was just being. I was walking around in my pyjamas all the time and I loved it. Then, after the first month, it was like, “All right, let’s go back to the real world now”. But you couldn’t, there was nowhere to go.’
The Londoner, who was raised in Brixton by her
Shulman, Vogue editor at the time, and also Margaret Thatcher. I was like, this is insane! How is this even happening to a kid from Leigh Park [Havant], which is really rough and scary?
I’m also desperate to go to the Kimpton Fitzroy hotel in Bloomsbury – Grade II-listed architecture on the outside and cool contemporary luxury inside. And will always be very special because that’s where my husband proposed to me.
Lamb presents My Mortgage Free Home, which starts on October 12 at 9pm on HGTV