How The Apprentice got into the business of making great TV
With 15 series to choose from, there are plenty of candidates for the season of highlights. By Danielle de Wolfe
Fifteen years after business-meets-reality show The Apprentice first graced UK screens, the Lord Sugar-fronted series continues to attract audiences in their droves.
“Someone who was two or three years old when the series started is now 18,” remarks Lord Alan Sugar.
“I said last year that I wanted to do 20 years. We would have been doing series 16 this year and I was happy to do four more. But of course it is the BBC who will decide if they wish to do it,” says Lord Sugar, 73.
Now, with filming for the show’s 16th series postponed due to Covid-19, viewers are set to relive some of the most impressive – and disastrous – television moments of all time courtesy of new six-part series The Apprentice Best Bits.
And, as the name would suggest, there are plenty of memorable moments to look back on.
The UK version of the hit show followed close behind the original US Apprentice format – hosted by a now-us President renowned for his hiring and firing – guiding a carefully selected group of candidates through a series of tasks that test every ounce of their business acumen.
“If you recall initially, the prize was to work for me,” recalls Lord Sugar. “After series six, I said it wasn’t working out properly because it was very difficult to find a position for someone where there weren’t any positions available. I changed it to going into partnership with a winner and that has been very successful.”
Yet, aside from the prize, it’s a format that has remained largely unchanged over the years. So, what is it about The Apprentice that keeps the viewers coming back for more?
The viewers know best
“We all have an idea for a business – or we all think there’s a secret businessman in us – and we like to see the decisions that people make and how they make them,” says Lord Sugar’s loyal
boardroom adviser, Baroness Karren Brady, 51.
“Most of us spend lots of time shouting at the television and saying, ‘I would have done it differently!’. I think it’s the prize, it’s the process, it’s people really enjoying watching the candidates make their decision.”
Together with fellow hawkeyed adviser Claude Littner, the business-minded pair act as Lord Sugar’s eyes and ears throughout the gruelling 12-week interview process.
“The Apprentice captures buying, selling, tough negotiations, interviews – a whole host of things which I think play into what today’s young people are aspiring to,” says Littner.
The gruelling interviews
“The last five people go into the interview process and the purpose is for those to go through their business plans with my experts,” says Lord Sugar.
Nearing the final hurdle of the competition, this stage is known for sending even the most confident candidate into a blind panic.
“It’s also the only time the candidates aren’t in a team, can’t hide behind someone else, can’t blame someone else – they really are incredibly exposed,” says Littner.
“There’s this classic one where Solomon (Akhtar), one of the candidates, comes in for his interview with Claude, and Claude sends him out because all he’s done is issue pictures of sail boats,” says Baroness Brady.
“There’s no information in the business plan. And he gets so flustered that he tries to leave through a window because he can’t find the door. There’s only one door in the whole room but he couldn’t find it, so he’s just sort of banging. And honestly, I was literally laughing out loud.”
The tasks
The Apprentice’s diverse range of tasks – from selling goods on market stalls through to creating and promoting luxury events – have become a mainstay of the show.
“The tasks are designed to see a person’s organisational qualities, sales technique, presentation ability, creativity and logistical qualifications. You’ve got all those elements – that’s what all the tasks are about and what I am looking for,” says Lord Sugar.
The comedic (and often cringeworthy) candidates
The Apprentice’s diverse range of candidates and their desire to stand out from the crowd never fail to entertain. So much so, The Apprentice Best Bits dedicates an entire episode to the show’s larger than life characters.
“We sat down and looked at which outstanding characters we needed to bring in,” says Lord Sugar.
“Paul Torrisi rolled straight off my tongue. Ruth Badger was another one. In later years, we had last year’s candidate Thomas Skinner. If you sit down and think about it, there have been some great characters.”
“I don’t back anybody,” asserts Littner. “I remain completely neutral. I might admire some of the things they do on tasks, but I’m very focused on giving Alan the best possible guide on who should be the winner.”
“So, if I come across as being tough or not so tough with someone, it’s basically because I don’t think they can take the pressure, so there’s no point in putting them under more pressure than they’re under already.”
● The Apprentice Best Bits launches on Thursday 1 October on BBC1 at 9pm