Episode #1

Wow. The Apprentice is back and in a big way.

The production values are the same, Sir Alan is the same and the usual character traits of past Apprentice candidates are all there, which will please all Apprentice purists. The show looks superb, those shots of London at night and the skyline of London all make it at home on BBC ONE. It felt like it was a BIG show tonight and that it finally made the big time but it stuck to its winning formula and it didn't sell out at all, which made me happy.

I love the shot they have of all the candidates walking across the bridge, the wind blowing in their faces, all walking towards the camera, its become an iconic feature of an opening episode of the show.

When they were deciding on naming the teams, I immediately thought back to the last series and the time it took to decide on a name (A-Team ring any bells?) and I hoped they all wouldn't decide too quickly as the naming team segment always delivers much hilarity and some conflict. You could tell Sophie was riled when her suggestion that Stealth meant slow, taking its time and that it wouldn't be a good reflection on the Girls Team and the other girls just basically didn't have any of it and still went ahead with the name.

I just knew Sir Alan would pick up on the Boys Team name when he was going to give them the brief for the first task. I love twists in the show, especially when Sir Alan sets them up. He really embarrassed Tre, when he revealed the story behind the team name - that was a company Tre used to work for. Good old Sir Alan, and I smirked when he turned around and just dropped the bombshell that the team leaders would be switched around. It was a huge development and Sir Alan did it in his own style which makes the show so good.

Would The Apprentice be as good without Sir Alan at the helm? I don't think so. He makes the show. He is the shows heart and he pumps the intensity into each and every one of the candidates. He is so intimdiating that if you were a candidate, you would just think during a task about the fear of facing Sir Alan in that boardroom as part of a losing team and that surely has to motivate you into a winning mentality.

Margaret and Nick are essential parts you have to remember. I think Nick should be used more. His reaction to the statement that 11 coffees were sold as it was a good thing was genius. Such dry wit, from one of the assistants just adds another factor. Both Nick and Margaret are not afraid to voice their opinion, and its obvious Sir Alan trusts them 100%, and it makes the operations of the show just flow really well. When a bad decision is in the process of being made, you can see both Nick and Margarets faces just show an utter look of shock and confusion. Thats when you know a bad decision has been made.

I couldn't help but laugh when Sir Alans helicopter landed on the heli-pad and all the candidates nearly went flying away due to the utter force of the wind. Adrian Chiles pointed out a cracker, when he noticed Andy wore a tie-pin and it still didn't do the job when the helicopter landed as Andy's tie nearly flew away into the Thames!

Tre Azam is quite a character. At first I thought he was going to be an absolute idiot as he couldn't shut up and he wouldn't listen but Jadine was absolutely unbearable as the episode wore on, and she was too harsh on Tre. Even though they won, Jadine should have just left the boys doing their trade in that prime spot on the high street where they were getting great sales. Jadine just created havoc between her and Tre, and she was too picky about having the Eclipse branding on top of every Cappuccino. Its only a one day task, its not like its a business starting up for the long term and they would need the product being noticable. Tre was right in what he was saying with Jadine but didn't help himself with his language. If Tre can calm down a little bit, and bite his lip when he is angered, he could go far. You can see potential clashes between Sir Alan and Tre down the line.

Jadines 'birthday performance' was quite something eh? I nearly had to walk out of the room, I was cringing so much. What was it all about?! I know you have to do some silly stuff to get those extras sales in The Apprentice but that was shocking, and laugh out loud material which the show is also famous for.

I think Andy Jackson was unlucky. He was obviously a nice bloke, and was really friendly but I don't think he had a structure set for the task. It all seemed like he was deciding on the spot, on the next move would be. I'm not sure if the editing went really against Andy. The mistakes added up, and only 1 person could get fired, and the easier option was Andy and sadly he went. There was no concrete plan, no real research, it was all too unprepared, and the project manager normally accounts for all those mistakes and thats why Andy went. Sophie made a big mistake with the purchasing but she held her hands up, her card will be marked with Sir Alan, he won't forget it, no chance. She needs an impressive performance next week.

I think the majority of the boys were too uneager to accept the project manager role - it was all too false that first discussion - they were all working each other out. I think they had witnessed what had happened in previous series and wanted to stay clear. Andy and Adam had their private chat and Andy did back down because maybe it had hit him what he might have been letting himself in for, but it would have looked good that he had offered to be the project manager. The boys then forced Andy into taking the role and you could see in Andys face that he felt threatened and that he was forced in the end into the role. The pressure then kicked in and it got to Andy. I felt so sorry for him in the boardroom as he was really genuine and on 'You're Fired!' he was good value. I hope he is stronger because of the experience and he does well in future life as he was a great bloke.

If you are reading Andy by any chance, please contact the blog via e-mail so people can send their wishes to you through the blog.

The task was a good one, but as it was the first episode, we didn't get to see much of the candidates. Rory, Paul, Lohit weren't featured that much, and for the girls, Natalie and Ghazal didn't get much screen time. Its because of the first 20 minutes was all introductions, but next week is when we get to the start of the real personalities coming out and the rivalries starting. Next week is when the real action kicks in.

I thought the episode was a great introduction and it had good, traditional Apprentice UK values. These introduction episodes are always hard to judge, but I have tried my best getting some details out of it. We'll find out more about the candidates as each episode goes by.

The dog task for next week looks fantastic and plenty of laughs are also expected. I can't wait.

The Apprentice is BACK!

Its here!

It's here, well nearly. As I write this, there is an hour to go until the first episode of the new series airs on BBC ONE.

I wonder how it'll fare in the ratings tonight, considering England are playing Andorra in a Euro 2008 Qualifier which is live on Sky Sports 1. Sky normally get over 2m for England games, so that may take a big portion of Apprentice fans out of the equation. This blog will report all the ratings news tomorrow so check back tomorrow for all the news!

Don't forget about 'You're Fired' on BBC TWO at 10pm, straight after the BBC ONE show. As the blog reported a week or so back, Ruth Badger is scheduled to be amongst the guests.

Here are some other bits and pieces :

Search Engine Roundtable has this which is an interesting read.

Easier.com talk about the entrepreneurship boom created by The Apprentice in the UK.

Thats it for the build up for the new series. This blog DOESN'T give out spoilers so it won't spoil your viewing of the new series at all. I hope you have enjoyed the build up over the last few weeks and check back for full analysis on the first episode and also 'You're Fired!'.

Its going to be a fun 12 weeks and I hope you stick with the blog throughout the new series.

Thanks for reading and enjoy the show!

Sir Alan interview

Here is an interview with Sir Alan Sugar from Digital Spy. You may have seen it before, in the last day or so, but its a good little read if you haven't caught it yet!

It's nearly here!

It is officially the 28th March 2007, and at 9pm, the new third series of The Apprentice will be screened on its new home of BBC ONE, followed by You're Fired on BBC TWO.

Sorry its been a bit quiet on here the last day or two, I guess its just been the lull before the storm as the next few weeks will be mad on here with the show going out every week.

Expect full analysis on each episode -

- who was the star performer?
- did the right person get fired?
- if not, who should have got the boot?
- quote and moment of the show

and much much more. There will be a 'Sir Alan mood meter' throughout the series here on the Blog, measuring the mood of the Boss as each episode goes by.

This blog will really cater for your every Apprentice need.

The build up has been perfect in the press for this series and expect many plugs for the show in the papers this morning (Wednesday) and the fallout on Thursday morning will be interesting to look out for.

I'm so excited that its nearly here. Please do keep on checking back to the blog and supporting it through the series.

Thanks.

Something to look out for!

This is the time of the year when all the business related show kick into gear and another one is due to debut this coming week on Channel 4.

It is called Get Your Act Together with Harvey Goldsmith and it's on Channel 4 on Tuesday at 9pm. It's a new series and the summary of the series is 'Legendary promoter Harvey Goldsmith is on a mission: to help revive thefortunes of six entertainment businesses in desperate need of a boost andset them back on the path to the big time'.

There is a spin off show on E4 straight after at 10pm called Harvey Goldsmith: The Encore and here are some details about it, 'Harvey Goldsmith's in the firing line as this E4 switchover show givesviewers the chance to find out exactly what went on behind the scenes of Get Your Act Together with Harvey Goldsmith on Channel 4.'

James Max (Series 1) will also appear in the spin off on E4 presenting The Max Report each week and he'll be taking part in the studio debate with Ian Hyland and Harvey. This could be a hit.

I'll be watching. Will you?

Friday Update

Hello all and I hope you all having a nice Friday night. Good job the week is finally over and we can enjoy the weekend. I have a few bits and pieces as usual relating to the show and especially the new series.

There will be a repeat of Wednesdays showing, every Tuesday night on BBC TWO between 7pm-8pm. This will prove really handy, if the unthinkable happens and you somehow miss the show.

The official BBC Apprentice website has been launched today. I reported yesterday that it was saying 'coming soon' but today it arrived and there is much more content on it this year which is excellent, especially more video content which is good fun. Classic clips from Series 2 feature on the website, Samuel 'the Chef' losing it in the kitchen is a must watch clip if you're a newcomer to the show.

You also have audition clips, previews clips of the choosing of the Project Manager of the Boys Team and the first meeting between the group and Sir Alan. This all takes a good chunk out of the show, so I suppose don't watch them if you don't want the Wednesday showing spoiled in any way at all. Jo Cameron's column is on there too, among many other stuff.

Also, according to Guardian Unlimited, Tim Campbell is turning to Comic Relief does The Apprentice contestant Alistair Campbell to advise him on setting up a trust to help budding entrepreneurs.

Thanks.

James Max

Here is some information that the kind James Max (Series 1) passed onto us at the Apprentice UK Blog...

James Max appears on :

TalkSPORT - Business updates every weekday afternoon at 4.50pm
TalkSPORT - The James Max Show - Saturday Nights from 8 - 10pm

LBC - The James Max Show with BT Business IT Manager - Sundays from 5 - 7pm

Overseas Property TV - watch out for "Ask The Property Experts" where James often contributes and for "Property Pensions" that James co-presents with Sian Jones. www.overseaspropertytv.com - its on Sky 287 on at 18.30 on Thursdays and Sundays.

James even has a Myspace page.

Good luck to James with all his projects. Please support him if you can!

The countdown continues...

Sorry about a quiet day on the blog today, I have been busy so this is the first chance I have had all day to update!

The 28th March is edging even closer so its getting very exciting. I can't wait and the press have made such a big deal of building up the new candidates and the show itself, so that adds to all the excitement. They know how big Series 3 is going to be.

The official BBC website for The Apprentice has had a slight change. They have placed a picture of the 16 candidates with Sir Alan right at the front of them all and it says 'coming soon'. With all the added features like podcast and behind the scenes footage online, the website will be a lot better this year.

1job.co.uk is to sponsor the new Apprentice magazine, an article is here.

There isn't much in the press today apart from more Tim Campbell stuff, and more profiles on the new candidates which are everywhere now so no point in reporting all that again.

Please remember to carry on submitting questions to Paul Tulip through e-mail to apprenticeukblog@gmail.com or through the comments page at the bottom of this page.

Check back soon for some news on a previous Apprentice contestant...

Syed Ahmed - 'Hot Air'

Here is the press release for Syed Ahmed's new show on Sky One :

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"Twofour has been commissioned by Andrew O'Connell, Factual Commissioning Editor, and Sky One to make "Syed Ahmed - Hot Air", a new one hour observational documentary focusing on the highflying, smooth talking entrepreneur of The Apprentice and Sky One's Cirque de Celebrité fame.

Syed has already taken everything Alan Sugar can throw at him and come up smiling. He has braved the physical stresses and dangers of the Big Top and bounced right back. Now Syed Ahmed is about to face his biggest challenge of all. Because this time his reputation as a businessman is on the line… along with £20,000 of his own money.

After a succession of setbacks, Syed has come back with an ambitious, revolutionary idea that he hopes will make towels history - The Vortex Body Dryer. But Syed's on a tight schedule and a limited budget. In just three months he has to make the project become a reality by finding designers and engineers, taking out a Patent, putting together and testing a prototype, sourcing manufacturers, and most importantly selling the idea to businessmen and entrepreneurs.

O'Connell explained: "Everyone knows Syed Ahmed's got the gift of the gab, but now it's time for him to put his money where his mouth is. This is a fantastic opportunity for the viewer to see how Syed operates and whether he's really got what it takes to make it big."

Joe Houlihan, Executive Producer for Twofour added "this is an exciting challenge for Syed, he's up against it in terms of time and space to manoeuvre, and I think they'll be plenty of fireworks along the way."

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It sounds like an excellent concept for the show. I can't wait because I think Syed is such a character and he always entertains. Good luck to Syed with this.

Sky tell me that it'll probably be aired in June. Put it in your diaries!

More Syed News

Syed runs a city based IT Recruitment firm, specializing in IT and the financial markets - Magenta Partnerships which he launched last year. It has been a successful years trading for Syed's firm and due to the sheer volume of business the website is being updated. http://www.magentapartnerships.com/

Syed has also launched a Media/PR company SyedAhmedLTD, and an updated website will be launched in the coming weeks http://www.syed-ahmed.com/

Syed also regularly appears on Sky News paper review – where he reviews up and coming paper reviews with a celebrity panel.

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Also, don't forget Ask The Apprentice with Paul Tulip. Scroll down to find out more or click here.

Wednesday - what the press are saying...

Its time for todays round up of what the papers have said about The Apprentice UK today.

Various papers covered the story about Tim Campbell leaving his post at Amstrad to start up a new male grooming business. Here at The Apprentice UK Blog, we covered this story on March 17th, here.

The East London and the West Essex Guardian talks about how a car accident left Tre Azam in a wheelchair when he was a teenager but has fully recovered.

This is Hampshire covers Paul Callaghan's past and anaylses his chances in the upcoming series. It also says he may share a little romance with fellow Series 3 contestant, Katie Hopkins which is something to watch out for.

The Scotsman builds up the chances of Glaswegian Ghazal Asif who is a candidate in the new series. The article compares her with previous winner, Michelle Dewberry who had 'sharp business acumen with glacial blonde looks.'

This is London has separate pictures of all the new candidates so if you do your revision, you'll be able to put names to faces by the start of the new series on the 28th of March.