History
In March 2004, following the success of the first season ofFormat
Candidate selection
The show's initial stage, which is not filmed, focuses on open auditions and interviews held across the country; this stage searches for the candidates for a series before filming of it begins, which often attracts thousands of applicants. A second round will usually be held inTasks
Once the candidates are selected, they are divided into teams and given a series of business-themed tasks – every series focuses on ten team-oriented tasks, with the exception of the seventh and eighth series where it was eleven. Each episode covers a single task, which is designed to test candidates on important business skills – salesmanship, negotiation, requisitioning, strategy, leadership, teamwork, and organisation. Before each task is given, the teams are briefed by Sugar over what kind of challenge they will be conducting, what rules they must adhere to during the timespan of the task, and the conditions for winning – an example of this could be that they must buy supplies on a limited budget, convert them into a product, and then sell their creation all within a single day, with the win determined on who makes the highest profit from their concept. Before a task begins, each team must assign aBoardroom
Once a task is finished, the candidates report back to Sugar at the "Interviews
The Interviews stage of the process takes place as the penultimate step of the competition, in which the five remaining candidates in the competition each undergoes an individual set of interviews with a selection of trusted aides of Sugar; for the seventh and eighth series, this stage was assigned as the final step, and featured the four remaining candidate in each respective series' competition. The aim of this stage is to determine the suitability of the candidate for the prize being offered by Sugar. In this stage, each interviewer questions the candidates over various matters, from their performance in the process, why they applied for the show, the content of their CVs, and any concerns about their personalities. Discussions often focus around brash or controversial statements that candidates have made on their CVs and application forms, with the interviewers determining whether such claims are truthful, exaggerated or deceitful. Since the seventh series, following the change of prize, the interviewers now question the candidates about their business plans, discussing the feasibility of the idea, how the candidate would go about setting up the business, and whether they have the temperament and skills to deliver the plan. After candidates have been through their interviews, and Sugar has heard feedback from the interviewers, he conducts a boardroom session to discuss with the candidates over what he has learnt about them, as well as reviewing their performance on the tasks they undertook. Eventually, he will determine who he feels has potential to move on to the Final, with his decision usually resulting in three candidates being fired at this stage of the competition; there has only been one instance in the show's history where Sugar fired just one candidate, as the feedback from the interviewers during the third series' competition made it difficult to fire more than one. For Series 7 and 8, where the Interviews was the final task, his decision determined who won the competition. Key: : Currently stars : Previously starredFinal
The final stage of the competition sees the finalists of the process compete against each other in one final task, with the outcome influencing Sugar's decision on who wins the current series' competition, though his choice is determined through a comparison of the two candidates, and is not influenced purely on how successful a candidate is in the final stage, but also other factors connected with them such as their overall performance in the competition, and the overall feedback he has received about them. Whereas in Series 7–8, the Interviews stage was the final task, prior to these series and after them, the task sees the finalists being able to form a team out of a selection of returning candidates that had been fired over the course of the competition, their choices affected by past experiences with them, how well they worked together, or if their skill set can help improve their chances of winning. For Series 1–6, the final stage was a purely business-styled task, as a final test of a candidate's skill set and their suitability to the job being offered as a prize in these series. For Series 7–8, following the change of prize, the task primarily focused on determining how potential a candidate's business plan was for investment, via interviews. Since the ninth series, the final task reverted to a similar format prior to Series 7, though was altered in that the finalists' task is to promote their business idea, presenting their proposed plan along with its brand identity to a group of industry experts. In all versions, the finalists eventually reconvene at the boardroom in which Sugar discusses with them over their performance, the feedback they got, and voices his final opinions of the candidates, Eventually, he declares his choice, proclaiming to the winner he points to with the words "You're hired!", at which point the winner departs in Sugar's limousine and conducts a brief victory interview, reflecting on their success in the competition. While only two finalists ever reach the final stage, Series 4 featured four finalists, who were divided up into pairs, working as joint project managers respectively on the final task, with Sugar effectively firing the pair who performed poorly, and making his final decision on who won, between the candidates within the remaining pair.The Board
Each boardroom session featured in the show consists of the same setup for "The Board", in the form of a panel that evaluates the performances of the candidates in the competition. Along with Alan Sugar (the "boss"), the panel consists of his two personal advisers, who are assigned to watch over the candidates during each task of the competition; to date, four people have operated as Sugar's advisers, of which two currently remain a part of the show in this respective role. The following details each member of the board: *Series overview
Series 1 (2005)
The first series began in February 2005, with the opening theme being "Series 2 (2006)
The second series began on 22 February 2006, with a spin-off programme introduced onSeries 3 (2007)
For the third series, 10,000 applications were received by the production staff, with a promise made to incorporate "tougher tasks and better people", after Alan Sugar expressed concerns that the show was becoming similar in format to that of '' Big Brother''. Alongside this, theSeries 4 (2008)
Candidates applying for the fourth series were invited to do so through the programme's official website, leading to 20,000 applications being submitted for the series, and 16 of them making it through to take part in the show. Its first episode aired on 26 March 2008, with its debut attracting 6.4 million viewers. This climbed to around 8.9 million viewers for the final episode, with an additional 800,000 viewers tuning in for the episode's final 15 minutes, to catchSeries 5 (2009)
Prior to the start of filming for the series, Adam Freeman, one of the lucky sixteen that had made it onto the fifth series, was forced to pull out; it was stated that his reasons for doing so were due to a "family matters". This meant that when the series began on 25 March 2009, viewers got to see fifteen candidates vying for the prize, withSeries 6 (2010)
Following Mountford's departure,Series 7 (2011)
Applications for the seventh series began in April 2010. Between the applicants being processed, to the filming of the first task, Sugar announced that the prize had been changed, and that now participants of the show were competing for an investment from him of £250,000, with Sugar becoming their business partner, owning a 50% share, but also providing guidance and support from himself and a team of experts to help develop the winning candidate's plan. Those applying prior to this announcement, were not aware of the prize change until later on. The change was due to the issue involving English and that Sugar was finding it difficult to find roles for the winners. The sixteen candidates who eventually secured a place on the series were revealed on 3 May 2011, via the official website and in a press launch, with the opening episode aired a week later on 10 May. In a change to format, the final involved the Interviews that candidates undertook, though these included a scrutinising of the candidates' business plans as well. Thomas Pellereau became Sugar's first business partner, whereupon he used his prize to launch a range of manicure products with assistance from Sugar, including a line of curved nail files – the S-file, the S-Buffer and the Emergency File, two curved nail clippers, the S-Clipper and S-Clipper mini and a curved foot exfoliator, and the S-Ped – which were made available with major retailers in the country. While Susan Ma failed to win the series, Sugar said that he liked her plan, later investing into her skincare company Tropic in 2012.Series 8 (2012)
The eighth series began on 21 March 2012, and was the last to use the format for the task layout as was used in the previous series. The series was won by Ricky Martin, who used his prize to launch his joint venture recruitment company called Hyper Recruitment Solutions (HRS), on 23 October 2012, which was designed to deal with recruitment in the field of science. Ricky was subsequently invited back to appear on the tenth series as an interviewer.Series 9 (2013)
The ninth series began on 7 May 2013, and saw the format of the task layout reverted to its original approach prior to the seventh series, though with the final task amended to focus on the investment prize, in which the finalists of the process had to conduct a presentation of their business idea to a panel of experts, including branding, an advert, and answering any questions given about their proposal. The series was won by Leah Totton, who used her prize to open her first cosmetic skin clinic on 22 January 2014.Series 10 (2014)
Because of theSeries 11 (2015)
Due to the 2015 General Election, the show was postponed until mid-Autumn, to avoid clashing with the political event due to Sugar's ties with it at the time. Because of Hewer's departure,Series 12 (2016)
As before, the BBC postponed the twelfth series to mid-Autumn, so as to avoid clashing with live coverage ofSeries 13 (2017)
The thirteenth series of the show was broadcast in late Autumn 2017, maintaining the broadcast schedule set by the previous three series. The series began on 4 October 2017, and was won by both James White and Sarah Lynn, making it the first time in the show's history where two finalists were joint winners. Each would go on to use their individual investment to set up their own business – White would use his to start up an IT recruitment firm called Right Time Recruitment, while Lynn would use her investment to start up an online personalised sweets gift service called Sweets in the city.Series 14 (2018)
Unlike the last three series of the programme, the fourteenth series, which took place in late Autumn 2018, reverted to involving 16 candidates vying for Sugar's investment offer, and included a number of subtle changes to keep the format fresh such as candidates being sent abroad for the first task. The series began on 3 October 2018, and was won by Sian Gabbidon, who used her investment to launch a luxury swimwear range.Series 15 (2019)
As with the previous series, the format for the fifteenth incorporated the new changes introduced, including the first task taking place abroad, the number of candidates taking part being at 16, and teams not being named until each consisted of a mix of women and men. The series began airing on 2 October 2019. The series was won by Carina Lepore, who will be using Lord Sugar's investment to fund new stores for her "family-run" baking business across London.Series 16 (2022)
The sixteenth series was originally planned for filming to begin in Spring 2020, but the onset of theFilming
Schedule
Every series of ''The Apprentice'' is pre-recorded before its broadcast – although the show's twelve-week broadcast schedule gives the impressions that each episode was filmed over a period of 12 weeks, in reality, each series' filming schedule is conducted within a two-month period, a few months before the show is to be aired. While the candidates do have a break between tasks to relax within the large rented house or apartment with which they are provided by the production team for the duration of the competition, each task is generally performed with a much closer time-frame than it appears on the programme. Compared to the US series, the British version has a more rigid format that requires the production team to provide enough footage for each series, that is to be then incorporated into twelve separate episodes. Early rules in filming meant that multiple firings were not allowed in the first two series, a fact that was acknowledged as an issue by Sugar when he expressed his desire to fire both Alexa Tilley and Syed Ahmed following a task in the second series, but could only get rid of the former. In subsequent series, this rule was changed after the show increased the number of candidates for the competition, meaning that Sugar could conduct double firings where needed by the film crew as part of the filming schedule.Locations
Filming for many of the tasks involve locations within London and across the UK in various cities and towns, and on a number of occasions when tasks take the teams abroad, across Europe, Northern Africa, the Middle East, and the United States. For each series, the candidates are provided with accommodation within an upmarket area of London selected by the production team, with every episode's opening and ending scene being filmed at this location, utilising a mixture of exterior and interior shots of scenes; filming is also done on site if the candidates are conducting work on a task within the building. For other outdoor shots used as part of the other scenes in an episode, the locations have varied. Between the first and third series, both the show's opening credits and the post-firing "walk of shame" exit sequences were filmed outside the Amstrad HQ building in Brentwood, but from the fourth series onwards, following Amstrad's sale to BSkyB in 2007, filming of these scenes are done in front of theCandidates and tasks
Filming of an episode can usually take a considerable amount of time to be done and as such, each task is usually filmed back-to-back, rather than weekly as it appears in the broadcast schedule for a series. For each episode, four television crews are used to follow the candidates during a task, and often are focused on picking up on mistakes and issues between candidates, than on their overall performance. The final edit of an episode often trims down a task that took 1–3 days to be done, to fit it within approximately about half of what will be televised for that episode, meaning candidates may appear to make minimal contributions when in reality they made more, while others may not feature as much if Sugar or his advisers feel they did well and completed their duties, as emphasis is often put on moments that can be entertaining for audiences. Often the filming of an episode can hamper the efforts of candidates in a task, due to film crews usually having to get filming permission first from the respective owner of a store or establishment, which can often be a time-consuming and cumbersome process as a result, whilst the strict rules of theBoardroom, 'Walk of Shame" and Final
Scenes filmed in both the "boardroom" and the reception area that resides next door to the room, are in fact done within a custom-built set at Black Island Studios, with the boardroom receptionist actually being an employee of the production company, Talkback Thames, and not Alan Sugar's real secretary. Filming of each candidates' "walk of shame" exit sequences is mainly done towards the beginning of a new series, which can lead to the fired candidate's clothing and hairstyle being different to that in their final boardroom scene before their dismissal from the competition. The post-firing taxi ride that occurs after their departure does not take the candidate home as it appears in the show, but merely takes them around the block to allow their taxi interview to be filmed, after which they are then taken to a local hotel to stay the night before being finally allowed to leave after packing up their belongings from the house. For the final, multiple endings are filmed for the candidates who make it to the end of the process, although Sugar does not reveal who he will hire until shortly before transmission. This determines which ending is shown as part of the series finale's final edit. Notably, the BBC has released two statements regarding the decision procedure which are considered to be contradictory; while the first states that Sugar makes his decision on the day that the final boardroom sequence is filmed, based on the contestants' performance in the final task, and keeps it secret until just before transmission, the second states that he decides after a six-month trial period. Former candidate,Spin-offs
''The Apprentice: You're Fired!'' (2006–present)
Following the decision to commission a second series of the programme, the BBC decided to create a spin-off companion programme to accompany ''The Apprentice'', with its format operating in a similar manner to that of ''''Comic Relief Does The Apprentice'' (2007–2019)
Following the second series of ''The Apprentice'', the BBC announced that, as part of its early-2007 programming schedule, a celebrity version of the programme would be recorded in aid of the charity''The Apprenticast'' (2007–2009)
The beginning of the third series saw the launch of a weekly''Sport Relief Does The Apprentice'' (2008)
After the first ''Comic Relief'' celebrity version proved a success, the BBC gave the green light for another edition the following year for Sport Relief#Sport Relief 2008, Sport Relief 2008. Designed once again as a two-part special called ''Sport Relief Does The Apprentice'', it was aired on 12 and 14 March 2008, and functioned on the same format as the Comic Relief version. For the Sport Relief edition, the celebrities that participated were Phil Tufnell, Nick Hancock, Lembit Öpik, Kelvin MacKenzie, Hardeep Singh Kohli, Lisa Snowdon, Jacqueline Gold, Louise Redknapp, Clare Balding and Kirstie Allsopp.''Young Apprentice'' (2010–2012)
As the main programme began to grow in success, Sugar took notice of the number of young viewers the show was attracting, and went into discussions with theSpecial programmes
Series
The following is a list of specials that have aired alongside the majority of the series: * ''The Apprentice: The Final Five'' is a documentary special which first aired alongside the third series under the title, ''The Apprentice: Beyond the Boardroom''. The programme focuses on the remaining final five contestants who have made it into the final stages of the competition, in which each candidate is interviewed about their overall performance at that stage, as well as their personal interests and past experiences. Along with interviews with the candidates, the programme also features each candidate's close friends, family members, including parents, children, and partners, and Sugar's advisers, each airing their views and opinions on the candidate currently being talked about. * ''The Apprentice: Why I Fired Them'' is a documentary special which first aired alongside the third series, and focuses on Lord Alan Sugar looking back over the current series, and discussing the merits and shortcomings of the candidates he fired up to the time the programme is aired. Joined by his advisers, he explains in more detail about why he fired each candidate at each stage of the competition, whilst reviewing the performances of the finalists for that series. For the seventh series, the programme was not broadcast, but instead was replaced with documentary special, ''How To Get Hired'', presented by Dara Ó Briain.Specials
The following is a list of programmes that were one-offs: * ''The Apprentice: Tim in the Firing Line'' was an hour-long documentary that aired on 19 February 2006, prior to the launch of the second series. The programme followed Tim Campbell, the winner of Series One, during the first twelve months of the job that he had won, in which he worked withinParodies and imitations
The show has been imitated in the ITV Network, ITV programme ''Harry Hill's TV Burp''. It was also mocked in the BBC impression programme ''Dead Ringers (comedy), Dead Ringers'', in which Sir Alan Sugar turns fired contestants into frogs and the candidates are portrayed as failed applicants of ''Strictly Come Dancing'' and '' Big Brother'' who are seeking their 15 minutes of fame. Rory Bremner did an impression of Sir Alan on the show ''Bremner Bird and Fortune''; he was in the boardroom with the main London Mayoral candidates, Boris Johnson, Ken Livingstone and Brian Paddick, and after each of the candidates failed to get a single vote according to his results, he hired himself for the job claiming he "would make a profit on City Hall". In ''Dead Ringers'' Bremner also impersonated a Sir Alan with magic powers castigating a contestant over an event akin to what occurred to ''The Sorcerer's Apprentice''. In early 2007, the show was mocked in the television programme ''Kombat Opera Presents The Applicants''. The series has been lampooned on the Boleg Bros website, where it is shot in Lego. Paul Merton and Ian Hislop also parodied the show during a promotional advert for the 2007 and 2008 series of ''Have I Got News for You''. In June 2007, shortly after the conclusion of Series Three of ''The Apprentice'', rival UK channel ITV Network, ITV began airing ''Reception
Praise
The programme has been given positive reviews by several newspapers. In the popular press, ''The Sun (United Kingdom), The Sun'' newspaper has called it "The thinking man's reality show", and ''The Daily Mirror'' described it as "jaw-dropping viewing". Broadsheet newspapers have given the programme a similarly positive reception, with ''The Daily Telegraph'' calling it "The most addictive show in years", and ''The Guardian'' saying that it provided "A salutary lesson in aggressive buying and selling, hiring and firing". ''The Sunday Times'' said that it was "not just a game show: it's a business school." ''The Evening Standard'' was also favourable, describing the programme as "terribly compelling". According to a report released by Ernst & Young in August 2013, the rise of popular television programmes like The Apprentice, have helped to encourage and foster an entrepreneurial culture across the UK. The report revealed that 71% of entrepreneurs surveyed thought the UK encourages an entrepreneurial spirit.Criticism
The programme has been criticised in the British media for suggesting that success in the business world requires possession of unsavoury qualities. Terence Blacker of ''The Independent'' newspaper, for example, said that he believed that the programme falsely linked success with being "nasty, disloyal, greedy and selfish". Talk show host Sir Michael Parkinson has also expressed misgivings about the programme, describing it as being "full of vulgar, loud people who, for all the wrong reasons, are dobbing each other in". The premise of the show itself has been called into question by some members of the business world. Steve Carter, the head of recruitment firm Nigel Lynn, described the "brutality" of the recruitment process as being unrealistic. None of the winners of the first six series of ''The Apprentice'' stayed with Sugar's companies over time, some for only a matter of weeks, leading it to be criticised as "an entertainment show with no real aspect of business to it". In response to these criticisms, a spokesperson for ''The Apprentice'' has been quoted as saying "The show isn't designed as a tool for recruiters... but it does highlight and thoroughly test key business skills such as leadership, teamwork, dedication and strategic thinking – integral skills most recruiters are looking for". Former contestant and runner-upViewing figures
Throughout the programme's history, ''The Apprentice'' has received high viewing figures with each series. When its first series was broadcast in 2005 on BBC Two, it attracted an average of 2.5 million viewers per episode, with an audience share of 11% for its timeslot that allowed it to beat popular programmes being aired on rival channels at the time, such as ''Desperate Housewives''. By the following year, the second series achieved a far higher average of 4.4 million viewers and an audience share of 27%, surpassing those achieved from the live broadcast of the UEFA Cup 2004-05, 2005 UEFA Cup Final and other televised programming, such as the film ''Pearl Harbor (film), Pearl Harbor''. Viewing figures continued to improve upon the programme being switched to BBC One and a more mainstream audience, with the third series attracting an average of 5.62 million viewers per episode, at an audience share of 27%, surpassing the ratings achieved by programmes, at the time, such as ''City Lights (ITV series), City Lights'', ''Grand Designs'' and '' Big Brother''. Notably, opening and finale episodes also attracted favourable ratings – the premiere episode of the fourth series achieved around 6.4 million viewers, with the finale reaching a peak figure of 9.7 million. Even special editions of the programme proved a rating success – ''Comic Relief Does The Apprentice'' attracted 6.72 million viewers when it was broadcast prior to the third series, becoming the fifth most-watched programme on BBC One the week it aired. According to BARB figures, the most viewed series to date is the seventh series – it achieved an average of 8.8 million viewers per episode. For individual episodes, the following table lists the 10 highest rating episodes of ''The Apprentice'', to date, per BARB figures:Awards
''The Apprentice'' won the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) for "Best Feature" during the British Academy Television Awards 2006, 2006 awards, beating ''Top Gear (current format), Top Gear'', ''Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares'' and ''Dragons' Den''. It was also nominated for a BAFTA for "Best Feature" at the British Academy Television Awards 2007, 2007 awards, but was beaten by ''The Choir''. Other awards that the programme has won include: * 2009 Televisual Bulldog Awards – Best Reality Event * 2009 Televisual Bulldog Awards – Best in Show * 2009 Broadcasting Press Guild – Best Factual Entertainment Programme * 2009 The Guardian, Media Guardian Edinburgh International Television Festival, Edinburgh International TV Festival – Terrestrial Programme of the Year * 2009 TV Quick/TV Choice Awards – Best Reality * 2009 Broadcast (magazine), Broadcast Award – Best Entertainment Programme * 2008 The Guardian, Media Guardian Edinburgh International Television Festival, Edinburgh International TV Festival – Terrestrial Programme of the Year * 2008 TV Quick/TV Choice Awards – Best Reality * 2007 Royal Television Society (RTS) Award – Features and Factual Entertainment * 2007 Broadcast (magazine), Broadcast Award – Best Entertainment Programme * 2006 BAFTA – Pioneer Award (voted for by the public) * 2006 Rose d'Or – Reality Show * 2006 Televisual Bulldog Awards – Best Factual Reality Show * 2006 TV Quick/TV Choice Awards – Best Reality * 2006 The Guild of TV Cameramen Awards – Camera Team Excellence in Photography * 2006 Banff World Television Festival, Banff – Unscripted Entertainment Programme * 2006 Wincott Business Awards – Best TV Show of the Year * 2005 Royal Television Society, RTS Craft and Design Award – Tape and Film Editing * 2005 Royal Television Society, RTS Craft and Design Award – Tape and Film Editing, Entertainment and Situation Comedy * 2005 Grierson Awards – Most Entertaining DocumentaryMerchandise
On 10 February 2005, Lord Alan Sugar released a book to coincide with the first series, called ''The Apprentice: How to Get Hired Not Fired''. On 16 February 2006, the book was revised with additional information relating to the second series. An official magazine was first released on 23 May 2007. It includes items about business, interviews with candidates from the programme and other ''Apprentice''-related features. ''The Apprentice'' has included various pieces of classical and popular music throughout. Numerous pieces from film soundtracks are used as well as music featured in the BBC TV series Doctor Who. Examples of the music used include the opening theme ("Montagues and Capulets, Dance of the Knights" from ''Romeo and Juliet (Prokofiev), Romeo and Juliet'' by Sergei Prokofiev, Prokofiev) and "The Boardroom", "You're Fired" and "Closing Credits" from ''The Apprentice (Original Theme)'' by Dru Masters. An official soundtrack was released on 4 June 2007. At the beginning of the first episode of Series 6, the iconic string phrase from the first movement of Gustav Mahler's Sixth Symphony can be heard in, one might surmise, a numerological nod. Further episodes in Series 6, include an extract from a piece by the French composer and pianist, Erik Satie, (from his "Gymnopédies No 1"), music from the Disney-Pixar 2009 film, Up (2009 film), Up, composed by Michael Giacchino, and a famous extract from Benjamin Britten's opera, Peter Grimes. A number of episodes also featured brief snippets of several tracks from The Sims series of games, such as the neighbourhood theme from The Sims 3, was briefly used in the last episode of series 6 and one of the build tracks from Makin' Magic was used in Series 7 episode 8. In 2009, a DVD called ''"The Apprentice: The Best of Series 1–4"'' was released.References
External links
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