The Apprentice (UK series ten)

The Apprentice UK
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Series Ten

Series Ten of The Apprentice (UK), a British reality television series, was broadcast in the UK during 2014 from 14 October to 21 December on BBC One; as both the FIFA World Cup and the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow were taking place in Summer that year, the BBC chose to postpone the series' broadcast until the middle of Autumn to avoid clashing with live coverage of both sporting events.[1] It is the last series to feature Nick Hewer as Lord Sugar's aide, after he officially announced his decision to depart that year, with Series 8 winner, Ricky Martin, making an appearance as one of the interviewers for the Interviews stage of this series. To mark the tenth year of the programme, twenty candidates took part,[2] naming their teams Summit and Tenacity (the latter initially Decadence), with Mark Wright winning the series.

The series opened with two episodes aired on consecutive dates before following the show's usual scheduling, with the final episode aired a few days after the Interviews episode to avoid clashing with the BBC's Christmas schedule. In addition, three specials aired alongside the series; the first called "Ten Years of The Apprentice", which looked back over the previous nine years of the show, was shown on 13 October prior to the start of the series, while the remaining two specials aired during the series' final weeks, and were new editions of "The Final Five" on 16 December, and "Why I Fired Them" on 18 December.

Candidates

CandidateBackgroundAgeResult
Mark Wright Sales Manager – Digital Marketing 24 Winner
Bianca Miller Owner – Personal Branding Company 25 Runner-up
Daniel Lassman Director – Pub Quiz Company 27 Fired after Interviews stage
Roisin Hogan Accountant 32 Fired after Interviews stage
Solomon Akhtar Technology Entrepreneur 22 Fired after Interviews stage
Sanjay Sood-Smith Senior Manager – Banking 27 Fired after tenth task
Katie Bulmer-Cooke Fitness Entrepreneur 27 Fired after tenth task
Felipe Alviar-Baquero Lawyer 33 Fired after ninth task
James Hill Multiple Business Owner 26 Fired after eighth task
Lauren Riley Solicitor 28 Fired after seventh task
Pamela Uddin Assistant Brand Manager 23 Fired after sixth task
Jemma Bird Operations Manager 26 Fired after fifth task
Ella Jade Bitton Business Management Graduate 23 Fired after fourth task
Sarah Dales Former PA and Hypnotherapist 32 Fired after fourth task
Steven Ugoalah Social Worker 29 Fired after fourth task
Nurun Ahmed Marketing Officer and Fashion Retailer 36 Fired after third task
Lindsay Booth Owner – Swimming Academy 29 Fired after third task
Scott McCulloch Clinical Development Strategist 24 Fired after second task
Robert Goodwin Marketing Manager 25 Fired after second task
Chiles Cartwright Company Director 35 Fired after first task

Performance Chart

Candidate Task Number
123456789101112
Mark IN IN IN IN IN IN LOSE IN IN BR IN HIRED
Bianca IN IN IN IN BR IN WIN IN IN IN IN RUNNER-UP
Daniel IN BR IN IN WIN BR BR IN LOSE IN FIRED
Roisin IN IN LOSE IN IN IN IN BR IN WIN FIRED
Solomon IN BR IN WIN IN IN IN IN IN IN FIRED
Sanjay IN IN IN IN LOSE IN IN BR WIN FIRED
Katie IN IN WIN IN IN IN IN IN BR FIRED
Felipe LOSE IN IN IN IN IN IN WIN FIRED
James IN IN BR IN IN WIN IN FIRED
Lauren IN IN IN IN IN BR FIRED
Pamela IN IN IN IN IN FIRED
Jemma IN IN IN IN FIRED
Ella Jade IN IN IN FIRED
Sarah WIN IN IN FIRED
Steven IN IN IN FIRED
Nurun IN WIN FIRED
Lindsay IN IN FIRED
Scott IN FIRED
Robert BR FIRED
Chiles FIRED

Key:

     The candidate won this series of The Apprentice.
     The candidate was the runner-up.
     The candidate won as project manager on his/her team, for this task.
     The candidate lost as project manager on his/her team, for this task.
     The candidate was on the winning team for this task / they passed the Interviews stage.
     The candidate was on the losing team for this task.
     The candidate was brought to the final boardroom for this task.
     The candidate was fired in this task.
     The candidate lost as project manager for this task and was fired.

Episodes

No.
overall		No. in
series		Title Original air dateUK viewers
(millions)
1271"Ten Years of Selling"[3]14 October 2014 (2014-10-14)8.22
Lord Sugar begins his hunt for a new business partner for 2014 with a surprise twist - the sixteen candidates taking part will be joined by four more, making the fight for Sugar's investment even tougher. For their first task, the candidates find themselves selling a selection of items that have been sold on The Apprentice over the past nine years. Dividing into teams and seeking out buyers across London, both opt to add value to some of their products to bring in more cash, but the same idea for one item fails to do just that. As the race is on to make as much money as possible, one team face a tough time with a difficult leader, while the other make a series of decisions that soon prove to be a mistake. For the losing team, there's a fight in the boardroom as each members seeks to avoid becoming the tenth person to be the first to go.
1282"Wearable Technology"[4]15 October 2014 (2014-10-15)7.50
Both fashion and technology often develop something that can be the next best thing, even something combining both industries. The candidates next task see them designing a brand new piece of wearable technology, and pitching their design to a trio of retailers. With creative skills put to the test, one team come up with so many ideas that their leader tries to incorporate them in their design, while the other side rush to make a new design when their initial one is rejected. When the final product is ready, pitching it proves problematic, as teams face questions, concerns and criticism over what they brainstormed, leaving only one team getting in some orders. For the losing team, Sugar accepts no excuse when one candidate learns they should have heeded his advice, while the rest work the blame game to point out who was chiefly responsible for their loss.
1293"Home Fragrance"[5]22 October 2014 (2014-10-22)7.79
With fragrances becoming a hot trend in the retail sector, Lord Sugar tasks his candidates to create their own new smell, manufacture a range of products based on it, and sell them to customers around London. As one team opts for an upmarket fragrance, and the other goes for an exotic scent, the task of selling what they make soon raises issues. Pricing strategies soon come undone, tempers flare between members, and mistakes creep in, as teams seek to sell out before time is up. For one team, the smell of failure leads to an extraordinary admission from one member, while another soon learns that their chances of investment are all but snuffed out.
1304"Online Video Channel"[6]29 October 2014 (2014-10-29)7.63
With video channels on YouTube often offering up means to advertise products and services, the candidates face the task of creating their own selection of videos for viewers to watch, while seeking out support from YouTube stars and a major website to promote what they upload. One team opts for a series of humorous culinary videos, but face concerns over their intended audience, while the other opts for a series of fitness videos but face concerns over the content they make. As they strive to get as many views as possible, a decision soon leads to the formation of some new online stars for Lord Sugar to like. For the other team, his patience has finally run out on some of its members, leading to a surprising decision in the boardroom that soon leave the rest understanding how much he means business on his expectations.
1315"Coach Tours"[7]5 November 2014 (2014-11-05)7.72
With expectations laid out, Lord Sugar has the candidates learn that their next task is to set up a luxury coach tour, offering a day out for Londoners to two locations outside the city and quality refreshments. Needing to ensure customers are satisfied and willing to buy what they sell, teams must pick sites that will interest them, prep members to be tour guides, and negotiate reasonable entry prices that won't eat into their profits. When it comes to the day of the tour, there are issues with tour guides, but while one team struggles to impress with their choice of food, the other suffer delays beginning and having to cut short a visit to one of their sites. In the boardroom, it soon becomes clear that one group of customers suffered the coach trip from hell, and for the team that arranged that, one candidate faces scrutiny over how they allowed this to happen.
1326"Board Game"[8]12 November 2014 (2014-11-12)7.80
Board games have often been an enjoyable item for people to spend time with, with many traditional kinds and unique variations offered in stores. Lord Sugar puts the creative skills of the candidates to the test, as he assigns them with the challenge of making a brand new one to sell to London retailers. As the task begins and the race is on to come up with an idea and manufacture a product to promote, one team find themselves forced with a board game that soon proves problematic to sell, while the other team face problems selling a good idea without a solid sales strategy. For the losing team, its straight to the boardroom space, where each member find themselves rolling the dice and hoping to have it not land on "You're Fired".
1337"Advertising – New York"[9]19 November 2014 (2014-11-19)6.77
To create a new soft drink is one thing for the candidates to do, but its a different challenge when they have to promote it abroad. While one half of each team focus on coming up with a brand and taste in London, the other half travel to New York to create an advertising campaign and pitch their concept to the experts. When it comes to showing off what they made, each face issues with their creation, but one team's product hasn't the fizz to sell. It soon leaves Lord Sugar determining who among the losing team gave a flat performance on the latest business task.
1348"Country Show"[10]26 November 2014 (2014-11-26)7.04
At the upcoming Royal Bath and West Show, candidates face the task of selling a selection of products to visiting punters - two new innovate items designed in London, and a sure-fire seller in Somerset that had success before at the event. When it comes to selecting winners, the fight to secure a product ends when one negotiator's mistake ends any chances of getting it and leaves them opting for something else. As the day of selling arrives, one team face arguments over who sells their promising high-ticket item, while the other is steaming over the choice of products their leader forced onto them. When the totals are announced, the losing team soon face the boardroom where rows emerge over who's to blame for their loss.
1359"Ten Years of Discount Buying"[11]3 December 2014 (2014-12-03)6.66
For the past nine series, Lord Sugar has sent out candidates with the challenge of finding a list of items at bargain prices. This year's hopefuls are no different, only their list consist of items that featured within the history of this task, ranging from diamonds and skeletons, to Nigella seeds and kosher chicken. As teams devise strategies to find what they need, putting forward their best negotiating skills, one team lands a bargain despite some poor teamwork, while the other launch a cunning plan for victory when seeking out an item, only to face issues with them. When it comes to their purchases, the losing team find themselves in hot water with what they got, and an argument breaks out over who was to blame for allowing their mistakes to get the better of them.
13610"Premium Pudding"[12]10 December 2014 (2014-12-10)7.31
Nothing ends a meal quite nicely like a pudding, and the teams face the tasty challenge of coming up with a new premium brand to pitch to three major retailers. Coming up with culinary creations in the kitchen, one team opts for a line of exotic trifles, but face problems with its branding and ingredients, while the other opt for a line of cheesecakes with a British twist to them, but face questions over its taste. When orders are tallied, one team's failure cannot be sugar-coated, nor can more than one candidate avoid being in the firing line when they find themselves giving an overview of why they seek Lord Sugar's investment.
137SP 1"The Final Five"[13]16 December 2014 (2014-12-16)N/A
As this year's series of The Apprentice draws closer to its finale, this special episode takes a look at profiling the true story behind the five remaining candidates. Discussing their backgrounds, experiences, personality, and strengths and weaknesses, are a selection of each candidate's friends, family and colleagues, as well as Lord Sugar's aides, Nick Hewer and Karren Brady.
13811"Interviews"[14]17 December 2014 (2014-12-17)7.17
For the remaining five candidates, having endured tasks together that have tested their business skills to the limit, they now go it alone on the penultimate test - a gruelling interview process with four of Lord Sugar's closest associates. As each candidate faces scrutiny over their personal lives, their CVs and business proposals, the interviewers soon find false claims emerging with one candidate, flaws are uncovered in another, while candidate ruins their chances with the plan they present. In the boardroom, reviewing the concerns, criticism and praise put against each candidate, Lord Sugar is left to determine which two are worth the risk to allow into the final and battle to prove their plan deserves his investment.
139SP 2"Why I Fired Them"[15]18 December 2014 (2014-12-18)N/A
As the final looms, Lord Sugar takes a look back to the tasks he set for this year's series of The Apprentice. From making board games and soft drinks, to making online videos and operating a coach tour, he relieves all of the mistakes, disasters and doomed decisions that were made, and gives out his reasons for what made him fire a candidate in that respective task when their arguments were not enough to survive the firing line in the boardroom.
14012"The Final"[16]21 December 2014 (2014-12-21)7.22

For the two finalists comes the last challenge between one of them and a life-changing opportunity. With help from old friends, each face the task of setting up a presentation, outlining to an audience of industry experts what their business proposal entails - its name, its goals, its customers, and its business structure. For one finalist, pitching their plan requires a little assistance and proving he has the answers for some tough questions, while the other has to make quite some changes for their proposal and face a tough audience when it comes to pitching it. When all is done and dusted, the feedback on plans leaves Lord Sugar a tough decision to determine which is worth the risk and thus who becomes his business partner for 2014.

Notes: This episode was originally broadcast as part of a two-hour crossover special with the programme's sister show, You're Fired. After the crossover special, this episode was broadcast separately in subsequent repeats.

Criticism and controversy

Inclusion of twenty candidates

While the decision to have 20 candidates for this series made it the highest number of participates in an incarnation of the show worldwide, it drew criticism from viewers who remarked that there was less room to get to know the candidates, some of whom remained in the competition for some time yet had almost no screen time at all. The decision also received complaints that this led away from the business aspect of the show, becoming more of a "reality" programme by inducing "shock firings".

Questioning of drink brand in Week 7

Following the broadcast of the seventh episode, it was revealed that an energy drink in the United States already had the brand name of "Big Dawg", raising questions over why Summit had been allowed to use the name during the episode's task. The production staff later acknowledged that they had been aware of this fact, but had seen no issues for its use in this series of The Apprentice, for two reasons:- firstly, there was no British trademark of that name in use, at the time of filming; and secondly, the candidates couldn't have known of the existence of the brand, due to the show's rules prohibiting them from accessing the internet while taking part in the show.[17]

Week Nine's Result

Following the broadcast of the ninth episode, many viewers raised complaints over Lord Sugar's decision to revoke Tenacity's purchase of the paper-made skeleton, with the scene receiving similar reactions from the participants of Channel 4's Gogglebox, who were just as negative about Sugar's decision. Many of these complaints stated that the purchase had technically fitted the task's briefing because there had been no proper specification made about what kind of skeleton the teams had to purchase, deeming the decision to have been unfair and for being biased against Felipe Alvair-Baquero, the candidate who made the purchase.[18][19]

Ratings

Official episode viewing figures are from BARB.[20]

Episode
no.		AirdateViewers
(millions)		BBC One
weekly ranking
114 October 20148.223
215 October 20147.506
322 October 20147.795
429 October 20147.635
55 November 20147.724
612 November 20147.806
719 November 20146.778
826 November 20147.047
93 December 20146.669
1010 December 20147.314
1117 December 20147.177
1221 December 20147.226

Note: During the 2-hour final, the show was shared with The Apprentice: You're Hired, and as a result the figures are lower than expected. The first hour was the main show whereas the second hour was You're Hired. Original overnights for the final put the first hour at one million viewers more than the 2-hour average.[21]

Specials

SpecialAirdateViewers
(millions)		BBC One
weekly ranking
Ten Years of The Apprentice13 October 2014N/AN/A
The Final Five16 December 2014N/AN/A
Why I Fired Them18 December 2014N/AN/A

References

  1. ↑ Jefferies, Mark (29 October 2013). "The Apprentice: Next series pushed back until autumn 2014 to avoid clashing with World Cup 2014". Mirror Online. Trinity Mirror. Retrieved 28 July 2014.
  2. ↑ "A hypnotherapist, social worker and pub quiz director...Meet Lord Sugar's latest batch of Apprentice hopefuls". Mail Online. Associated Press. 7 October 2014. Retrieved 7 October 2014.
  3. ↑ "Ten Years of Selling, Series 10, The Apprentice - BBC One".
  4. ↑ "Wearable Technology, Series 10, The Apprentice - BBC One".
  5. ↑ "Home Fragrance, Series 10, The Apprentice - BBC One".
  6. ↑ "Online Video Channel, Series 10, The Apprentice - BBC One".
  7. ↑ "Coach Tours, Series 10, The Apprentice - BBC One".
  8. ↑ "Board Game, Series 10, The Apprentice - BBC One".
  9. ↑ "Advertising – New York, Series 10, The Apprentice - BBC One".
  10. ↑ "Country Show, Series 10, The Apprentice - BBC One".
  11. ↑ "Ten Years of Discount Buying, Series 10, The Apprentice - BBC One".
  12. ↑ "Premium Pudding, Series 10, The Apprentice - BBC One".
  13. ↑ "The Final Five, Series 10, The Apprentice - BBC One".
  14. ↑ "Interviews, Series 10, The Apprentice - BBC One".
  15. ↑ "Why I Fired Them, Series 10, The Apprentice - BBC One".
  16. ↑ "The Final, Series 10, The Apprentice - BBC One".
  17. ↑ "Apprentice collared for Big Dawg blunder: BBC left red-faced after dreaming up new energy drink... which already exists". Daily Mail Online. 22 November 2014. Retrieved 22 November 2014.
  18. ↑ "The Apprentice: We're really angry with Lord Sugar – are you?". Digital Spy. 3 December 2014. Retrieved 3 December 2014.
  19. ↑ Emma Daly (3 December 2014). "The Apprentice: Was Lord Sugar right to disallow the flat pack skeleton?". Radio Times. Retrieved 3 December 2014.
  20. ↑ "Weekly Top 30 Programmes". Broadcasters' Audience Research Board. Retrieved 16 September 2015.
  21. ↑ "Twitter". UK TV Ratings.
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