The Apprentice (UK series eight)

The Apprentice UK
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Series Eight

Series Eight of The Apprentice (UK), a British reality television series, was broadcast in the UK during 2012, from 21 March to 3 June on BBC One. This series was the last to be produced by Talkback Thames before FremantleMedia assigned production towards Boundless for subsequent series. With only one minor change made to the format of the first task, there were no other significant changes made the standard twelve episodes for this series were accompanied by two specials - "The Final Five" on 29 May, and "Why I Fired Them" on 2 June.

Sixteen candidates took part in the eighth series, with Ricky Martin becoming the overall winner.[1] Excluding specials, the series averaged around 7.35 million viewers during its broadcast.

Series Overview

Applications for the eighth series began towards the final episodes of the previous series, with auditions, interviews and assessments made in July 2011. Once the sixteen candidates for the final line-up were selected and notified, production began in Autumn of that year. Prior to the candidates starting the first task, the production staff and Alan Sugar opted for a minor change in the format of the first task - while in previous series the candidates never saw their accommodations until after the first task and the resulting boardroom scenes, both for the winning and losing teams, this series changed that format element. In the first task, the men formed under the team name of Phoenix, while the women formed under the team name of Sterling.

Of those who took part, Ricky Martin would become the eventual winner, and go on to use Sugar's investment to set up a scientific recruitment company, Hyper Recruitment Solutions (HRS), on 23 October 2012.[1][2] He would later be invited back to help as an interviewer for the tenth series. Nick Holzherr, who would lose out in the final, would later go on to raise £1 million to invest in a new online business, "Whisk", and become a success story with what he learned from their participation in the programme.[3]

Candidates

Candidate Background Age Result
Ricky Martin Recruitment Manager 26 Winner
Tom Gearing Director, Fine Wine Investment Company 23 Runner-up
Nick Holzherr Technology Entrepreneur 25 Fired in Finals
Jade Nash Business Development Manager 29 Fired in Finals
Adam Corbally Market trader 32 Fired after eleventh task
Stephen Brady Sales Manager, Health Clubs 33 Fired after tenth task
Gabrielle Omar Architect & Entrepreneur 29 Fired after tenth task
Jenna Whittingham Beauty salon owner 25 Fired after ninth task
Laura Hogg Bridal shop owner 28 Fired after eighth task
Azhar Siddique Founder/director of catering and refrigeration company 33 Fired after seventh task
Katie Wright Editorial and research director 26 Fired after sixth task
Duane Bryan Drinks Distribution Entrepreneur 29 Fired after fifth task
Jane McEvoy Director, Food Manufacturing Company 28 Fired after fourth task
Michael Copp MD kitchen and bedroom furniture retailer 31 Fired after third task
Maria O’Connor Restaurateur 20 Fired after second task
Bilyana Apostolova Risk Analyst 25 Fired after first task

Performance Chart

Candidate Task Number
123456789101112
Ricky ININBRINLOSEINININLOSEBRWINWINNER
Tom INININWINININBRLOSEWINININRUNNER-UP
Nick WININININININWININININBRFIRED
Jade ININININININLOSEBRINWINBRFIRED
Adam INININININLOSEININININFIRED
Stephen ININININWININININBRFIRED
Gabrielle LOSEININBRINININWININFIRED
Jenna INBRINININWINININFIRED
Laura INININLOSEBRININFIRED
Azhar INWININININBRFIRED
Katie BRINLOSEININFIRED
Duane ININWININFIRED
Jane INLOSEINFIRED
Michael ININFIRED
Maria INFIRED
Bilyana 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.
     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) [4]
991"Blank Canvas"[5]21 March 2012 (2012-03-21)7.61
Lord Sugar has begun a new search for a new business partner for 2012. For the sixteen candidates vying for his life-changing opportunity of a £250,000 investment, their first task sees them creating branding a for a serious of blank souvenirs, and then selling them to London's tourists. From blank t-shirts, to toys and bags to be creative with, teams face a deadline of midnight to get their souvenirs ready for trade, where poorly designed merchandise creates issues, along with a competitive need to sell leading difficulties and rising tensions. For the losing team, its candidates will soon be fighting for survival, in order to avoid being the first casualty of the boardroom.
1002"Household Gadget"[6]28 March 2012 (2012-03-28)7.51
For their next task, both teams find themselves each having to invent a brand new household item, where finding a gap in the market can lead the team on the right course. With help from designers to bring their creations to life, what they receive soon has to be pitched to two major retailers, where stumbling blocks soon emerge amongst those assigned to promote what they're offering. For the losing team, Lord Sugar will be expecting to clean out the boardroom of the worst performer from this task.
1013"Condiments"[7]4 April 2012 (2012-04-04)7.46
Consumers will always fancy condiments with whatever they're eating, so Lord Sugar tasks the team to come up with a brand new one that they might like to buy. Teams split into two - one half focus on creating the new condiment, while the other half stay in London to create its brand and sell it. It's not long before there are issues, as manufacturing issues and tough customers leave teams facing a battle to make as much profit as possible. For the losing team, they must relish whatever Lord Sugar throws at them or face the sour taste of being the next in his firing line.
1024"Junk Shops"[8]11 April 2012 (2012-04-11)8.05
One man's junk is another man's treasure, as the teams focus on reselling second-hand furniture in the East End of London, attempting to earn more than they paid for them. There's a split in strategy, as one team focus on quality pieces, while the other team deal with selling a large amount of bric-a-brac spruced up by them. As both teams make efforts to sell, one strategy proves to be a failure, and leaves one candidate with no way to hide in the boardroom from being blamed for their mistakes.
1035"Keep Fit"[9]18 April 2012 (2012-04-18)7.24
Lord Sugar has an eye on keeping the candidates fit, as he sets their next task towards creating a new workout program that could be a hit for a selection of gym chains. Both teams opt for the same idea of combining two elements - while one team focuses on a workout session that involves dancing, the other gives their program a retro style featuring 1980s toys - but making their promotional videos leads to raised tempers and in-fighting. When it comes to finally pitching their ideas, one team misjudges their market and its candidates soon find themselves on the receiving end of vigorous workout for survival in the boardroom.
1046"Street Food"[10]25 April 2012 (2012-04-25)7.62
Drumming up hungry customers on the streets of Edinburgh for their food is the nature of the teams' next task. Seeking to offer a tasty dish for those on the go, each team settle on a choice of meal, opting to balance their budget with their creation in order to make a mouth-watering profit. As the pressure is on to sell what they mass-produce for a single day, teams soon face having to slash their prices to get as much sales in as possible, but for the losing team, they'll be quite the clean up for their failure within the boardroom.
1057"Flip it in Essex"[11]2 May 2012 (2012-05-02)7.14
Investing in goods and find the key pieces that sell, is the critical point in Lord Sugar's next task. He expects candidates to build up a healthy amount of assets in Essex, giving each a budget of £150 to achieve this, and advising them to reinvest profits towards good sellers. From markets to shopping centres, both teams opt for different selling strategies, but its not long before face problems and mistakes, leaving one team in danger of being in the firing line back in the boardroom.
1068"Street Art"[12]9 May 2012 (2012-05-09)6.96
For their next task, Lord Sugar assigns the teams to represent up-and-coming urban artists, selling their work to potential customers and corporate clients. Choosing whose art will make money leads to both teams fighting to convince one artist to chose them as their representatives. As sales are made and surprising sellers emerge, mistakes soon creep in, which prove costly for one team. For each member, they soon find themselves in the boardroom with a struggle to give a convincing argument to avoid the firing line.
1079"English Bubbles"[13]16 May 2012 (2012-05-16)7.13
While English sparkling wine is not well renowned, Lord Sugar is convinced his candidates can help this industry overcome this issue by devising a new brand identity for it. Tasked with providing their brand ideas with a video advert and a website, creative skills are put to the test to show that what is offered is better than champagne. With teams divided between those sampling the product and those working on the branding, issues arise as members struggle to create what is required. For one team, their creation is ruined by one disastrous mistake, that leaves them without much fizz when they attempt to shift blame around in the boardroom.
10810"Discount Dealing"[14]23 May 2012 (2012-05-23)7.23
In a city where countless financial deals are struck on a daily basis, the candidates find themselves tasked with aiding a Discount website in offering exclusive bargains at some of London's premium businesses. Negotiation skills are put on the line, as teams focus on striking up the right deal that offers a good discount to potential customers, and that the website will approve of. As the race is on to get in their sales before 7pm, teams finding facing an increasing struggle that leads to raised tensions, and an increasing desperation to negotiate offers on practically anything they think is worthwhile. When the final tally is made, one team soon face the boardroom when Lord Sugar hears what poor bargains they managed to arrange.
109SP 1"The Final Five"[15]29 May 2012 (2012-05-29)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.
11011"Affordable Luxury"[16]30 May 2012 (2012-05-30)7.23
Luxury goods maintain a good market amongst those who enjoy the finer things in life, such as Lord Sugar. Both teams find themselves tasked with a creating a brand new luxury product, along with a concept of the retail space for it, and then pitching their ideas to a team of experts. As choices are made and the race begins in earnest to finalise designs and prepare to pitch a winner, one team soon find themselves left fighting it out in the boardroom to secure the last remaining spaces in the final, in which one candidate will soon face walking the road marked "You're Fired".
111SP 2"Why I Fired Them"[17]2 June 2012 (2012-06-02)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 designing new condiments, to selling urban art, 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.
11212"The Final"[18]3 June 2012 (2012-06-03)6.99

The four finalists have endured tasks that required selling, negotiating, creativity, promoting and pitching, but now they face the final challenge - a gruelling interview process with four of Lord Sugar's closest business associates. As each candidate face scrutiny of their personal and professional lives, questions on their backgrounds, work experience and business plans raise eyebrows, praise, concerns and criticism, as they do what they can to leave a lasting impression. For when the feedback is received, two finalists will face being dismissed as possible investments, leaving Lord Sugar to decide which of the remaining two will be worth his while at becoming his new business partner for 2012.

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.

Ratings

Official episode viewing figures are from BARB.[4]

Episode
no.		AirdateViewers
(millions)		BBC One
weekly ranking
121 March 20127.616
228 March 20127.517
34 April 20127.465
411 April 20128.056
518 April 20127.247
625 April 20127.627
72 May 20127.147
89 May 20126.962
916 May 20127.135
1023 May 20127.233
1130 May 20127.238
123 June 20126.999

Specials

SpecialAirdateViewers
(millions)		BBC One
weekly ranking
The Final Five29 May 2012N/AN/A
Why I Fired Them2 June 2012N/AN/A

References

  1. 1 2 "Apprentice winners through the years – and where they are now". Daily Star. 1 October 2018. Retrieved 2 October 2018.
  2. ↑ "Lord Sugar and latest Apprentice Ricky Martin launch Hyper Recruitment Solutions". Recruiter. 24 October 2012.
  3. ↑ Lowri Williams (4 October 2017). "APPRENTICE FINALIST NICK HOLZHERR IS WALKING ON AIR". BusinessCloud. Retrieved 4 October 2018.
  4. 1 2 "Weekly Top 30 Programmes". Broadcasters' Audience Research Board. Retrieved 16 September 2015.
  5. ↑ "Blank Canvas, Series 8, The Apprentice - BBC One".
  6. ↑ "Household Gadget, Series 8, The Apprentice - BBC One".
  7. ↑ "Condiments, Series 8, The Apprentice - BBC One".
  8. ↑ "Junk Shops, Series 8, The Apprentice - BBC One".
  9. ↑ "Keep Fit, Series 8, The Apprentice - BBC One".
  10. ↑ "Street Food, Series 8, The Apprentice - BBC One".
  11. ↑ "Flip it in Essex, Series 8, The Apprentice - BBC One".
  12. ↑ "Street Art, Series 8, The Apprentice - BBC One".
  13. ↑ "English Bubbles, Series 8, The Apprentice - BBC One".
  14. ↑ "Discount Dealing, Series 8, The Apprentice - BBC One".
  15. ↑ "The Final Five, Series 8, The Apprentice - BBC One".
  16. ↑ "Affordable Luxury, Series 8, The Apprentice - BBC One".
  17. ↑ "Why I Fired Them, Series 8, The Apprentice - BBC One".
  18. ↑ "The Final, Series 8, The Apprentice - BBC One".
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