The Final Five The Apprentice

Ten weeks ago, a fresh batch of business brains

from across the world arrived in London.

Their aim - prove themselves worthy partners

and battle it out for Lord Sugar's investment.

£250,000 - it's an acorn, which we want grown into a great oak tree.

Business acumen has been assessed.

What pricing would help us win this job for you?

Considerably lower.

-Jelly Belly Very Cherry Body Wash!

-£2, then, please, sir.

-Thank you!

-I feel like I'm in my element. I love selling.

You couldn't sell a bone to Battersea dog's home at the moment,

-from what I've heard.

-Phew!

Yeah, never mind "phew"! I mean, it's a joke.

12 hopefuls have been sent on their way.

You're fired.

You've dug yourself a very, very big hole. You're fired.

And one has resigned.

I would like to exit the process at this point.

What is he doing?

-You're doing my job for me.

-Oh, my God!

Now, just five remain with everything to play for.

-I would just get this shit gone.

-Richard Woods...

-It was just a teething error.

-A teething error?!

You are a comedian, honestly.

-Come on!

-..Charleine Wain...

They would not have paid no more for those party bags...

-But they wouldn't...

-Can you just chill out one second, please?

-You've got to remember your target audience.

-..Gary Poulton...

Is that a final decision?

Unless there's further feedback about the games...

I'm not here to do your job for you.

I know I'm sort of like the bad cop.

..Vana Koutsomitis...

I brought you so many different ideas.

At the end of the day, you drowned out my opinion.

Selling's a negotiation, flipped the other way round.

..and Joseph Valente.

So the first item we were looking for was the mirror.

I assumed you would have gone after the mirror.

You spend most of your time looking in it.

Just two weeks stand between them and the opportunity of a lifetime.

Tonight, we take a breather from the boardroom

to reveal just who are the final five.

First up, Joseph Valente.

-Is good?

-Ambitious...

I've never sold a property before,

but I can sell pretty much anything else.

-..stylish...

-Does this look all right or does it look stupid?

-It looks stupid.

-..and full of charm.

If I wasn't selling it, I'd be buying it, that's how good it is.

'My dad came from a peasant village in south Italy'

and the Italian Stallion,

the Italian charm thing's definitely an advantage.

I think that you need to use whatever you can

and charm your way through life.

You say you're the master of persuasion with the women.

Ooh!

-Maybe I should change your name to Valentino.

-Yeah!

He was pronounced in the boardroom as being Valentino

and you just thought, "Who is this guy?

"He's going to last five minutes.""

Everything's going to have to be precision - no messing about,

no stopping, no toilet breaks. Literally hitting it solid, yeah?

On first blush, I think what you might have seen

is somebody full of bravado, a bit of a ladies' man,

but I think it became apparent quite early on

that there was more to Joseph than met the eye.

-£10 a kilo's the best I can do, mate.

-9.75.

-9.75, OK, done.

Over the course of the process,

I think Joseph really has proved that he is a credible businessman.

Every time I sell a balloon, I'm pushing the T-shirt.

He developed the digital billboard in the shampoo task...

-You know when you have a foamy head?

-I know what you mean.

The foam, to me, will just say "shampoo" instantly.

And he came up with the storyline for the children's book.

Buzzy's Quest for Honey, so it's like a bumblebee's first flight.

"The busy bee was swishing and swooshing, tumbling and turning."

Lucky this wasn't an adult's book, cos it sounds like he's pissed.

And, actually, he's quite the surprise package.

Born and raised in Peterborough,

Joseph could've taken a very different path in life.

Joseph's father was around in the early years,

but he's not really seen him or had any contact with him

since he was about 14.

When he left, I was...in a place

where I no longer could stand for anybody telling me what to do.

At school, I didn't want to know. I hated going. Every single day,

I would do whatever I could do to get out of it.

Joseph probably had more than his share of detentions, I would guess.

He wasn't an unpleasant young man,

he was just a silly young man at times.

Aged 15, his school handed down his biggest lesson to date.

He was asked to leave school early and didn't complete the GCSEs

that we would've liked to have seen him get.

I think I was on the path to destruction, you know.

I was a young man that was very, very angry with the world.

I could've got into a life of crime and stuff like that,

but I always had a very strong vision

and I knew I was going to be successful.

I was worried when Joe went through that stage,

that things wouldn't turn round and he wouldn't get out of it, but...

-but, yeah, luckily he did!

-SHE LAUGHS

Determined to turn things around, Joseph decided to find a trade.

Plumbing saved me, you know,

from being somebody that could've ended up in the wrong road in life.

I went and worked with a plumber for free for a year

and then, that got me into college.

Some apprentices you get, um, they don't always work as hard

or the motivation's not there to succeed,

but with Joe, it was totally different.

I remember he must've been about 17, 18 and he said,

"By the time I'm 30, I'm going to be a millionaire."

So, we'll wait and see!

In the process, Joseph's been on the right track throughout.

£15, thank you, sir, cheers.

I have to say that, Joseph, you done very well.

You sold £108 worth of stuff.

-Let's go and win this task.

-The boys have won.

-Yes!

Well led, Joseph, well led, mate!

But in week six...

I want you to set up and run your own handyman business.

..Lord Sugar threw a spanner in the works.

Elle, you haven't been project manager,

so move over to Versatile and take charge of that team.

'I was a little bit disappointed that he did that,'

because I wanted to be project manager for my team,

because this is what I do, I've had a maintenance company before,

so I wanted to show him that I can do my business and win again.

Joe, how long do you reckon it'll take per one of those?

To make one of those, I'd like to allow half an hour to 45 minutes.

Joe, are you thinking more along the lines of a day's work?

With project manager Elle quickly out of her depth, Joseph dived in.

-Joe?

-Yes.

-How am I going to paint this floor

with the dust all over it?

We're going to drill everything and, once we're screwing,

we're going to sweep and you're going to start painting.

In this process, certain candidates,

when they feel they should have been project manager

and they're not, they can down tools and be very disruptive.

To Joseph's credit, he really helped Elle and that's very commendable.

Luckily, Elle, she's had me today, so I've got her out of the...

-shit!

-HE LAUGHS

And in the boardroom...

There is absolutely no way we would have accomplished any of this job

without the help of Joseph.

..a pat on the back.

I'm going to do something very unusual here.

Joseph, I've had such a good report from Karren,

and indeed I'm hearing it from here,

you are staying today, whatever happens.

'Alan had seen beyond the silly moustache and beyond'

the bling and the suits and actually thought,

"Yeah, he's a really credible candidate."

'It was a bit overwhelming when Lord Sugar made me immune,

'because I wasn't expecting it.'

I think that was the day that I realised he knew

that I wasn't here to mess about.

Lord Sugar was teaching him lessons

long before Joseph entered the boardroom.

I got Lord Sugar's book for Christmas.

My mum bought me it out the blue, never asked for it,

it was just something that I think she saw and thought I might like.

He just literally sat and read it page after page.

He was kind of glued.

It flicked a switch and I realised

what Lord Sugar had done in HIS life,

just as a normal person like me

that didn't come from a privileged background,

didn't have anything, that, if you want something, you can have it.

Joseph took the plunge and set up his own plumbing company.

Within two weeks, I'd managed to get a contract that was 600 houses,

you know, and I was just one man and a van.

I didn't expect it to go so quick.

Joseph built up his empire

and now employs a pack of plumbers.

Joe's earned respect from us, cos he does go out all hours,

he does do the dirty work. He's a real driving force in the business.

Joe's a really respected businessman within Peterborough. I mean,

the plumbing brand that he's created, Impra-Gas, is great.

I mean, he works with a lot of bigger companies

and is seen as a credit, really, to the plumbing industry.

Joe, you said you are the godfather of business.

We know you are and, Lord Sugar,

you better make him an offer he cannot refuse.

We know you can win this, don't we, boys?

THEY CHEER

After a strong start in the process,

a confident Joseph stepped up once again.

I want to own my own tower block.

This time, to sell the priciest product of them all.

Valente Towers.

I might even call it Valentino Towers just for Lord Sugar.

Oh, you would, wouldn't you?

Joseph came to the property task on a high,

but he misread the situation manifestly.

When you get the best, you have to pay for the best

and I think me and Selina are the best

and we were thinking to work on

maybe a 4% commission rate with a bonus?

I wouldn't pay the best central London estate agent

anywhere NEAR that money.

1.5% and I won't move, promise you.

Don't try.

There is no question in my mind that Joseph was a fish out of water.

These are people who are very experienced in the property market

and some young upstart,

like Joseph, isn't going to tell them how it's going to be.

From what I can understand from Claude, it was like,

"Yeah, all right, Harry, thanks for that. Anyway, what's the price?"

In the multimillion-pound London property market,

plumber Joseph found himself out of his comfort zone.

One piece of advice - skip suspenders, dress coolly.

We don't need pink shirts.

Throughout my life, I've always wanted to get into a suit.

I wanted to be that person

and I understand that you have to adapt to every situation

and, if that means I have to change my outfit for that situation,

then I will take that on board and that's what I did.

Harry didn't think I looked cool enough in my braces yesterday,

so I've tried to mimic his outfit this morning,

so hopefully he's going to be impressed.

Joseph's willingness to take on feedback paid off.

What would it take for you to shake my hand?

I would shake your hand if we agreed on 1% discount.

-And I can buy today.

-You can buy today?

-I think we're able to do that for you today.

-OK.

-Thank you very much.

This process is all about learning and developing,

meeting challenges and overcoming obstacles

and, in this one task, Joseph accomplished all those things.

-Literally just sold a house for £765,000.

-Well done!

-That's amazing!

I proved to Lord Sugar that day

that I was the right person to go to the high-end.

I got there and I performed and it's as simple as that.

CHEERING

I love selling so much. I think I can take us to win.

Joseph has proved himself. He's been a good candidate.

I just wish he'd shave off that silly moustache,

because then, you might be able to take him seriously.

-Represent the guinea pigs all day long!

-Hard sell!

I think you should get this one.

At every stage, Joseph has surprised me.

He doesn't look right, doesn't sound right,

and you wouldn't think, with his educational background,

he's going to be able to perform, and yet he has time after time

and I just wonder, when it comes to the interviews,

he's going to surprise us once again.

I'm going to give you 100%, I expect 100% back.

That's such a good idea, Joe, well done.

It's great to see you out of detention, Joe,

and in Lord Sugar's boardroom.

We've always believed in you and we really wish you all the best.

Joe, we're really proud of you, mate.

Everybody in Peterborough's rooting for you.

-Come on, boy, you can do this!

-Go on, Joe!

-Come on, mate!

-Here's to Team Versatile!

-ALL: Cheers!

In my mind, I'm already Lord Sugar's business partner.

I envisioned this a long, long time ago.

I always see myself getting into that Rolls-Royce at the end.

Absolutely smashed it! Whoo!

I was put here on this planet to do something different

and I think becoming Lord Sugar's business partner, for me,

is going to be the next step to something big.

Next, from across the pond...

My parents are architects and I grew up in Manhattan.

..fluent in five languages...

-Merci beaucoup!

-Thank you.

SHE SPEAKS CHINESE:

..and seldom afraid to speak her mind...

I'm a passionate person and I'm the product of a Greek father

and a Colombian mother, so I have a lot of fire in me.

..multiple business owner Vana Koutsomitis.

Brett, you can always push the blame on other people

with your loud voice and your aggressive stance.

Vana, to me, is cool, calm, collected,

but she has also got that fire in her body as well.

We don't have time for this.

I think, if you pushed Vana's trigger, I think she could explode.

BALLOON POPS

Oh, my God!

Sometimes, Vana can be a bossyboots, but actually, in business,

someone has to take the lead and I like her.

MUSIC: New York, New York

Vana's lofty ambitions were apparent from a young age.

In kindergarten, she wanted to become

the President of the United States and, er,

I said, "Absolutely", you know,

"You're going to be the first woman President of the United States,"

and that was really Vana's goal at the time.

-And that was in kindergarten!

-Kindergarten!

-I'm not sure now.

The eldest of three children,

young Vana showed an early talent for making a quick buck.

One day, she decided to take some toys - mine, hers,

my brother's, anyone's, anything she could find - and ended up

downstairs outside in the front, on the street, selling these toys.

I told my baby-sitter that I was going to a friend's house

right across the hall, but in fact I was going downstairs

to the streets of Manhattan, to Park Avenue, to sell my sister's toys.

So my mom came down and found her on the street

with all these toys laid out with price tags. It was crazy.

I think I got my entrepreneurial spirit from my parents.

They're both really exuberant, really smart

and they taught me that the three most important aspects of business

are hard work, moral standards and organisation.

-Vana is really...

-Her own boss!

She's her own boss, yes, and you can't really tell Vana what to do.

-She tells US what to do!

-She's a very persuasive person.

In the process, Vana found NOT being the boss a struggle.

You tell people how terrible they are and you could do it better.

Don't disrespect me.

-I was thinking Cactess.

-I like the "tess", but I don't like the "Cac".

Throughout this process,

I've been challenged by different personalities and people

from all walks of life, so I can't just say that I had a smooth time.

And from the start, her opinions landed her in hot water.

I don't feel like Vana really contributed much

-in terms of actually bringing ideas to the table.

-Really?

You can't say that with good faith

without feeling that you are actually telling a lie.

When Vana came into the process,

she underestimated the strength of the characters

of the other candidates. This was a real wake-up call for Vana.

So, in week three,

Vana was determined to prove herself, buying goods...

France - we're going to be getting the mirror, the snails,

the cheese, the mussels...

..on both sides of the Channel.

I'm going to need you guys to be on top of everything at all times

-and communicate well with each other, OK?

-OK.

I need you to respect each other. The female team can't get catty, OK?

Pen.

But the bickering continued.

Potentially, the mirror might be more expensive.

We know that, Selina.

The problem is the mirror's harder to find.

Of the two, we're probably going to get

more highly penalised for the mirror.

-So if I leave the mirror...

-Vana, why are you being so difficult?

It was so early on, so there were so many women to manage

and women can be a little bit difficult to kind of keep together.

-I've been trying hard to find the mirror.

-We've all been trying hard.

Natalie's been trying the hardest, actually.

And what were you saying earlier about not being catty?

There's no need for comments like that, Vana.

There was one catfight after another catfight,

the squabbling actually resulted in them losing the task -

the very thing she set out to do, she failed to achieve.

This talk about respect and these pep talks you give us,

you did not respectfully talk to me.

You started raising your voice and being very aggressive

and accusing me of undermining your strategy.

It was a tale of woe. It was chaos, it was unorganised,

it was unfriendly at times.

It was a SHAMBLES!

That really shook me and it made the process really real.

Vana moved to the UK six years ago,

when a job in investment banking landed her in London.

I think, in a professional environment, Vana works very well.

She's fluent in a handful of different languages

and that obviously helps her to connect with clients

and to speak to people across the globe.

Working in the City was a stepping stone to her first business.

Introducing TheCityStreet.com.

I started CityStreet,

because I realised that people in financial services,

they were working so much that they needed some way to connect.

We all know that, in today's economy,

knowing and networking with the right people is key to your career.

It was essentially a social network for finance professionals,

so kind of linking everyone in the City.

It has a social media web page, but also organises events

on the back of it, which helps grow your network.

But the budding entrepreneur soon wanted more.

I founded one business, but I'm also involved in another business

called Personal Dating Agent.

There are many synergies between my site for bankers

and his service for people who wanted to date online.

We've been able to create some great marriages.

On top of her business interests,

Vana's also studying for an MBA at Oxford.

I think it's always important to stimulate your mind

and continue to learn,

but I'd say it's extremely difficult balancing my education with my work.

It's just been two things that I've done simultaneously

and it just means I get a little bit less sleep.

Education is always a never-ending quest for Vana.

After a difficult start in the process...

I think you've got to make sure that you look after number one

in future if you're going to survive any longer here.

..Vana soon made her mark.

I changed my approach after my second time in the boardroom.

I definitely still express my opinion,

I just wasn't as forceful as I was in the beginning.

I just want to set your expectations totally right.

We have one day to do this work.

She hit her stride on the handyman task.

Vana did a good job in terms of what I call managing expectations.

Yeah, absolutely.

-She's avoided altercations...

-Whatever, whatever.

OK, all right.

Oh, my gosh!

..and concentrated on making cash.

Your life will change if you have this. ..Thanks, Lisa, bye!

I think that, throughout the tasks, there's been an evolution for me.

So, in the beginning,

I was in the bottom three in the boardroom twice,

I was scrutinised much more,

but then, towards the end, I think that Claude, Karren

and Lord Sugar started to realise that I was a credible businessperson

because I was not going to hide and I own everything that I do.

Week nine - in the biggest task ever set...

For this task, you're going to sell

the priciest product of them all - property.

-..Vana's performance raised the roof.

-I need something.

We're doing everything we possibly can to make this work for you

and to make it worthwhile.

Vana hadn't really made her mark, but then came the property task

and I followed her and watched her very closely and she was brilliant.

Instead of 1.39,

we're going to do it for you at a special price of £1,369,150.

1,360?

Sir, I promise you, this is actually a huge exception.

-Then let's go.

-Yeah, does that work for you?

-Fantastic!

-All right, great.

-Congratulations, guys!

-Thanks, Richard.

-Great, thank you.

-Thank you.

It was such a big achievement, to be able to sell a

£1.37 million property and I think that was probably my high point.

There you go.

Having been treated like Richard's skivvy the previous week...

Get the tomatoes sliced, but not too small, they need to be quite big.

I'm doing everything you told me.

..Vana even won HIS respect.

THEY LAUGH

I'm SO proud of us.

Vana can put her ideas across very well, she's very articulate

'and people listen when she talks.'

The property task, that's when I earmarked her as strong competition.

I'm not quite sure what pleased Vana more -

whether it was selling a property for £1 million

or actually getting the respect of Richard, who thought,

"Crikey, she's a contender, all right!"

She's quality. She's really good at what she does

and I've got massive respect for Vana.

-I'll do two for 18.

-Come on, that is a bargain!

-Right?

I think you should give a pat on all the backs

of all the girls who stood up there in front of those people,

had the courage to go up there and do what they did.

Vana is credible, professional, already an entrepreneur

and therefore a strong contender.

I'm making hamburgers. Who wants cheese?

She's very academic, she's very intelligent

and, every time I've worked with her, she always looks in control.

I really think we should go for those 50-plus.

I passionately believe that.

Vana undoubtedly had a shaky start, but, since then,

she's gone from strength to strength and, make no bones about it,

she's a hard, driven businesswoman.

Anyone who wants me as project manager, raise your hand.

Discount Haven - you should check it out.

Right over there, next to Ann Summers.

-Vana, everyone in Oxford's cheering for you.

-We know you can win this.

ALL: Go, Vana!

Next up, retail guru Gary Poulton.

Ah-choo!

Top-notch team player...

-Well done, guys, top effort.

-Well done.

What a crazy shop! Crazy shop, crazy prices!

..and corporate captain...

-Standing to attention!

-..of business jargon.

With this kind of selling, I'm a big fan of halo effects.

I look like the nice, easy-going, laid-back Brummie,

but when I do business, people know I'm the real deal.

It's all about margin here. I know it might sound nice,

but it's all about margin, just remember that.

Throughout the process, I believe I've taught the other candidates

a few bits of corporate jargon.

What we say in our industry, retail's detail.

They're not everyone's cup of tea,

but I don't use them for arguments sake.

They're good words and they're there for a reason.

-We're going to walk the customer journey.

-You sound like a retailer.

You have to take Gary seriously.

He's been at the top of his game

working for one of the biggest retailers in the country.

He's got a lot of experience. He's a credible candidate.

My background is actually in retail

and I had seven fantastic years working for the company myself.

You've spoken so much about that firm,

I wonder if they've got a statue of you outside the head office.

'Lord Sugar has mentioned it a few times

'that I've got this corporate background.'

I have almost been institutionalised at times,

but it's something I'm very proud of.

Gary was extremely well respected at Tesco.

He even said at one point that, if he were a stick of rock,

you could break him in half

and you'd see he had Tesco written right through the middle.

They've tested me, they've trained me,

they've given me that real life experience

and I've gone into some tough conversations

and it's certainly toughened me up to be Lord Sugar's business partner.

After seven years at the supermarket giant, Gary decided to check out.

I have got a lot of loyalty in my body and they gave me

a lot of training and it was a difficult decision

to let them know I'm leaving. However, the reason I left

is cos I've got great faith in this process.

I want to be Lord Sugar's business partner.

I'm not here to make up the numbers, I'm here to win.

But Gary was determined not to rush things.

I really want to give it a go.

I think I'm the only one in the process

-not to be project manager yet.

-Gaz - congratulations. PM, mate.

Alan's always saying to the candidates,

"Don't wait for your specific skill set to come up in a task."

Gary waited and waited and waited until task seven,

when he headed up the retail task.

But, by God, he did execute it with perfection.

Open a few of those diffusers and put it on there.

Take a handful out and add them to the presentation

and then we've got our little beauty world as well.

Gary was a really good project manager, cos he understood retail

and he took us through this little customer journey.

So, this is our toilet world. Next, we're moving on to the house world.

Does Jammy Dodgers go with washing powder?

Unusually, for somebody who hadn't been project manager

and who had perhaps coasted through the first seven weeks,

Gary managed to befriend everybody and gain their respect

and trust so, when it was his time, he was a team leader

who inspired everybody else to do the best they could.

I don't anyone walking past here without knowing what we're doing.

-Even Richard.

-We are Manchester's newest discount store.

I've even got a T-shirt saying it, it means it's true.

I knew I had some strong sellers.

I had the hounds on a lead and unleashed the hounds

and let Charleine and Joseph just do the work for me.

-Last-minute price drop!

-I can do you three items for a tenner.

Yes, you're making the manager very happy!

-And Lord Sugar was even happier.

-"Classic retail," I have here.

So, you made over £1,000 in the course of this exercise. Very good!

It was a GREAT team effort.

'Alan doesn't favour that corporate persona.'

That doesn't mean to say that somebody with that can't succeed,

but I think it means that person has to show a lot of other skills

to demonstrate to Alan that he has a character over and above

just Mr Corporate and I think, in Gary's case, he won Alan over.

-Well done, well done. Dream team.

-'We absolutely smashed it.'

However, going from that great high, I was then back-to-back PM

on a task which was related to my business plan.

The challenge - put on a children's party and, for Mr Corporate,

a special invitation.

-Gary?

-Yes, Lord Sugar?

I also understand that you want to start an events company,

so I'm going to suggest that you are the project manager again.

Welcome. Some people do call me Gary the Giraffe, cos I'm a bit tall.

'Gary was catering for kids, but corporate Gary sort of took over'

and, actually, it ended up being more like a corporate awayday.

Just do it so it's nice and tight, but comfortable as well.

-I just need to quickly go over a safety thing.

-Yeah?

Only a maximum of two people at any one time.

Is it possible to get the atmosphere going a little bit more

-like on a sports day?

-Yeah, sure.

-Just motivate them.

-Get them going.

-Yeah.

The kids' party was anything but child's play.

I'm going to be totally transparent with you.

A couple of the T-shirts that we did earlier didn't go to plan.

To be honest, Gary, it's not the quality that we were looking for.

I think it's a no.

In the boardroom, no celebration.

I'm not going to confess to being an expert in children's parties,

but with business parties, events and entertainment...

I'm a little bit concerned.

I'm wondering whether your culture is going to be any good

-working with me.

-That's why I've left that organisation to start...

Yeah, I don't want to hear any more.

I could see Lord Sugar really, really thinking,

"Should he stay or should he go?"

'At that stage, all I could think about was my family.'

-I'm going to let you remain in the process.

-Thank you, Lord Sugar.

'I was vulnerable. I thought I was gone.

'I have sacrificed a lot to come on this process.'

My family mean everything to me, but I'm doing this for them.

Gary's engaged to childhood sweetheart Lucy.

When Gary's at work, he is very, very focused

on his job, but then, when he comes home,

he definitely steps into Mr Family Man.

What's this, Millie? Is this your book?

'I can't imagine life without Millie and Lucy.'

You have sometimes got to do these 100-hour weeks,

you have got to be away, but, when I am with the family,

I pride myself on having that leisure time.

I wouldn't say I'm probably nappy changer of the year,

far from it, and I'm sure Lucy will tell you that as well,

but I give it a good go.

I'd say Gary is a very popular boy with his sports

and his work colleagues and people from university,

but he's everybody's best friend.

ALL CHANT: Oo-oo-ooh!

CHEERING

One team backing him all the way - Gary's cricket comrades.

Come on, son. Go on!

Out on the field, he's still got a lot to improve,

but in the dressing room, he's a good egg.

I think Gary's definitely better at business.

He's far better in a suit than in cricket whites, to be quite honest.

Back home, I've got a nickname that everyone takes the mick out of.

It's "our Gary," our G.

Comes straight from my mum's mouth and it's very embarrassing.

She comes along going, "Is our Gary all right?

"Does our Gary need a drink? Does our Gary need a sandwich?"

Even if I was in Lord Sugar's office,

my mum would walk in and go, "Is our Gary all right, Lord Sugar?"

ALL: All right, our Gary?

Everyone at Marston Green Cricket Club is right behind you.

-Hit the competition for six.

-ALL: Oo-oo-ooh!

Our Gary!

-How old's your cat?

-It's actually his birthday on Monday.

-Monday?

-I didn't know it was on Monday!

-Perfect timing!

Alan has been chipping away at Gary's hard corporate exterior

and I do think there is an entrepreneur in there,

one that's just dying to get out.

I'm stuck!

-THEY LAUGH

-Let's go!

-Come on.

I'm not going to be able to walk for a week.

-Well done, mate.

-Oh! Oh, Oh!

Nobody doesn't like Gary.

Gary is un-not-likable, if that's even a phrase.

He is just a beautiful person. He's brilliant and people respect Gary.

I could do with a moment,

but I don't want to put clients off, so shall we get going?

Whoo!

My challenge now is not only to show Lord Sugar

what I'm capable of, in terms of my business acumen,

but my challenge is now to show Lord Sugar I am not Mr Corporate.

I'm not this corporate Gary.

You are looking at Lord Sugar's next business partner.

Our Gary, our Alan, we've got this.

Next in line, salon owner Charleine Wain.

We've got our free poo!

Competitive...

You snooze, you lose. All I care about is winning.

-..tenacious...

-For me, you're missing out key points.

..and a force to be reckoned with.

DO NOT talk over me! I am talking, OK?

I am a grafter. I'm a hard worker, I'm not scared to get my hands dirty

and I know what I want to achieve, and I know I can achieve it.

-How's about £40?

-No.

Charleine is relentless.

-Meet me at 55 and we've got a deal.

-I can't.

Her energy and enthusiasm is unparalleled.

-I can't.

-Deal!

-It ain't a deal.

-58?

-It's not a deal for me.

She would not give up on anything until she's actually done the deal.

£58, you've got a deal. £58.

And, of course, there's that killer handshake.

So have we got a deal? Can we double our stock with you today?

-Do we have a sale?

-We do.

-12.50. OK, we've shook on that.

-She's got me now!

-12.50. Excellent.

Charleine definitely surprised me with sales.

She's a great negotiator.

She puts her heart and soul into every single task.

Excellent. Thank you very much.

-She's absolutely fantastic.

-We're going to win this.

She'll sell anything.

She'll negotiate anything and she will not let anyone go

until they've actually bought that product.

You'd look really posh in the Valleys

with one of these, though, wouldn't you?

Born and raised in Wales,

at 16, Charleine decided to broaden her horizons.

I had a fishing boat at Swansea Marina.

I took her out on a Sunday fishing in Swansea Bay, um...

When we got back, the next morning on Monday,

she said, "Would you sign a form for me to join the Royal Navy?"

Well, me and the wife were absolutely gobsmacked.

We didn't know what to say and I thought,

"My God, at this age, joining the Royal Navy.

"Are you sure this is what you want, Charl?"

SHOUTS DRILL COMMANDS

For a joke, I kind of messed around and said,

"I'm going to join the Navy,"

and then, the people I was in college with made a bit of a bet.

So off I went, signed the papers and then I joined.

The longest bet was for four weeks,

but I ended up staying for 11½ years.

Shortly after signing up, Charleine was thrown in the deep end.

At 16, nearly 17, she was in the Gulf,

and we had a phone call at 2:30 one morning from the War Office,

stating that Charleine was on HMS Chatham down in the Gulf

in a conflict and, to be involved in a conflict,

you had to be 18 years of age, so would we give them the permission

to leave Charleine on ship? As it was safer to leave her on ship

than fly her into Bahrain, and then fly her back to the UK.

Without giving it a thought, we let her to stay onboard

and she was down there then for 11 months.

At HMS Raleigh, Charleine climbed the naval ladder from new recruit

to physical training instructor.

I think the Navy's obviously played a crucial part

in where Charleine is now.

One of the things is her ability to just keep going,

and that's something that everybody has to be able to do in the Navy

because you can't just stop if it suits you and if you're tired.

If you're on operations, front-line, there is an element

that you have to keep going till something's finished and, of course,

Charleine's like a Duracell battery - she just won't stop.

Come on, girls!

Charleine's relentless approach to sales...

Can I interest you in a taste of my fish?

..meant a strong start to the process.

£1, that's all. 50 pence!

Eight, nine, ten... We'll call it £11.

-Versatile, well done.

-Yes!

Tasked with creating a children's book, she made a surprising move.

I'd like to put myself forward as project manager for this.

I have got children.

I think everyone wants you to be PM at the moment.

Thank you very much.

I didn't want to be project manager with a task

that was just negotiating or something, because I knew that,

in this process, I had to step out of my comfort zone.

The gamble backfired.

The storyline we came... along with Joseph...

we had, um, a great girl with us

that managed to put the words in...into contents for us.

In business, you have to know what your strengths are

and you have to know what your weaknesses are.

The book teaches children about their enthusiasm and...

encouragement and passion to get to their end goal.

Clearly, Charleine's strength is not in pitching.

You needed to take your strongest pitcher

to the most professional people that you were pitching to and you didn't.

Bad management decision, that, I think.

'I was nervous, I was worried. I did not want to go home.'

-It's really disappointing, isn't it?

-Let's learn from it.

We can do this. We have to do it.

It just made me realise that I've still got SO much to prove to him.

It didn't look like a fairytale ending,

but Charleine's determination and absolute will not to lose

saved the day right at the 11th hour.

It's a nice little book. What can you do me on the price?

If we're able to go over 100 units, we'd be able to bring it down to £3.

Do we have a deal?

And, of course, right at the end, that killer handshake.

-Deal.

-Deal! We have a deal.

Versatile, you've won by £102.

SHE SCREAMS AND LAUGHS

Get in! Mwah. Mwah.

Charleine pulled it round at the end and she sold someone 125 books.

-Well done to us.

-Cheers!

-To versatile.

But not everyone was impressed.

Charleine, I believe, was actually a poor project manager in this task.

It was more luck than judgment that won the day today.

From that moment on, the battle lines were drawn.

Richard has a very high opinion of himself.

He doesn't overly respect other people.

He doesn't think anyone comes anywhere near close

to as good as he is.

You had a slow start, didn't you?

-I think we were expecting that...

-Lord Sugar, can I speak up?

You certainly can.

I think, with Charleine, it's that I...

I don't necessarily suffer fools gladly.

She talks more than she thinks

and I think that's where my frustrations have come.

-I don't think he needs to...

-I'm sorry, but I've got two minutes.

-Richard...

-..a couple of things...

Richard, I'm going to have to stop you!

'I found it very frustrating not being listened to,'

but when Richard wants to do something,

Richard wants to do something.

There is no stopping him. There is no controlling him.

-All hands in to set up.

-Hello, ladies.

-No, no, no, Richard!

We are selling, today, lovely candles.

Selfish idiot.

One is always trying to dominate the other and one lays a blow,

the other one lays two blows,

and it's quite exhausting actually to watch.

Just be a little bit more professional, Charleine.

And you too(!) So, if we're setting up, give us a little hand, darling.

-If I hadn't, what would have happened?

-Leave it there.

'We do compete, but it's a good competition.

'Even if we have a moment where we clash heads,'

we'll finish the task and go, "Needed you on that."

Where we live is right by the BT Tower there, so do you fancy,

when you move to London, getting a place around there, Charleine?

-Yeah, not with you, though, Richard.

-THEY LAUGH

She can be a nightmare, but she also is a lot of fun,

so I've had ups and downs, but I will look back fondly at Charleine.

The real love of Charleine's life is husband Scott,

with whom she settled down and started a family.

THEY LAUGH

Go on, run, quick! Run, run, run!

My mum is

the best-est in town.

But seven years ago, their world was turned upside down.

Sadly, in 2007, we lost one of our boys, Ethan's twin brother, Caylan,

when he was aged just 3½ months old, and, from that point then,

that really inspired Charleine to go and have something else to focus on.

As a family, if I didn't have Scott,

I think I would've cracked.

I think I was so low and so rock-bottom

that, um, it was a really, really hard place to be in. It was...

It was really difficult, yeah.

He is my dragonfly.

It's the way I carry my little boy around with me.

It's just a reminder, really.

We'll never, ever forget our boy

and she wears it close to her heart just so he's always in our thoughts.

The tragedy led Charleine to make some big decisions.

If I could've continued to have done the job without going to sea,

then maybe things would've been different,

but to leave Ethan and Maia and my stepson, Matthew,

there was not a chance.

I knew I needed to focus on a new career path.

I decided that I wanted my own salon.

For the first year of the business, I continued to work in the Navy

on a Monday to a Friday.

I used to sneak off from the Navy in my trainers

and then go and do shampooing, and then shoot back to work.

It was very tough, but there's no task really too big for Charleine

and it doesn't matter how many hours it takes,

she'll just make it work and it will be 100% successful, as it has been.

Three years running, Charleine's business has been crowned

Best Hair and Beauty Salon in Plymouth.

In 2010, there was just a couple of us here and now,

it's won awards. There's a massive client base.

It's done so well.

I kind of see my hairdressing and my salon as a representation

of something so good coming off something so tragic and so bad.

I just want to make it as successful as what I can.

After an impressive performance in the property task...

It's 350,000.

Do you want to snap this one up tonight before it goes?

-Yep.

-Perfect.

You could buy a street in Wales for that money! Wow!

..Charleine decided it was time to take the lead again.

For your next task, I'd like you to create your own healthy snacks.

But things soon started to crumble.

I don't know what I'm doing!

SHE COUGHS

My aim was to replace all high-sugary bars

with a healthy-tasting alternative.

Mine's fallen apart a little bit.

-Do you like it?

-No.

In the boardroom, it all became too much.

I must admit, it was a very, very challenging task.

It's the only snack that looks like the same

going in as it would look like coming out later.

'Charleine has always had an issue when she gets nervous'

and, when she knows she's made a mistake, you can see it on her face.

The weight of the world is on her shoulders.

If you want to take five minutes and go outside...

I couldn't contain my frustration and how much I wanted it.

The reason why I'm up...upset is because I'm just really frustrated

with myself that I couldn't have produced a better product.

Once again, Charleine rallied.

I do work really hard, always have done, always will do.

When we did the Manchester one, I had blisters on every single toe,

but I did not let that stop me and I know that I sold.

-KARREN:

-'You could see Charleine in that boardroom, her passion,

'her determination, her grit.'

She wasn't going home.

I've been in business for nearly 50 years...

..and, of course, I've come across a lot of Gary's.

I've come across a lot of Richards also...

I haven't come across many Charleine's.

-Is everyone happy?

-Yeah.

-Yeah.

-Yep. Let's go.

Next one. Go.

Never underestimate this woman. She just never gives up.

This is great!

But we've also seen her buckle under pressure.

How is she going to cope with the stress of the interview?

To me, it's kind of meant to be.

Swishing and swirling and tumbling and turning!

Charleine's strengths -

very energetic, very passionate, and that's infectious.

-You all right, Charleine, yeah?

-Yeah!

-The heavy candles are heavy!

-'What you see is what you get.'

Hard seller, hard negotiator.

Well done.

Are you excited?

The thing about this process is it's long, it's hard, it's relentless.

But for Charleine, she doesn't have an off switch.

She never lets go of her energy and I find that quite amazing.

I'm going to raise a toast to myself.

Hey, hey!

Everyone in the salon's rooting for you

and we know you can win this, and we want to say to Lord Sugar...

ALL: Do we have a deal?

Kids, what do you want Lord Sugar to say to Mummy?

You're hired!

I am so determined to become Lord Sugar's business partner.

I have so much passion for what I do and I will not stop until I succeed.

She is an absolute force to be reckoned with.

I have no doubt that she could go all the way.

I just hope he knows what he's in for.

Last, but by no means least, Richard Woods,

the candidate with the most wins under his belt.

Hello! Hello, hello.

A man of confidence...

-We're going to win.

-We're going to win!

-..a super salesman...

-I saw a tenner there.

You didn't want me to see it! You didn't want me to see it!

..and master marketer.

The first money saved is the first money made.

He so reminds me of David Brent.

LAUGHTER

And I'm just like... # Uh, uh, uh! #

The TrailBlazer is a fully managed and implemented

business growth campaign.

Richard, that's a load of bollocks, that is.

LAUGHTER

Marketing people love all that bullshit talk,

but underneath all that, Richard has a particular skill,

and that is he understands the bottom line.

That's music to Alan's ears.

Let's keep it simple, keep it simple.

I've got more drive than Lewis Hamilton going to a driving range.

I know where I'm going and I'm going to win this process.

3.75, thank you.

Richard's greatest invention is himself.

He's got buckets of confidence and, boy, do we know it.

We are Manchester's newest discount store!

I don't know whether it's charm or smarm, but whatever it is, it works,

because, across all of the tasks, Richard is the highest seller.

Oh, Beverley! Thank you. You're making my day.

Richard - Tricky Dicky is what Lord Sugar would call him.

I think he is a strong contender.

He's proved that with his track record in the process.

I'm your figures man, so I'm just going to tell you the facts.

Barbecue food - cheap.

I'm one of these people that has massive self-confidence.

Sh-oom. Winning.

I always think that business is like a sport

and we're at the top of our game at the moment.

I want to really push forward and win this league, if you like.

So let's all of us go smash the hell out of this.

Growing up in the leafy suburbs of Surrey,

Richard learnt the foundations of business from oil tycoon dad Dennis.

I remember the time I took both him and his brother to my offices,

and we had a brand-new tanker there, and I was explaining to him

that this tanker was owned by the family, so, in theory,

they owned part of it.

And Richard then turned to me and said,

"If you're the big boss, Daddy, does that mean we're the little bosses?"

And I said, "Well, I guess it does."

So that started at about six or seven years old.

Dad being really successful was a massive impact in my life.

I didn't grow up wanting to be a football player.

I wanted to be a big successful businessman,

and I think, as a son,

you always want to try and eclipse what your dad's done.

Self-assured from an early age, Richard's confidence took a knock

in 1990, when he was diagnosed with dyslexia.

When it became clear that Richard was struggling with his reading

and writing, it baffled him as to why this was happening.

He couldn't keep up with the others and it caused him problems.

It probably was the making of him,

because he realised suddenly that it didn't all come dead easy

and he had to work hard to overcome it, which he did.

It was a motivation in the end. My final thesis at university was,

"Is there a link between entrepreneurship and dyslexia?"

and I did a whole research project about the big, you know,

dyslexics out there, the Bransons, etc.

I actually got a first for that thesis,

and I've been glad to have it, because I do feel I'm more creative.

I do feel like I can think outside the box.

In week two, a creative task came up...

I've run a marketing agency for eight years. This is what I do.

..and Richard rushed to take the lead.

I thought, "This has got my name written all over it."

Personally, I think that we should think about a male market

and I'm seeing black as a bottle.

We'd only just got going and...

BAM! Richard's arrived, the marketing man.

You've got to remember it's cactus and moisture,

that's all I ask. Anything else is up to you guys.

He's read a lot of business books. He knows a lot of jargon.

Just so simple. Just... Mm.

It was the first time the boys had come together as a team

and Richard really had to channel them,

he had to pull them together, he had to give them very specific roles.

Mr Director, all I ask - stay on brand.

-Oh, no, absolutely. Absolutely, yeah.

-OK!

And do you know what, that's simple, isn't it?

I think Richard proved that he's a good manager of people.

Western for desert dry hair.

Richard came up with a coherent campaign...

Simple, clean, on message.

..and soaked up the praise in the boardroom.

In all the years that I have run this task in this boardroom,

-this has got to be one of the best.

-Thank you, Lord Sugar.

No, seriously. It's got to be one of the best.

Richard said he was the marketing man

and he proved he WAS the marketing man in that task.

Gave everyone a role, didn't you?

I think it's more credit where credit's due

and using the skills in my team.

It was Richard and his seven assistants, I think.

'For Lord Sugar to say this was one of the best products

'that he's seen was such amazing feedback.'

We created an unbelievable advert, a great billboard

and really good brand, name. Everything worked well.

-Well done, guys.

-EXCITED CHATTER

And that is when Tricky Dicky was born,

probably one of the slipperiest characters

I've had the... "pleasure" to be with.

Disciples, disciples, you're welcome. You're welcome.

It doesn't matter whether he's a project manager

or just one of the team, he's always there

trying to manipulate and manage everybody.

That's what he does. That's Richard.

-Yeah, can I say, it's a negotiation, not selling?

-Yeah, who thinks...?

Can I maybe make a suggestion? Who can speak French?

At first, Richard was very arrogant.

I don't think he was able to work in a team.

Stop causing friction. We're trying to move on.

No matter who was project manager, he was like, "Nope, it's my way."

Maybe we should just go with your decision, then?

Well, no, I've not listened to it.

That's the point that I was trying to make!

He works best on a one-person team.

You seem to alienate people. Is it because it's all about Richard?

I don't think that I get on with everybody, but...

that's business, that's life.

'There's friends, I get that,'

um, but those friends are people

that I'm looking to knock out of this competition.

Week eight, and Richard's back-seat driving reached new levels.

We would like you guys to go to a party shop.

You could get some sticky jewels and write on Nicole's gift bag,

"Happy birthday, Nicole." We want hers to look extra special.

Honestly, guys, stop spending money.

What are we going to do about Selena's request

to get the glitter for the party bags? Are we...?

Um... We have no time.

I wasn't too concerned about not going to get those things,

although I did get slated again for that in the boardroom.

It was a case that we didn't have the time for it.

In my schedules, I had to bake a cake, we had to...

If you'd had the time, would you have done it?

And I said that to Selina.

-If you'd had the time, would you have done it?

-Yes.

Maybe I just was a little bit blinkered to the concept of it.

I just thought, "Nah, stuff it."

I think, with Richard, you may not want him on your team,

but I think, given the opportunity, you certainly do need him,

because he understands what it requires to win.

You won it, maybe due to Richard's stinginess.

I'm really happy that Richard was irritating,

because it is about numbers and, if you give me creative reign,

I might've tried to book unicorns and all-sorts.

I could've been slated if we'd lost that task,

but I had a big impact in winning it.

One person Richard did manage to win over - his wife of six years - Cara.

Richard's always been his own boss.

He's never, ever wanted to work for anybody else.

After university, the rest of us went on our milk rounds

and, you know, applied to all the big companies and big corporates.

Richard laughed in our faces

and told us that we were all doing it very wrong,

bought himself a suitcase, filled it with rubber ducks and photo frames,

and walked up and down the high streets selling to gift shops.

I was like Del Boy Trotter with his suitcase,

showing all my little samples and Cara used to call me,

"the tat man" cos I used to go and tout my tat, she used to call it.

Which was a bit unfair, cos some of it was quite good,

but it wasn't all good, but, you know, you do what you can.

Richard teamed up with his brother, Tim,

and the family business flourished.

People would come to me and say,

"We really like your website that you've done for your own business."

You suddenly realise that we actually are better website guys

than we are photo frame designers and importers.

So that's when we changed.

We set out and did websites, predominantly, graphic design work,

and that eventually flourished into what is now our marketing agency.

Between Richard and I, our relationship is based on...

I always see it as a flower - I'm the one that's the root

in the ground doing the hard graft

and the work and the stem, and everything else,

putting water up into the nice petals, which is Richard,

so he can dance off into a flowery field,

do all the stuff that he wants to.

Richard is the sales and marketing director, really.

He's very much a strategy, marketing, flowery sort of person.

I've always said that Richard is a legend in his own mind.

In the process, Richard continued to rack up the victories.

I've been the most successful candidate in terms of wins.

-We nailed it.

-THEY CHEER

-I've been a project manager twice and won.

-Good project manager?

Yeah, Richard was phenomenal.

Sub team leader five times, I think, and won.

He was a fantastic sub team leader.

I really did enjoy working under Richard.

I went on to sell £4.2 million worth of property.

Very, very, very good. Excellent.

'I really do have the credibility'

to win this and I think that, um, I'm on track.

Week ten - a chance to seal the deal.

-I make packaging, brands, logos.

-That's why I thought of you straightaway.

The health snack task, I go into it thinking,

"Right, this is the time. All we have to do is win this

"and I've won 9/10 tasks,"

"I've equalled The Apprentice record of any candidate winning,

"only losing one task," and I was so keen to get it right.

In terms of brand names and stuff,

-I'm seeing the front of the packet as a massive V.

-Yeah, I like that.

Victory is within our midst!

-Ooh!

-Very good.

"Great for the busy, the health-conscious and the hungry."

But Richard had missed a trick.

We want to be able to take on the Kettle cooked crisp market,

but with a healthy alternative.

-Can I just touch on the branding?

-Yeah.

Where does it tell me that this is different to Kettle crisps?

That needs to perhaps go onto the back of the bag, yes.

The core concept of this is the fact that it's cooked differently.

It doesn't actually say that on your packaging.

Probably, that would be the one thing that we would

add to the packaging.

He made a right Horlicks of this whole job.

He forgot the most important message,

and, for a marketing man, that's a disaster.

I think, in my personal opinion, that this expert in marketing here

has not projected in any way or form on this product

what the hell it's all about.

I've got a really simple answer.

I found out, on the second day, that the process was dehydration.

We did tell him that it was dehydrated.

When did you tell me it was dehydrated?

-On the phone.

-Yeah.

-On the first day.

The fact that he claimed in the boardroom that he didn't know

it was a dehydrated, raw product is absolutely absurd.

You did know it was dehydrated. You did know it was raw.

He's very stubborn, so one of Richard's downfalls is that

he doesn't take the time to listen to other people's point of view,

to get what their side is and to listen to them,

and I think that's something he's learnt throughout this process,

that will change him. He's not always right.

I missed fundamental points on the branding stuff, um,

and I didn't admit to that in the boardroom,

and I'm really annoyed at myself for not just confessing to that mistake.

But that's not me.

It's been nice working with you.

-I'll go grab a coffee.

-See you later, mate.

-I'll see you outside.

-See you!

-I'll see you later.

One swallow doesn't make a spring and, similarly with Richard,

one failure shouldn't make him a failure.

However, I'm not sure that's going to dent his confidence.

In fact, probably nothing will.

Super sub team.

I actually want to be the charming, bumbling English guy.

-HE COUGHS

-I spat the wrong way.

Richard was a bit like Marmite in the beginning.

You either loved him or you've hated him.

What about we make the decision on this one...?

Can I speak to David, please, Richard? 'And it's quite weird now,'

cos he's turned a bit like jam. He's a bit sweet now, um...

If anything, a bit sickly sweet, but in a nice, nice way.

Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. Very good.

You can't argue with Richard's record.

He's won eight of the ten tasks and the truth is, actually,

he's been instrumental in the reason as to WHY they've won the tasks.

-Cos I'm at the top. You lot are underneath.

-Hark at him! Full of it.

There's no denying that Richard has bags of confidence,

but does he have a solid business plan? We'll have to wait and see.

We haven't got Richard.

Have they actually left?! They've actually left!

I had in my head I'm already going to win,

and I've had to really rein that in, cos it does annoy people

when you say to them you're just going to win and they're like, "No."

And you're like, "No, honestly, I'm going to win."

I am going to win. I still am.

Next for the final five - their toughest task to date...

-I think it's time, Gaz.

-Yeah?

I'm going to lose it, mate.

..the interviews.

Throughout my career, I've never been fired, so I'm not starting now.

I have said right from the start that I'm going to win this process,

and I still genuinely believe that.

I hope that he can see that I will not give up,

that I will fight until the very end.

'I genuinely love my business plan.

I think that's the biggest edge I have over the competition.

I've set myself such a high bar. I won't allow myself to fail.

LIFT: Doors opening.

-Good morning.

-ALL: Good morning, Lord Sugar.