Episode 11 The Apprentice: You're Fired

You haven't used any of your skills,

any of the things you claim that you're experts at.

A disgusting result.

You're fired. You're fired. You're fired.

You're fired. You're fired.

I would like to exit the process. You're doing my job for me.

You're fired. You're fired.

You're fired. You're fired. You're fired.

APPLAUSE

Good evening, I'm Jack Dee. Welcome to The Apprentice: You're Fired.

This week five candidates were grilled to within an inch of their lives

and we said goodbye to three of them.

But more importantly we also say goodbye to a dear friend.

# Goodbye, my friend

# I know you're gone You said you're gone

# But I can still feel you here

# It's not the end... #

Goodbye. We'll miss you.

Not to be outdone, Gary was determined to add a sense of drama

to his own morning routine.

LAUGHTER

And Vana showed off her interview technique.

Lesson one, make sure you get off to a good start.

Erm... So do you want me to give you a little

bit of background about why I know there's an opportunity?

Because obviously that's going to be your first question.

Why don't you let me ask the first question rather than predicting it?

LAUGHTER

Lesson two, speak when you're bloody well spoken to.

Joining me tonight, our very own interview panel.

Former Apprentice winner, recruitment consultant Ricky Martin,

former corporate lawyer, comedian Susan Calman,

and form a queue for the exit, it's Romesh Ranganathan.

Welcome to You're Fired.

APPLAUSE

So tonight three candidates were fired.

The first to go was hoping her plan for her hairdressing academy

would be a cut above...

MILD LAUGHTER

In the end... In the end Lord Sugar said "salon" to her.

Now I accept that my pun writing business plan needs work

but, Lord Sugar, I still believe it could make us both a lot of money.

Charleine, I do admire your drive, your inspiration

and your hard work and efforts.

But it is with regret, Charleine, that you're fired.

Thank you, Lord Sugar. Thank you, Karren. Thank you, Claude.

Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome Charleine Wain.

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

Charleine.

Very popular here and all that but, I have to say,

watching four interviews in one day,

that looks harder than doing one of the tasks.

I just spotted one there. Yeah. She's stalking you.

Yeah. If she's any trouble, let me know. I'll get rid of her.

I've been crying since.

Yeah, well... We might hear a little bit more from Linda

and the others in a minute.

OK, right from the beginning we knew you were very,

very ambitious but let's have a look at why you ended up getting fired tonight.

"I will be a worldwide hairdressing brand." Yes.

"I will top Toni and Guy." Very big statements.

The thing is, having one salon is quite different to having a franchise.

Her expectations are probably beyond her ability.

I say very respectfully that in order to start off

a franchising chain... You've got to be big in a big city.

Never mind a big city. I mean you've just got to be big, period.

I felt for you there, Charleine, but you know what?

Claude, what does he know about hairdressing? Think about it.

A few shoe shines. Yeah.

LAUGHTER

Say what you want now, can't you?

Thinking back now, do you slightly wish you'd

tailored your plan as you went along to something more achievable?

Yeah, definitely.

And I take everything that they said onboard

and I will 100% expand within my area, grow in the south-west,

eventually work my way up and then maybe Claude might invest in me.

You never know. You never know. In the end he might do.

So, Ricky, when you were a candidate did you find the interviews the hardest part?

The interviews are horrible.

It's hard unless you've been on the process to realise just how

horrible it is cos you've been in this thing for 11 weeks

and you're scared to death of the interviews.

So it was hard. Very, very hard.

Obviously you know you're going to be stressed out and worried about saying the wrong thing

or doing the wrong thing like, I don't know,

getting up and leaving at the wrong time. No, don't worry.

We're not... I haven't got that clip

so I can't actually...

What? Oh, we have got that clip. I'm sorry. Let's have a look at it.

I'm going to bring David and Joseph back in. Clever boys.

Where are you going? Oh, do I not...?

LAUGHTER

Well done. Well, I 100% thought I would be brought back into the boardroom.

There was three boys and I thought, you know, "Statistics,

"the boys are going to bring me back in."

So it was like, "See you later, boys."

You did handle yourself very well in the interviews and generally

in the boardroom but last week you got very upset in the boardroom.

Why was that? Tell us.

Because I... Even though I didn't make it to the final, I really,

really wanted to get to the final five.

And it just felt like to me I had reached the last hurdle

and I had let myself down so badly

and then I was just really disappointed in myself.

I thought you were crying just because you remembered what

peppermint and pomegranate tasted like.

God, it was awful! It was awful.

Crying is not, in my view, a sign of weakness

and I think it was lovely when you did, because it meant a lot to you.

I cry all the time. I am crying inside right now with you.

And I think it shows honesty and sincerity in a candidate,

to be honest. Well, to get the inside track, we have some

of our interviewers in the audience tonight.

Please welcome Claudine Collins, Mike Soutar

and, this series' new recruit, Linda Plant.

APPLAUSE

Mike, I'll come to you first.

Charleine was a spectacular interviewee, actually,

despite the fact that I think you felt a bit nervous.

You stood up to the interrogation every single step of the way

and I think you can make it, as well. I think you can carve

yourself out a really distinctive career and I think you can build

a very successful business, because you have got that tremendous

work ethic. Thank you. I just want to say, I learnt SO much off

all three of you and I will take that onboard with me. That's great.

Charleine, being able to sell,

obviously a massive part of The Apprentice

and you turned out to be one of the most impressive of the whole series.

Actually, you came third, after Richard and Vana.

Oh, did I? You did, yeah. And you were spectacular on

the property sales. Yeah, that was big for me.

You looked thrilled by that. Did you surprise yourself? Yeah.

I really enjoyed selling, right the way through.

Obviously, 350,000 for a box-sized flat was crazy!

But, yeah, I really enjoyed it.

I started to really look forward to the bits where you were negotiating,

selling or buying, cos I loved the way you closed the deal.

You have got this magical technique. Let's remind ourselves of it.

?58, you have got a deal. ?58.

Do we have a sale today? We do. Well done!

She shakes from above and down. It's like, "Have we got a...deal?"

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

?80. Perfect. We have a deal.

It's like, what is this? It's like a salute...

Congratulations on your new investment.

Congratulations!

?3 a bunch.

Deal. Deal! We have a deal.

There were at least two of these people thought they were just saying

hello to you.

Where did that come from? Have you always done that?

Is it...? I have only just now realised that I do it!

You defi... No, come on!

I don't want to wait until the answer! It's a great technique.

Very good. Sadly, Lord Sugar is not going to be investing

in your business plan. It is a great shame.

Let's see if he has got any advice for you, for the future.

Charleine - a very

vivacious character. I really, really liked her

and I'm sure everybody else did, also.

She took things very, very seriously. Very competitive.

And very professional, I would say. Sometimes, a little bit naive.

Sometimes, goes a little bit over the top,

which can alienate people. I think, her going forward

in her business - which I wish her very well in -

she has to take onboard that, sometimes, you know, being like

a sledgehammer and trying to push things through is not necessarily

the best thing to do all the time.

Some very positive stuff there? Yeah, definitely.

Yeah, I take all that onboard. OK, well, it's time to find out

whether we agree that Charleine should have been fired tonight.

Ricky, do you think Lord Sugar was right?

This just wasn't the right thing for you right now, so I think

the decision was absolutely right. I think I agree with Lord Sugar

that it was just a bit too much, too soon. It was the right decision.

Romesh? Yeah, I think you are going to make a great success of your

hairdressing empire. I just think, in terms of your business plan

for the moment, Lord Sugar was right to fire you, I'm sorry.

Fair enough. So, the audience, if you agree with Lord Sugar,

hold up "Fired". If you don't, hold up "Hired".

So, that, I think, that is a "Fired", Charleine.

Oh! But what would they know? Look at the state of them. Yeah!

LAUGHTER

Well, look, as you know, nobody leaves You're Fired empty-handed,

so we had to have a think. You have been such a multitasker,

what we decided to do was to bring out a special Charleine action doll.

There we are. Oh! There she is. I love it!

I think that she will be a big hit in the shops at Christmas.

It does all the things. Here, it says in the back,

"Can sell anything." "Negotiate you a great deal on an anchor."

LAUGHTER

That is for you to hang on to. That is for you to keep. Thank you.

We have really enjoyed watching you. This is no pun, by the way.

Let's have a look at your highlights. Oh!

The heavy candles are heavy!

Fresh fish fingers sandwiches or calamari!

Charleine is always there when you need her and she really

has this ability to make people feel cared for.

You'd look really posh in the valleys with one of these,

though, wouldn't you?

# She always knows her place... #

Do you want one? And one of them. One of them, as well?

She is a very, very hard worker.

Very good seller. Very good negotiator.

OK, we have shook on that! She has got me now! ?12.50. Excellent!

You could buy a street in Wales for that money!

Ah-ha-ha! Get in there!

# Who, whoa, whoa, she's a lady... #

Ladies and gentlemen, Charleine Wain.

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

Well...

..as you know, we lost three candidates from the final five

and we have still got two more candidates to meet. Who is up next?

Gary...

..you take great pride in being

a corporate fellow,

but I think your business plan is flawed.

I don't understand it, at all.

I can't go into business with you.

You're fired. Thank you, Lord Sugar, for the opportunity.

And I genuinely wish everyone so well in their future ventures.

Thanks ever so much. Thank you.

Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome Gary Poulton!

APPLAUSE

Please sit down.

Ah!

Gary... How are you doing? ..good to see you.

Good to see you, too. I think everyone is very surprised by your

business plan. It seemed like quite a departure from what

we expected of you. Yeah, I think half my battle was...

It's no secret that I have been in the corporate world

for a number of years. Have you?

LAUGHTER

Gary, you did not get flustered in the interviews, at all.

You may have felt like you were, but it didn't look it.

Does your corporate background help you with that kind of thing?

Yeah, it's safe to say I was a bit like a swan.

All right above the surface, but the legs were going underneath. Yeah.

That is only natural. You have had some highs and lows

through the whole process. Let's look at how you ended up getting fired.

I am struggling to understand, at all, what the technology bit is

in this. My product is to bring the event and entertainment to life

and make it an experience for consumers. You have lost me, sorry.

Just for me to understand, it's a mobile disco, right?

It's going to revolutionise the market... I don't think it is.

I cannot see anything else...

SHE SIGHS ..that exists at the moment.

Maybe cos there isn't a necessity for it.

Obviously, in my mind, I can see it as clear as day.

I don't get it. Sorry. It's... I don't get it.

Gary, how come no-one got it? I got it, cos it's... I think it's...

Explain it again.

LAUGHTER

There was one bit of it that you said, "You can be in Australia

"and still be at a party." Is that the thing? Yeah. Absolutely.

So, all the wedding guests that you don't want to invite,

you can have them virtually and cut them out... You can have them there.

Karren said that she didn't see you as a party person. A bit harsh.

But that WAS after the children's party task. Yeah!

How did you feel that went? Erm, I've probably had better days.

Have you? Definitely, yeah.

Talk me through the "may contain nuts" fiasco.

LAUGHTER

David and I was on the assault course

and the phone call come through. I think it was Joseph and Charleine.

They said, "Oh, it may contain nuts." My heart did sink,

if I'm being perfectly honest. Yeah. Erm, I didn't want to put

my head in the sand. I wanted to go and speak to the parents.

That was probably the worst thing I did!

Were you trying to style it out, thinking, "Look, the best thing,

"be honest. I'll tell her it MAY contain nuts and they will probably

"be cool with it"? Well, if you have got a severe nut allergy,

what's a couple of nuts between friends? Yeah.

"You may die if you eat it." Yeah.

LAUGHTER

"Eat at your own risk." "At least I was honest." Yeah.

Cos it was at the children's party that we learnt that some people

call you "Gary the Giraffe". "Gary the Giraffe". And we know that

you are a man of many names, aren't you? Let's just remind ourselves

of a few of them.

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

and a bit like that. I have been labelled as this

corporate guy - "Corporate Gary", "Corporate G".

I think, throughout the process, Gary has gone from "Corporate Gary"

to "Gangsta Gary". Mr multinational retailer,

like, management guy, into some sort of G.

Gary goes, "I'm a G." And I have no idea what that means,

but apparently, it's some gangsta, Westside thing.

They have really brought out the street side of me and I am not just

Corporate G now. I'm just G.

In my industry, I am known as "The Postman",

because I ALWAYS deliver.

LAUGHTER

APPLAUSE

All right. Corporate G, as a nickname?

That is actually longer than Gary. That's not a nickname, technically,

is it? Erm...in the discount store task, where you did very, very well,

you were project manager. Yeah. And you were really in your element,

weren't you? Because you were setting up shop, you had all those

Toilet World... Toilet World. Definitely in my element there!

This is one of the reasons why I think you were such a superb

candidate - because you were always positive. You were in a deserted

shop in Manchester and you were saying, "Let's walk the shopper

"round their shopping experience."

And it was some baskets with toilet roll in it. Yeah.

But you still went, "No, come on, this is an experience.

"Let's make this good for the consumer."

Like you were in Harrods.

And that's a beautiful thing.

I was particularly impressed with you when you did the snacks.

I mean, obviously, I wasn't impressed with the snacks,

but actually what you had there was a nightmare situation,

where you have to felt-tip out everything on the packet.

But you still went in and you kept the team going, basically.

And I thought that was really admirable.

So, look, sadly,

Lord Sugar isn't going to be investing in your business.

Partly cos he just doesn't understand what it is. But we'll...

Let's have a look at the advice he's got for you for your future. Great.

Gary, a charming fella, a very nice chap and a very experienced person.

He was very solid through the tasks.

He was a calming factor.

He did some very, very good things.

I personally think that Gary, whatever he does in the future,

needs to be a little bit more decisive

and have a clear focus in his mind of what he wants to do.

And I think if he focuses on that, I think he's going to do OK.

I think that's a very complimentary assessment there.

You pleased with that? Yeah, fantastic.

Yeah. Just being in the presence of Lord Sugar for a few weeks,

got a lot of respect for him and, yeah, fantastic.

That's nice to hear. Will you be more decisive in the future,

or haven't you made your mind up yet? I don't know yet.

Well, let's see if we agree that Gary should have been fired tonight.

What do you think, Ricky?

With that business opportunity with Lord Sugar,

unfortunately, absolutely had to be fired, there's no two ways about it.

Yeah. Susan?

Wrong decision. Mobile discos are the future.

Romesh. I do think, in this case,

Lord Sugar was right to fire you with that business plan. OK.

And so to the audience. If you agree with Lord Sugar, hold up "Fired".

If you don't, hold up "Hired".

Well, I'm afraid, unlike your business plan, that is pretty clear.

LAUGHTER

You can see where the family and friends are, anyway. Yeah, exactly!

That's going for a Fired there.

But, never mind, as you know, nobody leaves empty-handed.

I do know that, you know, you're going back into the corporate world,

and you'll be going to a lot of business conferences, no doubt.

Very important people know your name.

So I got you this, which is a name badge...

For every nickname you've got, there's a name badge there.

You can have what you want.

You've got Gary "The Detail In Retail" Poulton, The G Man,

Corporate Captain, Mr Corporate.

So that's yours to keep. You keep that.

Brilliant, thanks ever so much. And you can wear those if you want.

Let's have a look at your highlights. Right.

Take a handful out and add to the presentation,

then we've got our little beauty world.

So this is our toilet world.

Gary's great fun.

He also has a very serious, level head on his shoulders.

And he really wants his full team to do well.

It's not just about himself with Gary. Gary's about everyone.

We're doing these at 14.95.

Yeah, why not? Brilliant. Well done. Woohoo!

No time to kill at the moment.

It's all about margin here.

I know it might sound nice, but it's all about margin. Remember that.

Go! Go!

Could you just give me some cash in my pocket?

Cos I might be able to just do a last-minute cash change.

Oh!

Lord Sugar. Welcome. Yes.

HE LAUGHS Let's go!

Not bad for a Brummie! HE LAUGHS

Ladies and gentlemen, Gary Poulton!

APPLAUSE

Well, before we leave base camp and climb the business growth mountain

to break through the clouds and reach the summit of the show,

there's still one candidate left to meet.

Richard, you've done extremely well in the process.

So you've obviously got something there.

But I've decided I'm going to take a gamble

by allowing Vana into the final.

So, Richard...

you're fired.

Thank you very much. Thank you, Karren. Thank you, Claude.

Thank you, Lord Sugar.

Good luck.

Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome Richard Woods!

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

Good to see you.

That's how you make an entrance. That's how you make an entrance.

What the hell were you doing?

Is this not Manchester's newest discount store?

I-I must have missed that episode.

You didn't let the marks drop at all, did you?

I mean, even when Mike tore you apart, you still went back to

the other candidates and said, "Yeah, that went pretty well." I know!

Oh, I'm still so gutted about it as well but, yeah, I had this

whole persona going on and, you know, I'm a confident person.

You had many personas going on.

Yeah, I know it might be painful,

but let's have another look at why you ended up being fired tonight.

"A fully managed and implemented business growth campaign

"that starts with a focused base camp to remove the clouds

"from the clients' business growth mountain."

Well, I think you're the type of guy that feels you can write

a lot of bullshit and no-one will see the truth underneath.

You've been rumbled.

The idea that what he's trying to present here

is something that's completely new - it's false.

I don't see them as being the same businesses.

They just happen to be described the same way.

I know Lord Sugar has called you Tricky Dicky on the boardroom.

And I'm beginning to get a sense of why.

Aaaaargh...

I've thrown it away.

Oh, Richard. Oh, it still is so painful,

and I felt like I just had my hands tied

because I knew what I really wanted to present,

but I was just completely left-fielded by their saying,

"You're already doing this." And, yeah, probably.

I probably was. But it wasn't the only problem.

Did you really only realise during your interview with Linda

that you were - how shall I say this? -

talking bullshit? Oh! Or did you...?

Oh, look... Linda, I have had nightmares about you

since the start of this, honestly.

You tore me apart.

And, I...you know...

You gave me the ammunition! I know!

Yeah, in all honesty, it...

There was glitches in what I was trying to put across

and I can completely understand

the way that these guys took it apart.

The interview that you did, Linda, legendary,

because you said what I've been shouting at the TV for weeks now,

which is... It was just...

You just stopped him - "Bullshit".

And I think once someone says that three times to you,

you know there's probably a problem there.

LAUGHTER

Why did it take you so long to come clean about the fact

that your business plan wasn't quite as unique as you were making out?

I think, when it comes down to it,

I was so excited about this business plan that I ended up starting it before I actually applied,

then realised that the thing I'm presenting, I'm already doing,

so I was...yeah, I was swimming up-water then.

Well, good for you for admitting it. I mean, let's talk to Claudine.

What did you think?

You're such a credible candidate.

You're obviously incredibly intelligent.

You know, you're going to make a success of your business.

You didn't need all that waffle at all.

In fact, by the time you got to me, I was the last interviewer,

you had been de-waffled,

you were kind of on your knees, really,

you were really knackered, weren't you?

And I saw the real you.

Tricky Dicky was one of the names you picked up.

Another one, you were named after a certain comedy character, if you remember...

Let's remind ourselves why that might have been.

The time is now. It is our moment.

He looks like David Brent, don't he?

Simple, clean, on-message.

Hiya, madam.

I do wonder whether Richard has bought a management book

and read it cover-to-cover before he came here.

It's like a river and you've just got to guide it

in the right direction.

My core thing was to be able to let the creatives be creatives.

I'll get the fishing rod out -

you're walking so fast...!

Sub-team extraordinaire?

Remember, today, the first money saved

is the first made.

I can't even remember what it's like to lose.

IRON HISSES

Winning - yeah.

RICHARD GROANS Or, as I call it,

"Shh...ironing."

"Shh...almost winning."

Romesh, what did you think of Richard's sales techniques?

Throughout the whole process,

you've been absolutely smashing it, there's no doubt about it.

The way you've managed, the way you've sold,

and week by week,

I have prayed for you to fail.

But I want you to take that as a complement,

because it's a sign of how good you are as a candidate.

Very nice compliment, very nice. Yeah, yeah.

I want you to take it as a compliment

that I wanted to see you crushed and destroyed.

Of course I take it as a compliment, of course(!)

OK, well, Richard, sadly, as we know,

Lord Sugar is not going to be investing in your business,

but he's surely got some advice for you, so let's have a look at that.

Richard - a very intelligent chap.

He was the project manager in the advertising task

and I have to say that the advertising task this year

was one of the best I've ever seen.

My piece of advice to Richard would be

he has to drop this thing about,

"It's all me, and no-one else",

because you're not going to get teams around you

or employees to want to work with you

if you're never going to give anybody else

the credit for doing things

and so he needs to improve that side of his nature.

So, some good advice there. Are you going to work on your teamwork?

Yeah, I think I have to - I've got aspirations to grow

a massive company and you just can't do that on your own,

so it's great advice and... Good.

..I'd always take it onboard from Lord Sugar.

Time to find out whether we agree whether Richard should have been fired tonight.

Ricky, do you think Richard was the right person to go?

He was - part of a business investment is not just the proposition,

it's the person behind it,

and I think you and Lord Sugar would tear each other apart, so...

It's a Fired, yes.

Susan? Em... You're very talented and intelligent man,

but sadly, you essentially answered the question wrongly

when Lord Sugar addressed it to you about the business.

The business was already with your brother as well.

It was the right decision to fire you, I think.

Romesh? Uh, Richard, I think you're a phenomenal candidate -

really, really strong across the board.

But I think cos of having a duplicate business already,

I think Lord Sugar was right to fire you in this instance.

Mm, OK - and over to the audience.

If you agree with Lord Sugar, hold up "Fired",

if you disagree, hold up "Hired".

I think that is a Fired, in fairness. Pretty comprehensive, that.

Don't worry - just go back and say you were hired.

LAUGHTER That's your style.

Well, listen, Richard,

as you know, no-one leaves You're Fired empty-handed,

so I had a thought, and I remember you saying you described yourself

as a Swiss Army knife of business skills. Yes.

With that in mind, got you this,

which is a special Apprentice Swiss Army knife.

It's got a little beard trimmer on it there. Yeah.

This one here is for sharpening your imaginary ice skates. I like that.

Where's the cake maker? There's a cake maker there

and this one cuts out the waffle.

RICHARD LAUGHS That's yours to keep, all right?

Fantastic. You've been a great candidate, a good guest.

Let's have a look at your highlights.

I'm like a Swiss Army knife of business skills.

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

Come here, you! Aw, Beverly...

Oh, yeah.

Richard has some certain qualities

that irritated me at the start.

Yo, yo, yo!

Hello, super sub-team.

But now, I've changed my perception and they actually make me laugh

and I think he's a lovely man.

THEY LAUGH

It's Richard's way or the highway,

but when you get to know him, you can't help but warm to him.

That is the most amazing sandwich that your husband will eat today.

Might put my feet up! HE LAUGHS

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

this has got to be one of the best.

I'll get a coffee. See you later, mate.

I'll be outside...

Ladies and gentlemen, Richard Woods.

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

Well, that's all for tonight.

Thank you to Ricky, Susan and, of course, Romesh,

and our interviewers, Claudine, Mike and Linda.

So, there are just two candidates left and only one task to go.

It's the final.

For your final task, I want you to launch your businesses.

He's going to be the brains behind it, so it's something that

makes sense, because he actually has a PhD in desire.

Well, I have my vision and I know what I want.

It's hard to now think of something else that's going to work.

Is this possible with ?250,000?

Obviously, we're hoping to come to London at some point.

Would it be possible to take your card?

Is there any story why you went into that industry?

Cos I was expelled from school?

LAUGHTER

Look at this. This is my stage, Gary.

Whoa!

It's very, very difficult.

You couldn't get a wider difference between the businesses.

You are going to be my business partner.

If, like Vana and Joseph, you think you've got what it takes

to be Lord Sugar's business partner, go to...

Applications are now open to take part in next year's series.

As an early Christmas treat, we'll be back this Sunday

over on BBC One - don't forget -

straight after the final for You're Hired, where,

alongside Romesh, I'll be joined by the big boss man himself, Lord Sugar.

Goodnight.

APPLAUSE