Episode 4 The Apprentice: You're Fired

This is my boardroom. This is my money. The product sucks. Who's the

waste of space? You're fired! Good evening and welcome to The

Apprentice: You're Fired. It's a week four in Lord Sugar's search

for his new business partner. And we are here to rake over the leaves

after tonight's task and meet the one who's sold short. This week was

all about taking something old and well worn and giving it an

unexpected twist, like this. There is a well-known expression, don't

look a gift horse in the eye. A well-known expression because if

you are looking it in the eye, how can you look it in the mouth?

ever, we've an insightful panel in the form of Lord Sugar's aide, Nick

Hewer, interior design guru Kelly Hoppen and comedian Sean Lock.

Turning second-hand junk into must- have gems left one candidate on the

shelf. Jane, you've been in the losing team three times out of four

weeks. And nothing I have seen yet tells

me that you are this great business person. So on that basis, Jane,

How are you? Good. Good to have you here. I didn't see that coming and,

judging by your reaction in the taxi at the time, neither did you.

Shocked by it? I wasn't. I actually did see it coming from the

boardroom, I did see he wanted to bring me back in. It was kind of

mixed emotions. I wanted to go home and I wanted to win and... It was a

mixture of everything. I think when I was fired and I got into the taxi

I was, like, aaah! We can unpick a lot of that. First, let's take a

Jane, you are the business woman here and you've sold 10 quid's

worth of stuff. I did find, Jane, that your sales technique went

between being a bit desperate and a bit aggressive. It's not a hugely

easy sale. We are literally only here for today. Really funky stuff

- look. You have to be quite pushy and try to convince them. What

about a chair? No. Are you sure? Jane, you and your husband have a

very substantial business. It's very, very good. So some of your

colleagues in the house may be in awe of you. They might feel that

about you. I don't because I ain't seen anything. Do you think that

you're desperate sales technique was because you were selling shite?

A large part of it. That wicker chair with stuff just painted onto

it, no one would buy that. really funny, I actually can't sell

something that I'm not passionate about. Are you telling me that the

stuff that was taken from skips and dead people's houses, that you

couldn't get behind that? I felt guilty. I was kind of going, I'm

looking for money from people for this. But anyway, no, I just... I

spent the majority of the day out into the street trying to get

people in. But it's an easy rod with which to

beat somebody, you had �10 worth of sales. Was that like a tactical

flaw for you to give your opponents that kind of... Yeah, it probably

was. But I have to say I didn't actually go into the show with any

particular tactic, which might sound really stupid, but I just

said, I'll be me, he'll either like me or he won't. He didn't, but... I

thought that the PR of the actual project was really important. I

thought it was really important to get the people in, because if we

didn't get them into the shop then we weren't going to sell the

product. When I did go out, I did get the people in, a lot of people

in. And then they were coming out saying it was crap. Nick, how do

you think Jane did? I think two things sunk her. The sales, will

talk about that later on. But Karen. Karen carries a fair amount of

But her opinions... Her opinions carry a lot of weight. And you will

remember in that boardroom she said, "I haven't seen a great deal about

Jane right through." He picked it up. She lit a fuse, it blew up at

the perfect time. Not, sadly, for you. Kelly, what did you think of

Jane in this task? I think you didn't come across like you were

selling a great deal. I get what you are saying, that it's important

to be passionate about what you are selling. But I think when you go

into a show like this, you have to be slightly diverse and be able to

do a lot of different things. I think that all you girls were just

at each other's throats the whole time. Whereas if you'd had more

passion just about going out there and doing the deed that you had to

do, you would have achieved a lot more. Sean? I thought the sales

technique was certainly wrong for the area. It was a bit like what

you'd expect outside a paella restaurant on the Mediterranean

resort. Come in, come in, just come in! Just try it! That doesn't

really work in the trendy heart of the East End. But I also think you

suffer as a sales person from a lack of facial expressions. You've

And it stays there for about 15 minutes. That's personally. What

emotions - fear, anger? Mystery. Intrigue. Possibilities. That's

just one, I've got 11 possibility faces. I just thought you were a

bit desperate to get people in, and that doesn't really work in that

part of London. I think the best sales technique there at that point,

because there was a load of rubbish, was to say to people, "Look, 20

quid, you can smash the lot up." I think that's a business that would

work. You know your business, right, you are very successful. You have a

15,000 square-foot factory, but it's business-to-business you sell,

not business to hipsters in bicycle shorts and baseball caps. Yes, I

suppose if you can take that as my comfort zone, you had me way over

here. Yeah. It was, but that's not an excuse. I suppose what we do in

our business, we manufacture own- brand products, so it's own-brand

food. I'm really passionate about that, I'm really proud of our

products, I'm really proud of it on the shelf. I suppose we can sell

that because we love it. Yeah, I mightn't be the best sales person

of junk but I can sell that. There were others, one person in

particular, who had quite a close Laura. Did you get the plot? I have

been successful in everything I have ever done. Period. You weren't

successful this week, were you? There's 100, mate. 19 plus frames.

We've got a hell of a lot of stuff, haven't we? Do you know that your

team had 200 plus items? You bought a lot of stuff. And the shop looked

like a tip. Some of this stuff I can't imagine buying personally.

Laura, I don't think you did get the plot. You didn't run the team

very well in this task. For someone who came so close, she wasn't

burdened with self-doubt in the boardroom. Who was good at selling?

Who was, like... Got in the mood? was quite impressed with myself, to

be honest. Kelly, were you as impressed with Laura as Laura was

impressed with Laura? No, not really. I found her irritating. I

found her digging at people the whole time. She spoke a lot but

didn't put the wally behind it, if you like. That annoyed me. Sean,

were you impressed with Laura? largely, no. I think she's just

waiting for the bridal challenge. I think when that comes in - the

wedding dress shop challenge - she's going to clean up. Nick?

think she was lucky to get away with it. No control over budget,

crammed all that rubbish into the shop, spread leaves about - it was

a bit of a muddle, quite frankly. That was arty. No, I was not

impressed. How did you find Laura to work with? Personally, I really

like Laura. I would agree with what Kelly was saying. There was a lot

of kind of, come on, we'll get going or whatever, but there wasn't

a strict strategy. There wasn't, right, OK, I want you to do this

and that. From that point of view, she didn't... She wasn't great, but

she's a lovely girl. OK. Some of the girls were given a chance to

spend in the middle of the task and went crazy with it. To be clear,

when you had the list you were a bit like kids in a sweetshop. We

need cushions, we need fabric, we need candles. Two metres in the

striped fabric. Can I have two metres... Get four metres. Can I

have four metres in the orange suede? Two packs of the castors.

eight. 12 of these and two of these. We've got loads left. The doorknobs

at �4 each. Clearly, you spent more money. That's it really. One thing

is, even if they hadn't spent any of this money, they still would

have lost the task. Right. So it's not just purely because of this but

it was a general trend that they were spending and spending.

Completely. She was saying, "Two metres, no, make it six." It was

adding up in her mind. I loved the passion she had, that came through,

but at the end of the day they should have gone out and bought

pieces that were vintage, rather than trying to change them into

this shabby chic look. What do all of these words mean? Shabby chic is

quite cool. I'd like to say when it's done well. So are flags and

the Union Jack and all of that. But they were rushing. They had to get

so much done because they were sanding and painting and

upholstering and doing all of this stuff. Whereas the others just kind

of laid out all this vintage stuff, and that's what Brick Lane is about.

People go there to buy that old telephone that doesn't work. That's

what it's about. Yeah. I live round there. I thought before you do

upholstering, I thought you had to go on a course. You do. Not buy a

stapler. I thought it was six weeks or something but it turns out you

can just start going, bang, bang! The Union Jack thing, I thought it

was funny when they were questioning, some of the team were

questioning the Union Jack and saying, is this right, is this in?

The Union Jack is always in until we get invaded, and then it's very

much out. I've got the idea that you in your flat have a load of

Chinese flags just waiting until China eventually comes in, and then

you will open a shop. I've got a tattoo! I think it's different in

the Union Jack for this and the Union Jack like they did on the

bears they sold to the South Bank, which is clearly tourist tat. I

think it's supposed to be ironic or an appropriation of it. I think

it's cool, though. The Union Jack thing is cool. It just wasn't... I

think they wasted time and money. I think the other team showed the

right way it should have been done. Does it add value or take it away?

I think it takes the value away because people want the vintage

look to make it eclectic, to say, "Where did you get that?" "I got it

in Brick Lane and it's old and it's cool." Whereas they are ripping

everything off, and a lot of what they bought was tat and they

shouldn't have bought it. They should have had less and made it

look cooler. I think that's where the problem really lay. It was more

that what we bought was absolute rubbish. In terms of vintage or

retro or shabby chic, or any of these terms that were bandied

around. Upcycling. Upcycling is one of those. Which of those do you

Kelly, educate me in the ways of design. I know this is probably

vintage, but I'm not sure if this is retro or possibly shabby chic.

This looks like it's about to walk off the table. Bedknobs &

Broomsticks! It's something you'd have a nightmare about. HE HUMS THE

You could actually scare a child if you put that in the room. Did you

sell one of these? Actually, a lady came up to me and she wanted a

suitcase and was going to give me �20 for it, but she wanted the legs

off. I think the legs come off quite easily! I think a fly lands

on it and the legs just go - boomf! Is that... There was something

about that as a crazy art table. The only thing about it is we are

talking about it. It's pretty awful. It just looks like a woman's legs

A four-legged woman. Do you know I know what I meant. On all fours?

Iefs worried it will - I was worried it will start a trend.

you want cheap material it helps if you find something that literally

grows on trees. Leaves have been a trend. If we can find a big tree

with leaves blown off, we could collect leaves. Hyde Park has

leaves! There is some nice leave ts -- leaves on top. Some twigs.

have only got half an hour. I think having dead leaves over the shop is

artistic x but to me it looks dirty. I heard there was a load of dead

leaves on the floor. The customers said it was dead arty. If you want

to buy the leaves you can, but you can get them for free. It was like

an occasion familiar shop in a hurricane. -- Oxfam shop in a

hurricane. Just to create the atmosphere, how should, how best to

handle my leaf display. It is not a competition. But all design is. Is

there a less is more element? think. I would be lining them up in

a row. Oh! I just dumped them! I'm just making a pile. I'm building a

pyramid of leaves. In fact I might make two pyramids. I'm going to

build a fort! There is genuinely bugs on this! What is it April?

Somebody picked these last week and let them die. Making more of a job

for myself than you. Yes. I have seen tramps doing this in the park,

when they have run out of Tennents. I have lost me pen in this. It does

add a certain... Musty, rotten smell! Would you be? I've seen it

in B and Q, but when they're selling leaf blowers. You have been

visible in the whole thing and you have had ups and downs. Let's have

a look at a couple. If I want to sell something, I want to sell a

brand. How much will this cost? We need to work out what we will

charge people. You took charge. needed to be done. What did you ask

them for? If you war were to order a million units. A million units?

can't fault you for dreaming. But on margin front, it was, you were

the only one doing that, when they were making cartoon pictures of

penguins, you were the only one who was scribbling down stuff. It was

scary, there was no plan as to what we were going to buy. How long it

was going to take to produce that product. And you know there was no

point in buying a thousand T-shirts and not having time to produce them.

I was working that out and working out what we could make on the

product. So yeah, it needed to be done and it wasn't being done. I

tried to do it. You were impressed with that? She did well and grass

ped the nettle and knocked it into shape. She did well. -- grasped.

week two you dared to dream a dream that an online retailer that the

world needed a million tiny riot shields. That is an amazing product.

A bit of water and you stick those on, lots of fun. Stop trying to

sell the damn thing. Too much? A million? Not in the history of man

ever a million. The way I saw it, I wasn't insulting them. I supposed I

was flattering them in offering them, I thought they could take

that many units. Maybe it was a bit ambitious. But it's done now.

have got to admire that for the daring. I was oh no, why did you

say that, but you have got balls. That is actually an insult! As a

wam -- woman in business to say, sell a million, you believed in the

product, and you tried to sell it. But you didn't believe in the

vintage furniture and there was a big difference. When the pressure

was on, you can make chutney. Something which Nick was grateful

Do you enjoy the chutney, or was it just any food stall. No, it was

good, eventually. That was down to Jane, who knocked that sort of

production line into shape. Without Jane, it would have been a duss aer

the. That was your theying to your strength. -- would have been a

disaster. I was like, I'm home. It was comfortable for me and I was

getting my batches on and I got my secondary burn on my chest. I had

blisters from chutney. Really? you not wearing anything? I always

wear something protective when I make something. You could have had

this! All your products link in together. I know, I try to do that.

The chutney shield. Sounds like a terrible yuefism. -- euphemism.

Hear what is Lord Sugar said about you. In this task, you would expect

from a person with their own business, they would be on the

forefront selling. She hardly sold anything. Where's that from a

business person. Although she was in a key selling position, she was

pulling people in, I felt she might have been able to get on the shop

floor and make more sales. wouldn't say she has been a stand

out player. She has coasted by. Jane has got some ability, but she

never showed it to me. I wouldn't have been confident in going into

business with her. And that is why I fired Jane. Disappointed you

didn't get to show more of your skills? Yeah. But look, that... It

was a great experience, but it's about going forward and hopefully I

will prove it to him in my sales of my product. That is what it is

about. You get kicked in the teeth and you get back up and fight on

and you just prove him wrng. Good for you. -- wrong. You can go home

to your 15,000 square foot factory and cry there. Kell you started in

business and you have done this climb up. How tough is that I was

16 and a half when I started and I was very young and you're fearless

at that age. I don't think it was hard, because I believed in myself

and I'm tenacious. I think when you are like that and you're an

entrepreneur, when something goes wrong, you stand up and start again.

You don't think about the things that go wrong. You have to believe

in what you do. So I understand why you didn't sell the product. Let's

look at the winning team and a difference of opinion between Adam

and Tom. Adam, if he has a princele he sticks to it. We have a thousand

pound. Want quality over quantity. His strategy is wrong. We want to

fill the shop. Let's buy as much as we can. Let's try and spend as

little as possible. We need to throw more money at this. I was

cautious about what we should buy. We could have done with more stock.

Well done Phoenix. You spent �360 compared to their �660. Tom your

stinginess paid off. I I was the only one who grasped the meaning of

the task. I wan this task for the team. -- won this task for the team.

He did. He is a tell seller. Yes he was fantastic. That whole team

impressed me, but I was looking at from it an artistic side, more Nan

a business side. I was getting excited about the pieces they were

picking up and the way they laid out the shop. That I suppose

impressed me. It was Tom's decision, his choices. He decided on the

strategy and nobody was going to rock him away from it. Adam or

nobody. And it was a winner. I didn't think he had enough in there.

In a sense, I was right, because he had to get more stock. But Adam

would have screwed it upment Tom got it right. I thought I was

impressed with Tom. He is the only person I have seen on the show

never to raise his voice. He never raised his voice one. He kept

chatting awa and there was never a point where he went, just go and

get the thing! There is always a bit when somebody goes, for God's

sake! He was going, put it over there please. That is quite a

quality, that staying calm. For a 23-year-old it is extraordinary.

The buying team of aTam and Katie turned up some unexpected items.

Wombling free, the Wombles of Wimbledon common are we! What did

you find in the back that they didn't have in the front. Load

obvious stuff. Ten P? Why would you buy that? He must have been

delighted and thought he had a right bunch of idiots. An old

washing machine. They have gone through a pile of junk. They didn't

do very well. There is a lot of thing here that would have made a

good profit and they have missed every single piece. We took all the

best stuff. They picked absolute rubbish. We don't know if they took

the vibrator. But if you stick o' a Union Jack on it! To the vote. Did

you think Lord Sugar was right? Close call. I think maybe, maybe he

should have given you another shot. Kelly stkph I think he made a

mistake. I really do. I think Laura should have got the chop. But I

think you know as Nick said, it was a close call. Sean? Lord Sugar is

always right. That is why he is called Lord Sugar and not Alan!

let's throw it to the audience. If you agree with Lord Sugar hold up

Fire, if not, hold up Hired. That is definitely hired. So our

commiserations. It is your farewell, brief but tumultuous appearance on

The Apprentice. We always gave parting gift. I'm sure you're

excited. I am. Well the only thing we could really think would be this.

But because you're not from round here, we thought instead it is an

Irish flag! It is fine. Please no, take it. Don't put anything of any

weight on it. Don't lean against it. It is four weeks with you. Here are

your highlights. I mean business, I always want the win. I have a drive

within me that wants to succeed. I really love working. They're

flashing away. I can say I hand made the batches. I'm not afraid to