The seventh series of British reality television series The Apprentice (UK) was broadcast in the UK on BBC One, from 10 May to 17 July 2011; due to a qualifying match for the 2011–12 UEFA Champions League set to be aired live on 20 July, the final episode was given an earlier broadcast date to avoid clashing with this.
After six years of offering a six-figure job as a prize, both Alan Sugar and the production staff conducted a rethink on what the programme offered after the former threatened to quit. This led to the decision that Sugar now offered a £250,000 investment for the winning candidate to use towards starting their own business. The change in prize led to a complete revamp of the format concerning tasks, with the Interviews stage assigned as the final task, and extended to include a scrutiny of each candidate's business plans amongst the other questions made by interviewers.[1] Alongside the standard twelve episodes, with the first two aired within a day of each other, two specials were aired alongside this series – "The Final Five" on 7 July; and a series exclusive, "How To Get Hired" on 15 July.
For the sixteen candidates who took part, the change in prize did not deter their participation, with Tom Pellereau becoming the overall winner and the first to win the new prize.[2][3][4] Excluding the specials, the series averaged around 8.80 million viewers during its broadcast, and is the most watched series of The Apprentice to date.
Series overview
Following the end of the sixth series, Alan Sugar began to question his involvement in the programme, due to the nature of what he offered to those participating and the overall format of The Apprentice. Meeting with both the broadcaster and the production company, Sugar threatened to quit unless changes were made. His demand led to the decision that a rethink of the programme was essentially required to keep the show fresh. In discussing how to alter the format, Sugar expressed a belief that there was too high an expectation amongst young entrepreneurs over becoming the next big name in business when setting up their own company, faulting a belief that such individuals suffered from a "fast buck mentality". He thus suggested that The Apprentice geared itself towards showing a scaled but realistic approach to starting up a company.[5] This suggestion led to a complete overhaul of the format, assigning the design of tasks towards setting up, running and operating businesses as smoothly as possible, while offering new participants a life-changing opportunity – the winning candidate would now receive a £250,000 investment towards a new business they wished to start, with Sugar taking a 50% stake in the business in exchange for providing his guidance and support, along with supplying a team of experts to help develop the winning candidate's plan.
The change in format was finalised during the processing of applications for the seventh series, between April and July 2011, with Sugar accepting the changes to remain with the programme.[5] For those applying for a place in the programme, the change in prize came as a surprise, as many still expected it to be the six-figure job, effectively leading those who became part of the final line-up having to come up with business plans before recording of the first episode was set to take place. One task retained during the revamp of the show's tasks structure was the Interviews stage, but this came with it being extended in how it operated – alongside interviewers questioning each candidate about their background, work experience and performance on tasks, candidates were informed that their business plans would also come under scrutiny in this stage – with the task itself being reallocated as the final task of the series. Following the last series, two of the interviewers – Bordan Tkachuk and Alan Watts – decided to leave the programme, leading to Sugar replacing them with Mike Soutar and Matthew Riley. With production completed and final editing almost finished, the sixteen candidates who secured a place on the series were revealed on 3 May 2011, a week before the series premiered, with the first task revealing that the men named their team Logic, while the women named their team Venture.
This series is notable for featuring a task in which the winning team was not given a prize – arranged by Sugar for those who worked hard to win a task, it was withdrawn when the winning team had failed to comprehend the basis of the task's goal – along with a candidate establishing records for the most wins, both consecutive and total. Of those who took part, Tom Pellereau would become the eventual winner, going on to make subsequent appearances on You're Fired as an audience member during later series, while also launching a range of manicure products with assistance from Lord Sugar. Amongst the products he would create would include a line of curved nail files – the S-file, the S-Buffer and the Emergency File, two curved nail clippers, the S-Clipper and S-Clipper mini and a curved foot exfoliator, and the S-Ped – all of which would be stocked by major retailers in the country.[6][7]Susan Ma, who would lose out in the final, would later receive an investment offer from Sugar, that she would put towards creating her skincare company Tropic in 2012.[8]
Lord Sugar begins a hunt for an apprentice for 2011, now offering his new batch of sixteen candidates a £250,000 investment to kickstart a new business with. Their first task gives them a taste of this reward – each team is given £250 to invest in produce from New Covent Garden Market, turning these into meals to sell around London. Venture focus on turning their purchases into fruit breakfasts and vegetable pastas, selling well and managing costs despite misunderstanding the task's goal. Logic opt for turning their purchases into tomato soup and orange juice, but make a slow start on sales after missing out the morning trade, due to a manufacturing issue, while they overspend on oranges. In the boardroom, the women make a substantial turnover, leaving the men to face questions on their performance. Of the final three, Edward Hunter becomes the first to be fired for his terrible leadership and his failure to use his skill-set.
Teams face the challenge of coming up with their own mobile phone app, with each team promoting their concept to experts and bloggers at a gaming fair. Venture opt for an app combining annoying sounds with random pictures, making reasonable downloads, despite providing a poor pitch and raising questions over the concept's design. Logic opt for an app featuring stereotypical British characters saying things in their dialect, but get few downloads despite a good start and a well-received presentation, after their concept is condemned for its design and raises concerns over its limited marketing potential. In the boardroom, the women's concept proves more attractive after achieving a higher total of downloads, leaving the men to face criticism over their app. Of the final three, Alex Britez Cabral is fired for demonstrating no notable skills and for his lack of contribution within the team.
Lord Sugar has a new list for ten items, all required for the last-minute refurnishing of the Savoy Hotel before its grand reopening, with each team needing to seek out quality pieces at bargain prices. Venture secure all but one item and maintained a good performance, yet conducted poor negotiations that included a purchase costing more than they needed to spend. Logic secure six items with good negotiations, yet are comprised by being completely disorganised and wasting time with a suggestion from one member that proves futile. Despite Venture receiving a heavy fine, the poor performance of Logic causes their spend to be greatly increased by the fines they occur, leaving them to be criticised over their execution of the task. Amongst the losing team, Gavin Winstanley is ejected from the process after being deemed an ineffective, flawed team leader, and for demonstrating no other skill than selling.
Lord Sugar instructs both teams to each set up a beauty-treatment business within one of Birmingham's shopping centre, alongside selling a sideline of cosmetic products. Venture focus on spray-tanning and cold foot-massages as their treatments, enjoying good sales thanks to their retail location offering enough space for multiple customers, yet only sell half of their sideline of tanning products and nail polish. Logic opt for hot-shell massages and hair-styling as their treatments, but receive less sales due to their retail space limiting customers, with this further hampered by a late decision to focus solely on the sale of their sideline of hair-styling products and massagers along with an overspend on these. A review of sale figures soon reveal that Logic's execution of the task was flawed, leaving Venture to be praised for their efforts. Amongst the losing team, Felicity Jackson is dismissed for her indecisive leadership and the mistakes she made that contributed to her team's loss.
Each team faces the challenge of making a brand new type of pet food, complete with a promotional campaign, and pitching their concept to industry experts. Venture opt for a diet-styled cat food, but face questions over an unclear advertising, handle a difficult pitch, and have issues with a less assertive leader. Logic focus on a dog food aimed at helping to improve their joints and heart, receiving praise for a professional advertising campaign, but face criticism over lacking a proper target market and making a false claim on its design. Feedback from the experts leaves Lord Sugar deeming Venture's brand as the more effective design, leaving Logic questioned over the fatal flaws in their concept. Amongst the final three, Ellie Reed is fired for failing to contribute anything significant and her lack of respect to authority, while Vincent Disneur is also dismissed for playing a ‘loyalty game’ and failing to bring back its chief designer for further scrutiny.
Each team find themselves operating a waste disposal service for two days, selling any valuable scrap they find amongst the trash that they dispose of for their customers, including from major contracts. Venture acquire little custom for the first day, thanks to the poor decision of their leader to charge for their services losing them out on contracts, leaving them to find contracts on the second day. Logic enjoy reasonable custom on both days, securing contracts by offering no fee for their service, and focusing on securing high-profit scrap amongst their refuse collections, despite one member arranging a deal that proves problematic. A totalling of revenue soon reveal Logic's strategy was very efficient, leaving Venture to be questioned over their tactics. Of the final three, Edna Agbarha is fired after falsely claiming credit for contributions made by other members and for becoming unsuitable for Lord Sugar's investment offer after a review of her track record.
Creating a new type of free magazine is the basis of the next task, with each team pitching their concept to advertisers to secure sales for advertising space within. Venture create a magazine targeted at senior citizens, managing reasonable sales due to their concept being praised for its potential, yet face concerns over the magazine's title and issues with a problematic member ruining potential sales in one of their pitches. Logic create a magazine targeted at young men and including an element of business in their design, yet despite criticism over their concept being outdated and vulgar, they manage to receive considerable sales order for advertising space. In the boardroom, Logic's concept is praised over the sale figures it creates, leaving Venture to face questions over their design and performance. Amongst the final three, Glenn Ward is dismissed over issues with his background, his lack of business experience, and for his failure to make significant contributions and increase his presence on tasks.
Each team splits in half on a marketing task – one half choose British products for the other half to sell in Paris, through making appointments with potential customers. Venture focus on selling a transformable child booster seat and an electronics device stand, yet despite the sales team struggling with one of their choices, they secure sizeable orders from the customers they meet with. Logic focus on selling a teapot-styled lamp and a garden growing postcard, but achieve less sales with their choices due to a member of the sales team restricting the others from handling meetings with potential customers. Upon their return to the boardroom, the sale figures show Venture's performance excelled well, leaving Logic to face questions over their execution of the task. Amongst the losing team, Leon Doyle is fired for his lack of sales, not demonstrating the same enthusiasm for business as his fellow team members, and for making poor excuses that Lord Sugar could not accept from him.
Each team must manufacture a brand new type of distinctive biscuit, complete with packaging, and pitch their concept to retailers. Venture focus on a flapjack topped with a thick chocolate star, securing a large order mainly due to a member's suggestion of arranging a large-scale marketing strategy, despite most retailers raising concerns over the unclear message of their marketing scheme. Logic focus on a digestive and buttermilk biscuit combination with a partial chocolate coating, being praised for a clear marketing scheme, but receiving no orders due to criticism of their cheap production costs against their proposed sales price, alongside facing issues with in-fighting amongst the team. Venture's gamble is praised by Lord Sugar for achieving its high order total, leaving Logic to be criticised over their terrible performance. Amongst the losing team, Zoe Beresford is eject from the process for focusing on marketing rather than utilising her background, and for her mistakes on the task.
Both teams are each given a £250 pallet of wholesale items to sell around London over two days, reinvesting in those that sell well and accumulating as much assets from stock and cash. Venture find success with umbrellas and nodding dogs and so focus on these, yet good sales are hindered by a team leader's decision not to reinvest until the last minute. Logic fail to heed the premise of the task, reinvesting in new items on the second day rather than in good sellers, with their performance hampered by a poor decision that wastes time. Although Venture secure greater assets from their performance, Lord Sugar strips them of their prize because of their leader's actions, while Logic faces scrutiny over their weak performance. Amongst the losing team, Melody Hossaini is fired for not heeding the task's goal, her unacceptable personality, and for becoming unsuitable for the investment offer.
As this year's series of The Apprentice draws closer to its finale, this special episode takes a look at profiling the true story behind the five remaining candidates. Discussing their backgrounds, experiences, personality, and strengths and weaknesses, are a selection of each candidate's friends, family and colleagues, as well as Lord Sugar's aides, Nick Hewer and Karren Brady.
In their penultimate task, each team must invent a new type of fast-food outlet, operate a trial run of it with the public, before pitching their concept to industry experts. Venture focus on a outlet offering Mexican array of cuisine, but provide a poor service and unappetising food during their trial run, due to a greater focus on their outlet's decoration, while the presentation of their concept was ruined by a mathematical mistake on figures. Logic focus on an outlet offering a British selection of pies, providing a flawless service and good quality food during their trial run, along with providing an impressive pitch despite some questions over certain aspects. In the boardroom, Lord Sugar is impressed with the scores given to Logic, leaving him to scrutinise the performance made by Venture. Amongst the losing team, despite criticism of their team leader, Natasha Scribbins is dismissed for her lack of contributions despite her hospitality background, and becoming generally weaker by this stage of the process.
With the final looming, comedian and Apprentice fan Dara Ó Briain gives out a guide on how a candidate should operate in the process, and become a winner. Using incidents from this year's series, he analyses the common mistakes made by candidates, and some of the clever tactics they used to keep them in the process and out of Lord Sugar's firing line.
After facing tasks as teams, the four finalists now face their final task as individuals – a series of tough, gruelling interviews with four of Lord Sugar's most trusted associates to determine who is worthy of investment. Each member faces scrutiny over their backgrounds, work experience, track record, and business proposals when questioned by interviewers. Feedback to Lord Sugar, alongside observations by his aides, leads to him dismissing Jim Eastwood for his weak business skills and his business proposal being more suited for a charity, and Susan Ma for raising concerns over the costs of her proposal's scaleability. Of the remaining two, Tom Pellereau finds himself becoming Lord Sugar's first business partner for his established track record as an inventor and businessman, leaving Helen Milligan to finish as runner-up due to concerns on her background and the lack of expertise in her proposal's chosen industry.
Notes: Due to live coverage of a UEFA Champions League qualifying match on 20 July, this episode was aired three days earlier to avoid clashing with it. The series finale was originally broadcast as part of a two-hour crossover special with the programme's sister show, You're Fired; following the special, subsequent repeats broadcast only the final episode.
Ratings
Official episode viewing figures are from BARB.[9]
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