Lord Alan Sugar opens up on Apprentice future and says I’m the reason long-running BBC show is so good
VETERAN telly star Lord Alan Sugar reckons there’s no chance the BBC would replace him with a younger host – because he’s the reason why viewers still tune in.
And the business mogul believes Beeb bosses should learn lessons from the demise of long-running quiz A Question Of Sport’s after they axed its popular host Sue Barker.
The eighteenth series of The Apprentice launches tonight, and Lord Sugar, 76, told The Sun: “It’s one of the top shows on the BBC and you can form your own opinion as to why and who makes it that way, who makes it that exciting — so I guess it’s got to be me.
“It’s a talent they most likely will want to keep.”
Lord Sugar — famous for telling show candidates “you’re fired” — was a sprightly 58-year-old when he became the face of the show.
He intends to remain at its helm as long as he is able — and the BBC wants the show.
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The business boss is all too aware how presenting shake-ups, such as Paddy McGuinness taking over A Question Of Sport, can spell the end of a successful format.
Three years after Sue Barker, 67, was ousted from the TV quiz, the BBC lost 72-year-old Ken Bruce when he quit Radio 2 after three decades for Greatest Hits Radio, and replaced him with Vernon Kay, 49.
Speculating on the future of the Apprentice, Lord Sugar said: “It will one day be a BBC decision whether they wish to make any more series.
“I’ve told them I’m ready to go for the 20th one. You’ve got to do that, it’s a no brainer. Whether it goes on to 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, I don’t know.
“As long as I’ve got health and strength and as long as I’ve got interest in doing it, I will be happy to do it.
“But the decision lies with the BBC.
“Sue Barker was very good on A Question Of Sport and that show didn’t do very well when she wasn’t on it.
“My wife is a great person for spotting things like that, and she said it was terrible when Sue was taken away from the programme.
“She said to me, ‘It’s nowhere near as good as it once was’.”
While there are currently no plans to bring back the long-running sports quiz, The Apprentice is in rude health.
Its last series attracted an average of 6.5million viewers per episode and it remains one of the gems in the BBC’s crown.
Lord Sugar is proud of the show’s impact — but wishes he had a little more recognition for its success.
He said: “The National Television Awards are run by ITV, they sponsor it and they have a big investment in Ant and Dec, who seem to win every year — what a coincidence. But what can you do? The Apprentice has won a lot of awards but I get annoyed that I have won nothing.
“It goes to the creative geniuses who make the programme, the directors of filming, but poor old Alan gets nothing at all.”
He went on: “One thing that really p***ed me off is I was the one that invented and insisted on the Junior Apprentice, and of course it won a Bafta after its first series.
‘I have won nothing’
“I came up with the idea, I told the BBC to do it and then it gets a Bafta award, but who ends up with the gong? It’s the bloody accountant from the production company.
“The production company said to me, ‘Oh it’s just an oversight, Lord Sugar, we’ll put your name down in future as one of the series producers’.
“What a load of bollocks. Simon Cowell got an award for his massive contribution to music. I personally believe I deserve something for my contribution to business. But they’re not doing it.
“I’m just not one of the luvvies that make the decisions on the committee. They don’t want to give this roughneck an award.”
This straight-talking will be familiar to viewers of The Apprentice, and those who follow the business mogul on X/Twitter.
He says the social media platform allows him to “have a little laugh” and “be a bit critical” — and most notably is where he often crosses swords with Talk TV host and Sun contributor Piers Morgan.
So it’s no surprise that the mention of the celebrity spin-off of The Apprentice brings Lord Sugar on to his motor-mouth nemesis.
He says with a laugh: “Something Piers would never admit, I gave him his first break on TV and that was letting him on The Apprentice.
“When he heard I had the gig to do The Apprentice he phoned me up and said, ‘Please let me come on the show, please let me do it’, and I said, ‘OK, you’re in’.”
Piers appeared on Comic Relief Does The Apprentice, a special one-off in 2007, competing against Ross Kemp, Cheryl Cole, Danny Baker, and Karren Brady — who later became Lord Sugar’s right-hand woman on the main show.
Piers was the only celebrity fired at the end of the special, with Lord Sugar noting he “wound people up”.
‘What’s wrong with pies?’
Now he said: “No firing should ever be enjoyable, but that one was done in a nice, light-hearted way. It was wonderful.”
So far Lord Sugar has crowned 17 winners on the main show, and a new batch of wannabes will tonight begin their battle to win a £250,000 investment from Lord Sugar, following in the footsteps of recent show champs Marnie Swindells and Harpreet Kaur.
The series begins with a challenge in the Scottish Highlands, where the teams must put on away days for corporate clients.
Baroness Brady and Tim Campbell will once again serve as advisers.
Karren took over from Margaret Mountford in 2010, while first series winner Tim became an aide in the 16th series, replacing Claude Littner, who suffered an injury while cycling.
They pair will be on hand to help Lord Sugar sift through this year’s candidates, who include a skincare guru who is already turning over £1million and a yoga entrepreneur.
They will vie against recruitment consultants, a dentist, a tech guru and a mummy blogger.
And this year Lord Sugar will surely be able to earn a crust from two pie-makers.
Paul Bowen, who has a five-year deal with Manchester City football club, has teased that he hopes to make Alan “the Lord of the Pies”, while Phil Turner’s family owned bakery was crowned Supreme Pie Champion in 2020.
Lord Sugar said: “I don’t mind what I invest in. I’ve invested in face care, recruitment, digital marketing, cosmetics. What’s wrong with pies? It’s a good business.
“I like pies but I can’t eat too many. Meat and onion is my favourite.”
Lord Alan has enjoyed many pies in the terraces during his time hobnobbing in the Premier League.
The billionaire was chairman and part-owner of Tottenham Hotspur from 1991-2001 before selling his stake for £25million in 2007.
But he has remained a passionate critic of the beautiful game, arguing for a cap on wages and transfer fees as the league has become awash with foreign cash.
He said: “I hear about the Middle East coming in, offering loads and loads of money for people and it’s just impossible.
“The game has gone away from the talent from the local community. The Tottenham boys were brought up in Enfield and Hackney or Stamford Hill. Now they’re from all over the place. I still enjoy watching it, but I would not enjoy running it any more.”
At 76, perhaps he doesn’t envy football managers Sir Alex Ferguson and Sir Bobby Robson, who retired aged 71 and 74.
He said: “They were under tremendous pressure and they were travelling around the country on a horrible November night when it’s raining.
“I’m sitting in an office or a studio, and if anyone is getting a bit tired, it’s Karren or Tim running around in the street.
“Me, I don’t run around anywhere.”
- The Apprentice returns tonight on BBC One at 9pm.
Tim: I’m up for fight
TIM CAMPBELL has become Lord Sugar’s right-hand man on a permanent basis after initially covering for injured Claude Littner.
And in a sign of wanting to come across as intimidating as his predecessor, the businessman has taken up martial arts.
Tim, 46, said: “I’ve been learning jiu-jitsu for four months.
“You get to a stage in life where you want a bit of a challenge. Things are relatively easy, you can get stuff, kids are older. Jiu-jitsu is my new challenge.”
Tim jokes: “Any candidates that come in, I’m going to wrist lock them.”
The series one winner, who became an aide two years ago, is fending off TV bookers from other shows – including Strictly.
Tim added: “I’m 100 per cent focussed on sitting in the boardroom, rather than sitting in sequins. I’ve had lots of knocks and I’ve said lots of nos.”
And he also doesn’t mind the hard graft he and fellow assistant Karren Brady put in to help Lord Sugar.
He added: “Filming those boardrooms can go on for hours.
“What we are watching for as his aides is not only how they perform on the task, but how they perform as individuals in those environments.
“Although you may not like someone or get on with them or have a great time while you’re on the task, we want them to hold themselves to a higher standard.
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