Review: The Apprentice, BBC1 (From Lancashire Telegraph)

Review: The Apprentice, BBC1

3:30pm Friday 30th March 2012 in Television reviews By John Anson, Features editor

TWO weeks gone, two girls out.

Somehow the boys have so far avoided the dreaded boardroom showdown with Lord Sugar.

Yes, The Apprentice is back and although we’ve all vowed not to get hooked, let’s face it; it’s already become a must watch.

Sure the show has become a bit a of caricature of itself. From Alan Sugar’s bad stand-up routine “If I wanted a friend I’d buy a dog” to the inane management speak of the contestants, it’s cliche upon cliche.

But the whole package is so brilliantly staged that we forgive it. There was something quasi-religious about this week’s appearance at the Victoria and Albert Museum as a shaft of light anointed the head of Lord Sugar and his two ‘angels’.

But best of all, for all the stage managing, the contestants just can’t help but embarrass themselves.

If ineptitude was a quality needed to become Lord Sugar’s business partner they’d all be guaranteed a cash investment.

This week we had the seagull-voiced Jenna making a complete hash of the figures while the axed Maria’s contribution was to fall asleep in the car — not a great career move.

It’s far too early to make predictions as half the contestants don’t even appear to have spoken yet but you’ve got to love a part-time wrestler called Ricky Martin. You couldn’t make it up.