Alan Sugar says UK Apprentice will be different
Sir Alan Sugar says that his version of The Apprentice will be "less schmaltzy" and "less glitzy" than the American show, with a greater emphasis on practical business lessons and a more intense boardroom interview session before eliminating candidates each week.
"I am a great realist and very straight forward," Sir Alan warned. "You get it right between the eyes from me. You don't get any flowers or niceties."
Sir Alan is clear about what he’s looking for in The Apprentice.
“Lots of people claim to be an entrepreneur and they’re not. You can’t learn to be an entrepreneur, I’m afraid to say. It’s something that’s in you,” he said.
“I don’t want to blow my own trumpet, but I’m looking for someone similar to me.”
Sir Alan left school at 16 and started trading from a small council flat. Amstrad is named after AMS, his initials, and trad from trading.
In the eighties the Amstrad computer was a household name and he went on to become chairman of Tottenham Hotspur FC. Sir Alan also owns Viglen, the computer company, and one of the largest private property companies in Britain. His global empire is worth £700 million.
In the American version, for example, Mr Trump oversaw the contestants in a series of challenges like running a celebrity auction or hawking lemonade on busy Manhattan streets. In the British show, Sir Alan will test the contestants' entrepreneurial skills by seeing who can sell the most ice cream in London - without refrigeration - before it melts.
Sir Alan's version of The Apprentice began recording in the summer of 2004.