What a shower of s*ite those people were last year, save for Lucinda, Raef, Simon and Sara, who were fabulous.

I don't think I have ever met a more unlikeable group of backstabbing, moody, sly globules.

I patricularly loathed Wotherspoon, Helene and the repulsive Jenny C.

I hope this year's lot are nicer...

I hope there are some competent people this year. None of last year's lot were impressive in any of the tasks IMO and the weak final 4 was quite indicative of the overall weakness in the series.

Last year's lot were especially loathesome and incompetant.

Whilst I'm still hooked, The Apprentice has not been able to avoid descending into another trashy Reality Show.

I'm sure this year's lot will repeat the same mistakes of contestants gone by and be more treachorous than ever. But that's what you need to attract the viewers I guess.

I was rather concerned about the female of the species with all the adoration of that oily Alex - typical women, they could only see through him much later on.

When you watch someone a lot older then you who cant distinguish between kosher and halal yes you do lose a bit of faith lol

Even then some couldn't see past his looks

And even now on the Apprentice site under the candidate bios if the person is even remotely good looking and male there's comments like "He's so fit , he's my favourite I want him to win!!". This is what I hate about the Apprentice now it's moved to BBC1 , it's now being designed to appeal to the lowest common denominator of person. It was once a great TV show but judging by the last series and the previews of this series I think the pejoration of it into another trashy reality show is inevitable.

I did think last year that they hadn't found any suitable candidates and I didn't want any of them to get the job.

Hiring a guy with a bent CV didn't do Sir Alan any favours.

I do hope this year's crop are a bit more likable though.

I was hooked last year and The Apprentice is a fantastic programme and I;m looking forward to this series, but i do agree last year were an unlikeable, loathsome, irritating, moaning, sly , moody bunch. I also hated how the wrong people were fired, like Shazia being fired over the vile jenny, Simon going over Alex and Claire etc

There's a big business event near me on Thursday - Kristina Grimes is one of the organisers, she did the rounds of all the networking groups etc to try and drum up interest.

Not a bad line-up and even though I'm not a Kristina fan I was half-tempted - until I noticed Jenny C and Helene Speight are also speaking/presenting - put me right off.

Tickets started out at something like £350 - got an email this morning saying it was my 'last chance' to get a ticket - for £99. So it's obviously not a sell-out.....