I think she was right too but I have problems with the way she expresses herself. Nick was letting Ben off the hook and I'm glad someone had the ball to stand up. Persoanally, I dont know what the hell Nick was up to, surely he's not allowed to show such obvious bias. Debra does seem to lack charm but at least she stands her ground.

She was spot on but could have delivered her thoughts better I thought. Feisty - she's got my vote to win the thing.

Debra not only looks like a trollop but she also acted like one last night. Old Al should have fired her.

Debra had a point but was wrong to conduct herself in the manner that she did - it would have been more effective to take a step back, and approach it with a calm head. However, I find most of the candidates fail to act in a professional manner most of the time, very quick to shout and swear at each other, particularly in the boardroom.

I understand Debra's gripe though, she basically did the leg work for the sale, finding the buyer and negotiating for £100. Ben did close the deal, which basically meant he put his hand forward to shake and say 'deal'.

I haven't noticed Nick being more judgemental than usual but on the evidence of the edit, he was totally out of order to stick up for Ben as he did. "Closing the deal is what matters" indeed! Not if the deals closed are rubbish it doesn't. Debra was right to stand up for herself the way she did (and that's all she did as far as the edit went, so I don't know what SurlyAlan was in a strop about) and she played a blinder in the boardroom arguement later as well.

Noral shouldn't have gone today either - though he was never going to win - but that's a different story....

I have felt something was wrong with me while watching the apprentice this year and now, after that boardroom I know exactly what the feeling is. I fancy Debra. There, I've said it.

Of course she had a right. What she didn't have was the luck to have Sir Alan respond that he respected her ability to stand up for herself.

Really, all she could have done better was bracket what she said with "Nick, respectfully... how can you say that?" Two extra words, that's all.

Ineffective? I get the feeling he's an extremely fast finisher there

Ah well - sometimes speed isn't everything, is it?

There's a reason why the slogan reads "Satisfaction guaranteed"!

She was wrong to shout at Nick- who the hell does she think she is

I'd have fired her for that straightaway- Sir Alan got it wrong- Debra should have gone

As Nick would say: it's closing the deal that really matters Makosi's pants...

To me that looked like damage limitation. I reckon after he saw his previous comments broadcast, he thought he better go on You're Fired and say something nice to make up for it.

Hmmm....I think the OP might have a point - I am not sure if it was a good idea to promote Nick and Margaret to a more prominent role - I liked them in the first series, but they seem to be becoming increasingly up themselves and believing the hype - the exaggerated facial expressions are starting to lose their value, and Margaret's Cassandra thing was bordering on showing off.

Yes-Cassandra was a bit shark-jumpy.
However-Debra (who looks very like the lady Gremlin with lippy) will get nowhere if she thinks she can be that rude in the boardroom. I'd have taken a Boleg Bros frying pan to her face if she'd spoken like that to me.
Can you imagine her behaving like that in the City??? She'd never work again.

The trouble is, on the edit we were shown, Debra didn't sneer at Nick or talk to him like he was a second-class citizen. She raised her voice to him, and spoke passionately, but I don't see the way she spoke to him as offensive in the context of the Apprentice boardroom, where passionate argument has always been accepted.

Let's not lose sight of the fact that this is The Apprentice, not real business. Sir Alan has always liked people to fight their corner in a way that wouldn't be accepted in a real interview situation.

OP - Nick and Margaret are the brains of the show - the candidates turn up, make arses of themselves, get magazine deals and go away, Nick and Margaret are the knife and fork to Siralan's plate.

Debra appears a rude and arrogant woman - a great dominatrix perhaps, but that isn't how to manage a team.

I saw the prog a second time and Ben only agrees in the bookshop with what Debra has set up, It was unfair BUT the way she went about it was unnecessary, she is being set up as a replacement Ben, so when he goes (which must surely be soon otherwise he will explode with his own self importance) and we have another obnoxious one to despise.

She brings out that exact same feeling in me.
Why does her face and a frying pan seem to go together,
one word - SMUG!

I'm still not sure what to think about Debra, but I think her tone here was inappropriate, but understandable in a way.

First off, it's the boardroom and Ben has shown he will lie and take credit for things he didn't do. I can see why she wanted to mark out the territory of what she contributed, and Nick put that into question. Having looked back at the footage we see, I don't see Ben having any involvement on the book negotiation. It was led and closed by Debra.

Now I don't think she handled it well, but I can understand getting angry and irritated when an unjustified comment is made. Particularly here where Sir Alan takes Nick's comments into serious consideration.

I recall seeing some of Nick's biases coming through before. Unfortunately, in trying to explain what happened and battle against the perceived bias, Debra dug a bigger hole by speaking in that way.

She went about it in completely the wrong way but she was right that Ben had nothing to do with the sale. I was mystified over why Nick was giving Ben all the credit in the task. He had painted a false picture to Sir Alan and was clearly biased.

she shouted and raised her voice all the time... she told him ...how dare he suggest she didnt contribute and stuff. I dont really remember her input being that useful to be honest.

I cant believe anyone would suggest she was right in the way she spoke to him. I really cant.

There is no respect for anything anymore at all, the way people treat and speak to each other is disgusting and worst of all. Its now acceptable i think its awful.

First, I'm no Debra fan so please don't take this like that, but as I said above, I double-checked what happened at the book store and she did seem to do the entire deal. In fact I had thought Ben seemed weirdly quiet throughout the task.

Again, I don't think the way she spoke is defensible, but I don't think it's really an age thing. Sir Alan comes from a different generation and his remarks sometimes can be very cruel, rude and aggressive. Even if it is all part of the pantomime, sometimes it seems excessive, but then would we love the Apprentice so much without those moments? The pantomime can provide for some good viewing.

I agree with all but your last four words. Her attitude was completely out of order when she protested... but she was right in what she said. The bookseller accepted her price before Ben intervened. But I wouldn't go so far as to say Nick is biased; he was just wrong on this occasion.

And if Debra behaved like that in most commercial workplaces or boardrooms, she would not only be given the reprimand that Sir Alan gave out but she would be a marked woman, as indeed I think she now is.

I agree, and I think Ben is even more so now.

I can't think why Sir Alan didn't fire Ben as well as Nooral. Apparently he's fired two people in a show before.

I don't think Nick was wrong. Anybody can research and lay the groundwork, but all of that doesn't win the sale (and I say that whilst finding Ben abhorent).

However, Debra had every right to defend herself against Nick's comments, but she didn't do it very well. If she had made her point calmly and diplomatically, SAS would have thought better of her, and we would all have forgotten about it. Debra reminds me of my nearly teenage daughter. Virtually everything she says, every reaction, is hotheaded and frequently rude.

Debra had every right to stand up for herself. Good on her, she's great