http://www.bbc.co.uk/apprentice/seri...ndidates.shtml

Seems like a bigger group this year. Stuart Baggs could be something of an amusing character judging from his interview Any other first impressions?

Might be worth starting a drinking game:

Take a drink every time someone mentions that Chris is an ex-Marine

Also there's the usual number of candidates who say something along the lines of "I always succeed" or "I don't know the meaning of failure". It's always good to see those types fail miserably when they are project manager

These are useful possible snippets for starters:

Stuart Baggs
Career: Telecoms Entrepreneur
Hometown: Isle of Man

This is his company by the looks of things, BlueWave Communications Limited. I'm liking this guy already.


Raleigh Addington
Career: Unemployed Graduate
Hometown: London

He seems to be a Director now, judging from his profile at the foot of this page at 'Tickets for Troops'.

Well first impressions from the photos makes me wonder if they've been shot to look like previous candidates. Anyone else see Mani, Phillip Taylor, Jo, Kristina and that bloke from Spooks younger brother

Some of them, particularly the younger ones, do make me wonder about their claims. Wondering along the lines of 'how did you do so much in such a short space of time?' and 'if you're that successful, what are you doing here?'. Yeah, I know the obvious answer to the latter question. It's easy to set up in business, you just tell the Inland Revenue. It takes time to make a real success of it.

At the moment, apart from Joanna, don't think I'm going to be sad if they get to ride off in a black cab.

I think you should have put those in a spoilers thread

If nothing else Stuart Baggs' hair promises to be amusing, I'm either going to love him (like James) or going to loath him

Raleigh Addington - surely a made up name, about as hard nosed and business minded as the Andrex puppy

Like Joanna Riley on first impressions

Not really, they don't spoil the program.

Except they do tell you who they aren't working for lol

I'm getting some idea that there will be the usual characters in there. Stella seems like she may be this year's strong, loud woman. I quite like her though.

Stuart on the other hand looks like he's going to be this year's puffed up young Napoleon with a penchant for one-liners - I'm seeing a lot of Ben/Michael/Kevin in him already. Will be great to watch .

Others who I'm looking out for? Dan's views on businesswomen should cause quite a stir (he looks like he could be amusing as well), and I'd like to see how well this year's military man Christopher does. Liz, Laura and Jamie might do quite well. And Raleigh? Don't know what he's doing there.

At least, that's the impression at this stage.

So far, I genuinely like all of them. Think the second fella - Chris someone, was it? - was a bit of a bore, but there's not a one amongst them who I don't want to last for at least the first three weeks.

Let's see how long that lasts. :D


If they've got a job, and it's not working for Amsomething, then they've probably not won.

So yeah, they kind of do. Rolleyes.

One of them looks like Gok Wan in drag.

I think its looking a bit worrying for the girls, none of them struck me as outstanding at all. Having said that I did like Melissa but only from the mildly insane viewpoint.

The younger ones couldnt seem to resist doing a Wotherspoon, just in case we missed how YOUNG they were

Stuart's video was funny - he's alive dontchaknow. Alex's picture on the website is scarily reminding me of Gordon Brown

Dan. Shades on head for interview? just no

Wow.

Having seen the vids I think it's going to be fun seeing the two Chrises and Paloma getting it completely wrong when they get to be project manager

Raleigh calling himself a "great seller"??? He's just making himself a hostage to fortune there isn't he?

I thought this too Particularly as he is a recent graduate who did some tennis coaching since graduating , so it remains to be seen where he has gained all this sales expertise

He's not a Director! His name is listed under Operations Manager not Director.

But yeah i agree with others, that should have been put in spoiler tags as it tells us that he didn't win!

Just stumbled onto the candidate page.

Can I just say that the first time I went on a bendy bus was when I was about 14 in Germany. I am 8 years older than Alex Epstein who apparently invented the concept of the bendy bus before he was 6

according to wiki they were invented in the 1920s, so he managed to invent the concept about 60years before he was even born!
Ladies and gentlemen - we have a winner!!!

Maybe he had a toy plastic bus and left it on a heater?

Sheffield had a few five years before Alex was born. Been around in other countries for many years before that.

Maybe he is 'unconventional' as in 'time traveller'

In Stuarts' case, his business is assisted with other people, and in Raleighs' case, he works at a charity. Neither would preclude them from being the Apprentice

Some other thoughts:

Chris - I have met many people like you in my life, there are plenty arrogant public school boys working in investment banks that don't show anyone any respect.

Christopher - he sure doesn't look like a trained killer

Dan - seemingly too normal for this show then he called himself an enigma.

Jamie - meh not particularly interesting.

Joanna - really like her and interested to see how she gets on.

Joy - 'a bit emotional' odds on first for tears?

Laura - 'man in a woman's body' really hope she isn't a dark haired younger version of Katie Hopkins that woman scarred me for life.

Liz - meh again, interesting that her face is the same colour as her hair

Melissa - calls herself the bulldozer but oddly didn't seem that annoying

Paloma - admits to failing a novel statement in an apprentice candidate video

Radleigh - unique name but incredibly similiar to unique candidate Chris.

Sandeesh - not going to tear others down apparently, raises my suspicions that she may actually end up doing this in the boardroom

Shibby - trauma surgeon on the apprentice, is that why he thinks Prime Ministers are the same as other entrepreneurial giants

Stella - possibly slightly bonkers, I wonder if she's been drawing pictures of herself sitting in an office with Alan Sugar.

Stuart - toilet brush head - luckier than people who are dead apparently, reminds me of a young David Brent.

Oh goody, the Estate Agent appears to be an idiot again this year

Surely Dan Harris is Tim Vine in disguise

The blogs are recent, except for the gap in filming the Apprentice last year. An operations manager is going to be full time cos that's not a local school type charity.

Both quite impressive positions though, so we'll have to see what sends them home. BS usually

OMG, I've always thought I was an underachiever, now I know I am


That's what I've always thought was missing from the apprentice, time travel, perhaps we'll see him refusing the offer of a life in the usual people carrier before he heads of to get a head start in tasks in his delorean.

He'll be on his bike fairly quickly with that attitude...