But being 'entertaining' isn't what shes there for, all shes paid to do is observe the teams and report back to Sugar so shes doing all thats required of her. Nick and Margaret were the same in the first couple of series before becoming more vocal and being entertaining. Ok Karen isn't entertaining like Margaret was, maybe she will be in time or maybe she won't but either way as long as she observes the teams and reports back shes doing whats been asked of her.

Anyway i get plenty of enterainment out of waiting for Nick to pull a face

She's okay. Not entertaining but pretty sharp when it comes to judging he situation. The only thing I didn't like was her condescending "representation of women in business" speech in week 2. How comes when the guys act like macho idiots in week 1 or leer at their project manager in week 2 they aren't making businessmen look bad? The only way women will be treated as equal is if people start judging women as individuals instead of representations of all of womenkind

I'm surprised at how well she's fitted in to the gaping black hole Margaret left
I love Karren - no-one can argue with her credentials and she's pretty sharp
the 'women in business' speech was a bit unfortunate because clearly they are only representing 'women in the apprentice'
but I understand what she was trying to say

She is as sharp as mallet.

To flossie
You havent yet told us if the lord himself is considered by you stupid.
I think that he chose Karen because he feels comfortable with someone who is not an intellectual. Margaret had already worked with him for years.
There is a difference between someone like Alex who having plenty of time to prepare himself still makes blunders, than someone who is put on the spot. Joanne did fall to pieces, her face said so, but that doesnt make someone stupid. It is true in business one has to be able to think on 'ones feet' surprises always come up and she should have been better prepared.

"I was watching you. I-WAS-WATCHING-YOU!"

You're right, there's a gaping Margaret-shaped hole in the programme, but I think Karen is doing an admirable job. I thoroughly enjoyed her 'rant' at the women arguing because she took the words out of my mouth!! I was fuming at their noise and nastiness. Talk about a fight in the hen house!! I teach teens and there is a real need of role models. I'd much prefer my lasses to take Karen as a role model than some of the stupid WAG-wannabes they seem to idolise!

There's only one Margaret, she is legend and Karen could never live up to her. I expect Karen will take some time to build up her confidence; she must know Margaret's a tough act to follow, but perhaps she'll relax a bit next season - if she lasts.

I think she somehow fails to warm up to contestants, not that it is imperative for her role, but it appears all the time she is judging them negatively all the time, with her gestures..

I think Margaret with her witty comments, gestures took the tension out of the whole observing task

It seems a little unkind to be questioning her business acumen given her track record, but presenting is another ball game & she comes across as being incredibly self-concious. It's quite remarkable that despite her wanting to be/wanting other women to be positive role models for young girls, that she has admitted to worrying most about how she appears - her skin, her make-up, the cameras adding pounds.

Yes, kids - forget this wanting to be a WAG, and have enough money to shop all day and either personal-trainer and/or surgerize the bits of you you might not like.....instead you can be a hard-working & successful businesswoman and go into bunny-in-headlights apoplexy at whether your age is beginning to show and beat yourself up if your dress size is in double figures. Wait, what?

(Of course, the unspoken irony there is that women are the biggest critics of other women, not men).

Have to say she just sort of fades into the background. She's not dreadful, but there's nothing much about her. Admittedly, the producers realised they had something special with Nick and Margaret during series two and made more of them from then on, but even in series one there was something about them - not just the faces and eyebrows but sensible comment. Karren just doesn't have that certain something that those two have - not her fault, Nick and Margaret just have a wonderful natural ability to be both sensible and entertaining.

All I know is that when we talk about Wednesday's episode at work on a Thursday, at least one of us says "I still miss Margaret" and we all agree. I do hope it's true that The Blessed Margaret has agreed to be on the interview panel but I fear that if she does it will only show up just how good she was and what impossible shoes Karren had to fill.

I just HOPE that if Nick ever decides to call it a day they don't replace him but finish the show. It just wouldn't be right.

Karren`s only ok as a stand-in. Please bring Margaret back. Both Margaret & Nick are essential to The Apprentice.

you must seriously under-rate Margaret if you think KB is more professional. KB has done OK in the man's world of football (no mean task), but Margaret must be very tough if you look at her track record. to choose study over appearing in TV (when you are popular) suggests somebody of clear purpose and a professional approach to life.

IMO the success of Nick and Margaret was (and in Nick's case still is) much to do with their age and obvious life & business experience. They were quite obviously well respected by Alan Sugar, and knew him well from many years of working with or for him, so knew instinctively what he wanted or needed to hear, and no doubt when to bite their tongues in the boardroom (possibly for their own safety)!

Karen has a hard act to follow in Margaret, and she looks to me as if she's taking a fairly cautious route, which is why most of the time she's in background mode. But all in all I think she's warming up quite well and can obviously look after herself and make her point forcefully when roused - I'd like to see her do that more often actually.

Pretty strong views eh. I, obviously, would completely disagree with attributing the ability to prove yourself as a strong buisness woman and also non-combative as a bland characteristic (which is somehow also attributed to inanimate objects?). Too many times people believe you have to play the 'bitch' role in order to appear competant or 'on the ball'; Debra from last year and Paloma from this year are PRIME examples. If you treat people without even a smattering of respect then don't expect to earn their respect back.

I'm not sure what made you dislike Karen... She seems to contribute the odd point here and there certainly no more or less than Margaret did when she was on the show; also Nick, who I think helps make the show, main contributions to the show come in the form of a plethora of awkward and bemused facial expressions. Maybe you would rather Karen had a more expressive face?

Badly......... She's a Lightweight

Unfortunately she is not on the show as a credible businesswoman.
It has far more to do with her relationship with Messrs Gold & Sullivan who move in the same Jewish circles as Lord Sid.

Apprentice is 'Light Entertainment' and nothing more, no credible businesswoman would want to be associated with this tosh as it has very little, if anything, to do with the real world that most successful women in business inhabit.

I guess the only only other candidate is the awful Michelle Mone, who seems to want a media career rather badly, having seen her recent disaster in 71 Degrees North it probably won't happen.

I would rather have Brady than Mone....but there is only a Rizzla paper between them.

Margaret was a big, big loss to the show IMHO and Lord Sid knows it.

I haven't watched 71 Degrees North, please tell me how Michelle Mone performed, as I am a huge critic of her as well.

I don't care about her looks, her face, her mannerisms, her sexiness, her skin, however I am infuriated by her inanities, her ineptitude, her stupidity and her obsession with candidates with breasts and issues relating to people with breasts and because some people seem to think she is wonderful because of her ownership of breasts. If a male performed as badly as she is, he would have been shown the door, but in this age of supposed equality she is receiving preferential treatment because of political correctness.

Mone by name.....Moan by nature

She was truly awful, complaining about everything. She allegedly suffers from vertigo, Claustrophobia (fear of Santa), fear of the cold, fear of tents, fear of norwegians, fear of sledges....you name it she made a drama out of it. Constantly tearful, constantly complaining...........I threw many cushions at the TV during her time on screen.

One of the other contestants was an actress called Susi Ami, who I had never seen before, but who was brilliant. She was everything that Mone wasn't. Courageous, determined, funny, sexy, plucky......and very gracious.

Mone went out fairly early on (voted off by the other contestants) thankfully, whereas Susi Ami made it through to the final.

If I had put myself up for the show and behaved like Mone had, I would go away and hide in a cave for the next seven years until the publics memory of me had faded.......no such luck with Ms Mone I fear.

Thanks, that is a wonderful and hilarious description.

I wonder if I can view her antics on the programme somewhere?

Would Debra Meedham be suitable? She has the TV confidence AND business success.

Not sure she is Lord Sid's cup of rosey?

Also not particularly 'fragrant' in certain areas
ie. In 2009 a planning inspector criticised Meaden's evidence to his enquiry as "implausible" in a dispute over the granting of village green status to a field on which Mudstone LLP, a firm in which she is a partner, wished to build 48 homes. Other evidence given to the enquiry by Meaden was described as "too far-fetched to be credible

Lol, didn't watch any of this but I just can't stand Mone! Really glad she was able to justify my intense dislike of her by acting like a tw*t.

I only started watching this series. What did Margaret do that was so great/different?

She seems to have a lot of fans and I genuinely don't know anything about her. Please spill.