I know there has been nothing for definite to confirm or deny this, but I was just wondering what people think... will Series 10 mark the end of The Apprentice?

It seems to be coming to a bit of a conclusion... it doesn't get the ratings that it once did, Lord Sugar's passions seem to be waning and it seems like it can't do anything without people complaining about it. Plus if I remember correctly, it was confirmed that it would go as far as Series 10 quite a while ago, so there hasn't actually been a new series commissioned for quite a long time. Might a decade in be a place to leave it?

I wouldn't actively mind if it ended, but having said that if it continued I'd still watch it. Whatever happens, it deserves credit for lasting ten series - thirteen if you're including Young Apprentice.

Of course, the other thing that could potentially happen is that once the contract with the BBC is finished, Lord Sugar and Mark Burnett might do what Big Brother did and approach other broadcasters. I'm not convinced Lord Sugar would go for that because his enthusiasm doesn't seem to be what it used to be, but never say never. I'd give it a try if it moved - I'm one of the few people who still bothers with Big Brother on Channel 5 - but I would worry about commercial breaks and things. We see little enough of the tasks as it is, so I'd hope the episodes would be extended if they were to accommodate breaks.

Lord Sugar loves The Apprentice judging by his autobiography so I don't see why you think his enthusiasm is waning? I hope it will stay and last for many more years to come - I love it!

In all fairness, that hadn't occurred to me until someone mentioned it on here a few days ago, but I've thought about it since then and it has struck me that that may be the case. He seems less passionate on the show itself than he did a few years ago, or on Young Apprentice. He looks a bit tired of it now... but maybe that's just a perception. I think maybe the cancellation of YA knocked him a bit.

And I love it too! So long as it carries on, I have no plans to stop watching it!

It's still the greatest reality show by some distance

Would be spot on if he changed the name to The Business Partner.

I can see it going away for a few years and then being reintroduced with a new businessperson at the helm, think Sugar's schtick is tired now, and they don't seem to be getting the quality of applicant - or have terribly selectors - that they used to. I don't think the end purpose works well either, giving a person a job based on task performance is fine, but the investment objective doesn't fit the show, lending itself to poor performers with good business ideas (I'm looking at you Tom Pellereau) winning.

PS - OP I know you like Tom, no need to defend his record, he defo wasn't the weakest candidate on that series but he was a long way from the strongest

The Apprentice is one of the best formats in reality television, still going strong and I don't expect it to end anytime soon.

It lost a vast amount when it stopped being a "job"! In many ways it's a parody of what it once was..

Still cannot see the BBC admitting defeat any time soon.

In a recent newspaper interview Nick Hewer was reported to have said that Lord Sugar will quit after series 10 and he won't change his mind. Nick said if Lord Sugar quit he would leave as well.

That does not mean the show will end but does lead to the possibility of someone new taking over which might give the show a fresh lease of life which would be good for the show as I think the show is looking a tad stale

It seems to be going through the motions this series. Same tasks, same candidates, little actual drama. Also I think it's pretty bad that Jordan and Francesca have made it this far given that they have proven themselves to be clearly incompetent.

Would be so much better (IMO) if they were competing for an opportunity to pitch their plan to him i.e. Up until the final five, he had no idea what the proposition was and it was all based purely on performance up until then...

Thought this link might interest you:

http://www.radiotimes.com/news/2013-...-may-quit-soon

I agree with Nick Hewer, the BBC would be mad to continue it the year after it ended. Look what happened with Big Brother. The ratings are picking up a bit now, but I reckon if Channel Five had given it five years and then announced it was coming back, it could have got a lot more ratings.

Lord Sugar loves The Apprentice, but he seems to be a bit exhausted with it because he puts so much time and effort into running the programme. Maybe they could give it a rest after Series 10 and make Series 11 in a few years' time? They could even bring Sugar back, if he's had enough of a break by then.

I must admit that I think The Apprentice has reached the end of the road. it's very difficult to think of other tasks they could do that haven't been done before. Also, the tasks they do are just too unrealistic. In many tasks, too much emphasis is put on getting something right in a few hours which in the real world would take weeks. Just because somebody couldn't complete the task on the show in no way means they couldn't do that task in a real world setting in real life timescales.

Also, the tasks where they have a day to sell everything are so unrealistic because they just have a firesale at the end of the day to maximise cash, something that wouldn't happen in real life. Anyone can sell something at half price and just because someone succeeds at making a task profit probably wouldn't be able to make similar profit margins in real life.

Don't get me wrong, I enjoy the show, but its distance from real business practices makes it less a business show and just entertainment. Therefore, I think it needs a revamp.

For example, there was a show on Channel 4 some years ago about John Cauldwell (Former owner of Phones4U) seeking an senior employee and putting contestants through tasks (although mostly sales). But he used real life situations such as making them acting manager of one of his shops for a week and telling them to increase sales by a certain amount. That was far better and made for more interesting viewing.

Someone (I believe it was slouchingthatch) made a list of suggestions for improvements to the show. It's well worth a read...

http://slouchingtowardstv.com/2013/0...ped-the-shark/

That's it. Thanks

I dont go along with what's written there like making longer tasks etc. Perhaps someone could start a thread here of what improvements to make. I do agree though that one needs more credible candidates.
Giving a real job at the end is always the better option. Since LS doesnt have any more surely they can find others. Its only for one year at a 100 thousand. They could even fit them somewhere in the BBC. Or they could get the public to decide something somewhere along the way.
I cant see how the tasks can be improved. They are all very good and entertaining. Although they work in teams maybe some could be more individualistic. Where each person has to prove himself. Like each going to get or sell an article to wholesalers.
Anyone with other ideas?

I might suggest not necessarily making the tasks longer, but having more episodes in a week - but only one firing. That way we'd be able to see more of the footage.

Imagine it was on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays for example, and all the episodes were an hour long as normal. The tasks usually go on for about two days. On Mondays we could see them get the brief and see all the plans being drawn up. On Wednesday we could see the second day, and the teams in action. On Friday we could have the announcements of which team has won, the final boardroom and the firing, with You're Fired! immediately after.

One of the biggest gripes with The Apprentice is that we see so little of the task, and this would allow them to show a lot more of what really happens so we get a more realistic view of how the candidates do.

The show was never about being a "job" it was always a joke.

No, it was about a job. The first six winners (not including Arjun, who was technically the sixth winner) were given jobs within one of his companies.

I know the prize was a job but the show wasn't meant to be taken seriously as a legitimate business competition.

I think people generally do...

Could you let us in on the joke then please?

Peter Jones or Theo Paphitis.

"Peter Jones meets" recently on BBC2 was excellent - raising his profile maybe for taking over.

Do agree they should give it a rest for a bit first.

Maybe a celebrity Comic relief one off after a year, then a full series later on.