The Australian version is pretty good - they used to be on YouTube, but that user has taken down their account, and I can't find them anywhere else unfortunately. It's pretty decent, it has a similar style to the UK version - it's not as flashy as some of them.

I find that the UK one is classy whereas the US one is tacky - have you seen their title sequence, with all of their names in flashing lights, like they're celebrities?!

Can't beat our Dance of the Knights theme tune with aerial shots of the city, and the candidates walking around with suitcases!

Oh yes, obviously there's nothing better than the UK version. But Australia's one was pretty good. I think it was to do with the fact that they didn't try to be as flashy as the other versions, and also I liked Mark Bouris, the Boss. What I find endearing about Lord Sugar is that actually underneath the pretence I think that he's actually a really nice, likeable, genuine person. Mark Bouris has that as well. Donald Trump, and probably most of the others in that role, don't; they're just ruthless and unpleasant.

Season 1 and Season 3 of the US Apprentice are actually very good (Season 1 for the business side and Season 3 mainly for the laughs). In fact, many fans of the UK show got hooked a first time watching the repeats shown on BBC2 in the evenings at the time (almost 10 years ago now?).

My favourite UK Series would be:

- Series 5 (best winner)
- Series 3 (most hilarious)
- Series 7 (some of the strongest candidates, excluding the winner)


Series 1 and Series 2 were a completely different animal, while Series 4 just left a very sour taste in my mouth.

Series 6 was too much the Stuart Baggs Show (don't think that anybody can name all 5 finalists without cheating), while Series 8 was as mentioned all a bit too nice and proper (and missed interesting characters, even Ricky Martin was rather bland).

Series 9 is still a bit too fresh in my mind to make a clear judgment about it.

Stella, Chris, Jamie, Joanna, Stuart! (I didn't cheat! )

What about Young Apprentice?

How are the candidates chosen?
There is a web-based application form that is open to anyone. From that initial list, a smaller number of candidates are invited to interviews around the country.
On the basis of the regional interviews, about 75 candidates are called back for a second round in London. At this stage, the candidates are assessed in groups, and asked to do various exercises to test their business skills and how they work in a team.
After this, between 20 to 30 candidates are assessed by a psychotherapist, references are taken and other checks made. It is from this group that the final line-up is chosen.

As sad as I am, I have predicted the producer's schedule

By my reckoning, they should have selected that 'final seventy five' by now, with the regional auditions taking place earlier this month. I think they will be doing those business themed tasks with the final 75 soon, and the final sixteen will have been selected by this time next month.

I think they will start filming in early April (so we can look out for filming photos around then) and will be finished in early June. Shortly after this, I think they will start editing the programme - I am not sure how long this takes but it is a lengthy process no doubt.

Now, I reckon the first trailer will appear on about the 10th of September 2014, with the candidates being revealed about two weeks later on about the 24th September.

I think the first episode will air on the 1st October 2014, and will air weekly until the final on the 17th of December.

This is pure speculation, but I think my filming dates are about right - that's the usual gap between filming and the series airing. So, I look forward to when filming photos start circulating.

Have a watch of this interesting video:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/apprentice/seri...m_200036.shtml

It's interesting to see the people who were so close to setting foot in the boardroom.

The blonde woman with the red dress and the big necklace freaks me out slightly. She comes across as though she's a cross-breed of Helen and Ellie from Series 7.

OMG I so agree! Haha, very strange.

The first one reminds me of a quieter Melody.

I wish the Scottish one had gotten on - I am Scottish, and I am disappointed there have only ever been five Scottish candidates (including YA). I am also surprised all of them have been women. I am hoping we get a Scottish candidate for Series 10.

The big woman would have been interesting - I think Anita got on over her.

"My strengths are that I am ingenious, and I feel that I am controlled nuclear fusion, and that I don't just transmit energy, I am light itself."

Phwoar, what a statement!

That's interesting, I hadn't realised that there were so few. Karen, Sharon, Ghazal, Kirsty and Laura?

There have still been more Scottish candidates than Welsh candidates. There have only been two (Rhys and Alex). And similarly to the all-female Scottish candidate group, there has never been a Welsh woman!

I think I'd rather that they chose the right people than getting an ethnic balance though.

I think Lucinda was also fairly Scottish - she had been based in Edinburgh and she used the word 'wee', on at least one occasion

They have had a pretty large number of N. Irish candidates though: Kristina, Jennifer, Ben, Lorraine, Jim, Jane, Maria and Leah - that's eight, so actually the balance isn't as imbalanced as I thought.

I agree with you about getting the right candidates over getting people from different nations - however perhaps Series 1 and 6 were not quite justified, in having only candidates who were English, or England-based.

On another note, I kinda wish there was a pre-series show, that lasted 60 or 90 years, about that year's selection process, but I think there would be too much too cram in, and I don't think they want to go X-Factor-style with weeks of build up up until the 'live shows' as it were.

Were they all from Northern Ireland? I thought that a couple of them were from the Republic of Ireland. I can't always tell though. Jordan De Courcy was from Ireland (not Northern), wasn't he?


Series 6 though had a lot of ethnic minorities. Joanna, Sandeesh, Paloma and Shibby all clearly had origins from other countries. In addition, there were four candidates who are known to be Jewish - Jamie, Alex, Melissa and Joy - which I believe is recognised as an ethnic minority in and of itself.

I agree with you actually. Still it would be nice to have each nation represented more frequently. It only occurred to me that Alex was the first welsh candidate (adult series) when they pointed it out on YF, and I was quite shocked!

I already knew that, but it annoys me that Young Apprentice isn't usually counted. They kept going on about how he's the first Welsh candidate (no specification of the adult series) and I just think that the Young Apprentices worked just as hard to be there, and they should be counted in things like that. If I was Rhys Rosser, I'd feel insulted.

Just out of interest, where are you from George?

Bristol, but I live most of the time in Colchester in Essex now, as I'm at Uni out here.

Sophie Lau is from Bristol, but as far as I know, she's been the only Bristolian candidate.

Did you find yourself supporting Sophie because she was a Bristolian?

Not especially, no. I didn't see that she was particularly special. She was often compared to Susan Ma, but I think that whilst both whined a lot, Susan actually tended to come up with reasonable solutions. I think this is why she got to the final three, and Sophie was fired in the third week.

Sophie really disappointed me - her audition tape and her likeness to Susan made me think she was a pre-series bet to win.

I did feel a bit sorry for her - I would much rather Natalie went in Week 3 - she hadn't been a great PM. One of my gripes with Series 9 is that there were FIVE bimbo-like women. Uzma, Francesca and Leah all looked similar, and Luisa and Natalie looked similar AND had similar personalities.

I think Series 9 would have been more credible if Sophie and Rebecca had had more of a chance to prove themselves instead of those three girls we were left with - yes, Leah and Luisa were very good, but they have businesswomen a funny image in my opinion.

Rebecca I agree with you on. Sophie I just think didn't really seem to contribute very much. Of course, another difference between her and Susan is that Susan was on the winning team for the first five tasks, so by the time she was in the boardroom she was able to defend herself quite eloquently, with examples.

I actually quite liked Natalie and thought she did an okay PM job, but maybe I need to watch that episode again, as it seems like I'm the only one who thinks that.

Natalie struggled to control the girls. She also didn't contribute a lot in terms of creativity, and was hey unhelpful to her subteam.

I think Sophie could have justifiably have been given another chance, but there's know we we'll ever know if she could've been a good candidate.

At any rate, we know that Natalie was better at selling china cats than Sophie. She took over Sophie's sale in the first episode, and did a better job of it.

That's a good point actually.

Do you agree with me about too many of the Series 9 girls being too similar?