TA is not dependent on Sugar. It's not a native UK format anyway. So let's say the BBC go for series 11, as some people are currently speculating about in another thread, but LS decides to hang up his coronet. Who could replace him?

For my money, Peter Jones would be outstanding. He's got the energy and the enthusiasm, he is much more in tune with young people than Sugar and he makes the same kind of quirky judgements about people that Sugar does. He's got the wealth and the businesses he invests in are much more interesting than the husk of the Amstrad empire.

What do you think, guys?

I think you're ignoring one very important thing though. Lord Sugar has made The Apprentice in the UK it doesn't matter that the format is international or what has happened in the series in different countries bares little to no relevance to what the series does here. The show would be very different to what it is now when Lord Sugar leaves - it wouldn't matter who (if anyone) would take over there would almost certainly be a general large resistance.

Perhaps a few years break might help but I would say that as the facts stand atm when Lord Sugar does leave (and there has been no word or hint of a word that such will happen any time soon) that will be the end of the series in the UK. I would agree that Peter Jones would make a pretty interesting replacement but since I don't see him leaving Dragon's Den anytime soon I cannot see him even considering taking over the series as he is busy enough as it is with Dragon's Den and all his other business ventures without having to worry about The Apprentice as well.

Peter Jones had never occurred to me, but I think he would be fantastic. He runs in the sane vein as Sugar, but I think he could really rejuvenate the series.

I completely agree with Iain. When Lord Sugar does leave (assuming that the BBC don't pull the plug before that happens) they'd be incredibly foolish to renew it straight away. I wouldn't rule out it never coming back, but it would have to be after enough time that audiences don't feel cheated. Lord Sugar has a certain manner to him - he's very direct and blunt, his working-class background and the fact that he has worked up from nothing make the show what it is, and above all the fact that he is so passionate about him. I feel like he really wants people to succeed and isn't just about making money or publicity, and I think that makes him more likeable than most of the other people that have had his role worldwide. I actually think that he has a heart of gold underneath his quite aggressive exterior, and is probably a really nice man in his personal life.

As for hypothetically who could replace him, if anyone was going to - I can kind of see Peter Jones doing it. I'd actually really like Karren Brady to step up as I think she could handle that power really well. However, I'm sure that that is never going to happen as she is very loyal to Lord Sugar. She has said in interviews that this has already been discussed, and that when Lord Sugar goes she and Nick are going with him.

Ah, I didn't know that. But then, if a new boss comes in, why shouldn't he/she bring in his own henchpeople just as LS did?

More than likely that would be what they would do but this is the theoretical scenario that Nick or Karen took over but as both have said they wouldn't want to makes this irrelevant. I think I remember George mentioning it in another post.

I would say Peter Jones would be good at it however he did do a program which was in similar idea to The Apprentice called Tycoon and it flopped. However, I would like to see Peter Jones in it; I think he's more perceptive than Lord Sugar as he has a much wider range of business and entrepreneurial involvement i.e he helped to make Reggae Reggae sauce a success. It also seemed to me in last years that Nick is a bit disinterested in the Apprentice and he's actually older than Lord Sugar now. I think it would be cool if the other dragons were interviewers.