What do people will happen to the show if Sugar decides he's had enough? If it was to continue, who do you think should replace him?

I would like Karren to take over. She obviously knows the format already, she's successful and well known and perhaps more importantly, she supports apprenticeships so maybe the show could return to its original format with the winner gaining an apprenticeship at West Ham.

Even if the show was to stick to the format it currently uses, Karren is said to be worth over £80 million so more than enough money to pay in £250,000 to the venture.

So yeah, what are your thoughts on if it should continue and if so who?

Your idea seems good, I think the show will probably lose some if its appeal when Lord Alan goes as everybody loves seeing him fire people lol. Who would replace Karen if she replaced Sugar?

Oh, it'd definitely need to be some grumpy old man or woman, like Sugar. I can't see Karren being a good fit. I'm sure there are plenty out there who would be, though.

Haha, we've talked about this before...

I'd like Karren to do it as well, but I don't think she would as she is very loyal to Lord Sugar. I read an interview and she said that she and Nick are planning to go if Lord Sugar does (or maybe it was Nick who said that, but I think it was Karren).

I think possibly it would work to have a former winner who has gone on to be successful hosting it. However, the only winners I think would have that stage presence that is required are Tim and Ricky; the others don't quite cut it. But maybe someone who didn't win but would do well. Saira could host it well, I think.

Not that I think he would but I'd like to see this guy who's someone I admire greatly replace Sugar: -
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O1aVON2PL4c

but Theo from Dragons Den would be magnificent

Actually, I would quite like Luisa to do it, but I think that would get a lot of complaints. Not from me, but from many others.

I think in a TV-presence way, Karren could carry it, but the trouble is that her own success is in quite a narrow field (i.e. football), so she doesn't really have the "portfolio" of interests to offer a winning "Apprentice", which goes hugely more so for any previous winners, unless they were to radically change the format...

It would be interesting if one of the bosses from a foreign version of the show were to take over - Donald Trump would be too much of a cartoon, but Mark Bouris (Australia) or Terry Serepisos (New Zealand) might work, and a left-field choice would be Tony Fernandes from Apprentice Asia, head of AirAsia, and (former?) majority shareholder of Queens Park Rangers' (if a British connection is needed), who I really liked...

If Sugar were to give up the show that would be the end of it. It's built around his persona and ego.

Someone like Duncan Bannatyne might be able to carry it off though.

I think they should import one of the dragons... Duncan Bannatyne, Peter Jones, Theo Paphitis or Deborah Meaden could all do a good job. They could break the show for a year, and then reinvent it? I do think the show needs a new image though in the next few years, really rejuvenate it.

Grumpy, rich, high profile, female (its the BBC after all)
I think there's only one Candidate!

I wouldn't mind Karren doing it, but if there is one person I could choose then it would be Claude (I know very unlikely) but I think he could be a great replacement.

Hillary Devey or Peter Jones would be the most suitable of the Dragons.

Can see Devey being more foul mouthed than Sugar - "You make my foot itch" being a particular gem (translated as "I want to kick you up the a**e so badly, my foot is itching")

Aside from Dragons, (assuming Karren Brady does not take over),
Chris Dawson founder and owner of "The Range" has a wide range of businesses now.
He also started as a "barrow boy" like LAS, so understands buying and selling.
In a programme fronted by Peter Jones, he told how he bought the assets of MFI worth over £60 million for less than 10 million from the receiver.

http://www.therange.co.uk/fcp/conten...dawson/content

You need to have a successful multi millionaire business person that the candidates can look up to and respect.

Katie Price has more business sense than Luisa, her final business plan made no sense whatsoever.

We discussed this a while back and I still think Peter Jones would be the best because he is funny, self-deprecating, keen on small business startups and happy to invest in a wide range of them, including some most people would regard as wacky (Hamfatter, anyone?). And he is totally credible, having built a business that ranks with Sugar's.

They tried a Peter Jones Apprentice style show on ITV. It bombed.

Probably because it was an Apprentice style show on ITV.

ITV copycat programs rarely work.

Agreed! I genuinely think Peter Jones would make a good boss on this particular show, and he's said he'd consider it, but he's worried he wouldn't be able to fill Lord Sugar's boots.