Something I've been thinking about... I can't know for sure because not all conditions can be recognised just by seeing someone on television, but in thirteen series there doesn't appear to have been anyone on the show who has an obvious physical disability.

I hope this is just coincidence - I wouldn't want them to cast a disabled candidate just for the tokenism of having one, but it would interest me how they'd adapt the process for them. Just out of curiosity, I've glanced at the application form a few times and it says that disabled people are welcome to apply, and adjustments will be made for them etc. I wonder how they'd do it? A lot of the tasks seem to rely quite a bit on being physically fit. It may be difficult, for example, for someone in a wheelchair to take part in the tasks that involve running all over London.

Has this occurred to anyone else?

A good practical point that.

Disability comes in many forms George technically if I went on the show then I would count as a disabled candidate (I say 'technically' as although my disability is recognised and qualifies for DLA, most people wouldn't think it was a disability)

I would think that if someone was normally in a wheelchair, then an advanced one would be supplied by the show (or an adapted motorised scooter maybe) for something like the scavenger task - wheelchairs can go quite quick nowadays, so it probably wouldn't be too much of a problem. Other than that, most of the time everyone gets driven about anyway.

I'm surprised we haven't had a disabled candidate actually, maybe I should go on and be the first one (being serious now, it's probably down to them not applying for the show in the first place)

Yeah, I did clarify that in my original post - not all disabilities can be recognised just by seeing someone on television, so there may have been one. It's why I said 'obvious physical disability' - i.e. one that a casual viewer would notice without being told.

You make a good point about the adapted motor scooters.

Not in the UK, but the closest to this was probably Marlee Matlin in Celebrity Apprentice USA, who is deaf. She had an interpreter with her the whole time.

I think it would be really hard for a deaf person on the show, with all the talking over one another that goes on. Someone who could lip-read might be able to manage it - I think it would be so difficult with an interpreter.

The only UK candidate I can think of who had anything that might be considered a disability of any major type is Matthew from back in Series 1, who if memory serves has some form of autism.

And while we're on the subject of US candidates, Celebrity Apprentice 5 had Lou Ferrigno, who apparently has hearing only very slightly better than that of Marlee Matlin.

Yes as an 'older' person myself now and someone who has problems walking too far!, It has occurred to me that the candidates seem to do a lot of running and rushing about!, something I know I would have a lot of trouble with!, but hey!.. that's because I am old now and past all that sort of thing, makes you realise if you are up to the job or not I suppose!.............

Did he? He had certain qualities commonly attributed to certain forms of autism, but I don't know anything about whether this was revealed in the press for definite. I know that series pretty well, and I'm pretty sure it was never mentioned on the show.


Yes, well most of the candidates are between early twenties and mid-thirties anyway. The oldest candidate there has ever been is Jaz from Series 9, who was 41 at the time and incidentally is probably one of the most energetic candidates!

Not the Apprentice, but Christy Smith on Survivor: Amazon was deaf. It did make for some intriguing dynamics, but she was an excellent lip-reader.

No not in the Uk one I don't think but it all depends on the candidates who apply.

Perhaps there could be a spin off where a team of disabled people go against a group of abled bodied people in a series of tasks with nice simple criteria such as who sold the most/made the most money with the profits going to the winning leaders charity (bit like celebrity apprentice), would be good to show that all sorts of people can do business so long as the tasks are fair on both teams

Sounds a bit like Beat the Boss - Saira Khan presented it for a while. It wasn't disabled vs able-bodied, but children vs adults. Three manufacturers went up against three children to create some sort of child's product - the adults had the advantage of working in the industry, but the children knew more about what children want. I quite enjoyed it, mainly because it wasn't all rigged in the children's favour - they did often win, but sometimes the adults won.

I like your idea, I'd watch it.

No he didnt. He just had, as he described in a forum post somewhere at the time " a prickly exterior". He was a right ****.

Politically deadly.

On the one hand , it would be open to one line Sugarisms that would get a massive negative response - like "didn't you read the b.......g instructions" to the blind candidate's team, or "why did it take you so long" to the guy in a wheelchair.

If they adapted the task, they would be hit by both some of the disability lobby, and the government (which claims practically no one can't work) for showing disabled people have limits, and by those who pointed out the changes were needed. There would be inevitable arguments about whether the disabled candidate was fairly treated, or fired for their disability, and you would have somehow have to match the two teams disability for difficulty, and keep them matched, if you couldn't design tasks that produced a level playing field anyway.

Its basically a potential nightmare for any producer and the BBC. It might be something that should be done, but doing it, and risking the pitfalls, would take a brave producer.

But by the same token, they cannot discriminate against people on the grounds of disability by not allowing them on the show in the first place. Although I do realise that if they ever have done that, it cannot be proven as they can choose people at their own discretion.

In fairness, they've had plenty of physically disabled people on Big Brother - I know that's a completely different ball game, but it still does contain lots of tasks that involve physicality, and the House is designed for able-bodied people. Adjustments had to be made there, and were. The Apprentice ought to be able to do the same.

With big brother its probably easy to pick tasks will be equally hard for all contestants and the house only needs altering once, but things like going out and selling tasks could be a nightmare if the target small business found just by driving past doesn't have ramp access leading to that person perhaps getting less sales

So do you think the producers discriminate against disabled people on purpose to prevent this?

I suppose it depends if they decide the tasks first or get the applicants and then design around them, perhaps a FOI inquiry to the bbc/freemantle might show up how many people who applied had a disability to start with

We really need to see the person description of what sort of person is considered a good candidate by the production company

Virtually impossible to clarify, unfortunately. It doesn't matter how many disabled candidates have applied in the past, no one can ever prove that that was one of the reasons why they weren't chosen. I wouldn't want them to have someone disabled just for the sake of tokenism.