I watched the first few series of The Apprentice then missed a few. I picked this one up about episode 4 or 5 (I prefer it when there are fewer people and I can follow who is who).

I really enjoyed this series and I will watch next year as a result. The 'scandal and sex' you have posted about is nothing to do with the show. I didn't know any of it. If you read The Sun and see things that you don't want to see it's a bit unfair to blame the programme for that.

Do they though.... it suffers from as much interference as BB in that the producers have an agenda.

Umm, Peterborough may technically be in the south of England, but I wouldn't classify it as being "near London." It's a drive of around 1-2 hours depending on traffic.

The winner of the old prize had to commit to moving to London/ Essex to work at one of Sug's companies.

The end part of the series always annoys me and is usually the point where I switch off as in the last few series, it is never the best task performer that wins. The whole 10 week process is largely disregarded at the interview point even though it is supposedly meant to showcase that they have the ability to be successful as a business partner. We always have the best performer (in my opinion) i.e. Helen, Nick, Neil, Roisin and Richard fired at the final stages as their business plan isn't what Lord Sugar wants. It yet again, emphasises that he should be interested in all the ideas and then base his decision on their proven competency. It seems unfair to put people through a ten week task system, for them to perform well and yet have no real hope at the end of winning. The worst case of this was when Tom who floundered and shied away from putting himself forward for anything throughout the whole process won as Lord Sugar decided to invest in an already successful product range which he had not even presented. I'll continue to watch the Apprentice as I like watching the tasks but I'm never going to be too concerned about who wins.

The same was true for the old prize, as was painfully spelled out to Paul Tulip. Winning tasks gets you through to the interview round but then it is all about whether Lord Sugar wants to employ you (or now, to invest in you).

Since it is apparently too arduous to screen business plans in advance, the producers should at least suggest to those applying for the next series that they run their plans past a competent professional who is not a blood relative.

Vana, for instance, seemed genuinely surprised that she'd run out of cash in a few months, and neither Joseph nor Charleine had apparently given too much thought to how franchised businesses actually work. It is perhaps ironic that the best business plan, once shorn of all the BS, was Richard's.

Of course, that will still leave the problem of candidates who are delusional, uncooperative or who just want to be on the telly, but it's a start.