Just as you think one of the candidates is about to get away with something, or cover it up, pleasingly, Margaret or Nick will interject, and bring it to light. In many cases they have made notes from which they refer, quoting particular instances, and revealing the actual truth of the matter at issue.

It then become's fascinating to watch, as the particular candidate who has been found out, makes often futile and embarrasing attempts to wriggle out of it, usually making matters worse, and incurring Sir Alan's wrath !

Afterall, Sir Alan has a right to know if he may be employing a devious, manipulative snake who would sell out their own mother to get on. Although I accept there are some employer's who would see that as a plus - rather than a minus !

Margaret and Nick are a vital and integral part of The Apprentice, for me, and are Sir Alan Sugar's eyes's and ear's out in the field.

Nick and Margaret - for me - are the best thing about this programme. I like that they are so on the ball and pull people up on things and I like the way they give praise where they feel praise is due.

They are two wise old birds and I have endless respect for them.

She mostly only makes comments when she knows they have lied and subtley points in out with a sledgehammer. I love her facial expressions when she catches them out and think both Nick & Matagret are important members of the show

How can it be a 'level playing feild' when some of the candidates are lying little buggers and some are honest. You can't expect Mags to slag off people that have done nothing wrong, she is there to tell Al just who is performing and who isn't. She's about the most fair person there is

As for Nick, he should have given Rafe FAR more credit yesterday, but it don't matter cos Alan knows it anyway.

Your alone.

Nick and Margaret FTW!!!

Even Nick was puzzled at Sir Alan's decision to save Michael again!

Michael remains purely on the basis of his fairly high entertainment value. Sir Alan will have already worked out in his own mind that he is no going to employ Michael, in any capacity. No, his day's are numbered.........

I could imagine Sir Alan when he was much younger, having a bit of the Lee McQueen about him. Rough edged cockney, with a sharp brain and a no nonsense, go getting attitude.

I thought Margaret's intervention against Michael was a little unfair - she quoted him very selectively to make it appear that he had rubbished the dresses when Michael did actually say that he thought the posh frocks were the way to go and Helene overruled him, saying they couldn't sell designer dresses without the designer being there himself.
Interestingly, the designer was impressed by Michael, so if Helene had put in for them, they would probably have beaten Lucinda to them, and therefore also won the thongs and therefore the task - and it would have been Michael wot won it.
The failure revolved around the bad decision to split the teams geographically, which was down to Michael and Helene equally, and the horrible choice of dresses, which was 100% Helene's fault.
In trying to get rid of Michael, Margaret minimised Helene's responsibility and saved her from the chop, leaving poor old Sara in the firing line. Not her finest hour, I don't think.

Well, yeah, a lot of that is true.

Helene did seem to get off lightly, perhaps cos it was her first time in the BR

This week Madge criticized the team that won for choosing high end dresses becuase they are in Birmingham not a posh area of london. Then they sell a few and all a sudden the other team got it wrong. Makes no sense.

Was that Margaret?

He complemented her sales technique, not product selection.

Nick and Margaret are the best thing about the show.

Margaret and Nick make the show! They are great!

I thought Margaret's intervention was justified. If Michael told a huge porky on a vital issue then he needs to be exposed and if Margaret is the one with the facts it is entirely reasonable she sets the record straight.

Michael may have criticised the choice of the cheaper dresses one he saw them but his opinion and communications at the time of the decision was the point under discussion. He was trying to get his later opinions to be accepted as his earlier opinions and this ploy needed to be challenged.

^ all of that.

I don't have a problem with anyone being told how useless they are if they are useless. The contestants big themselves up to a ridiculous degree in some instances, and when they fail to deliver it has to be recognised.

If, however, it were not true, then it would be a problem - so far 'the eyes' have it

I thought Nick's comment was much more inappropriate: "Claire worked like a trooper", or some such. Well that seems to be more of an opinion and less well definable than the quote Margaret had, and the intervention seemed to unprompted and who is to say that other people on the other team didn't work very hard? Such as Alex.

[quote=GoodMikey;23704119]I really despise when she picks on a particular contestant and quotes what they say even if they are lying..

She should do it for all of them because some are allowed to get away with lying whilst others get condemned and their confidence gets shattered by that woman..

Also Nick giving praise to singular contestants is annoying, its a team task you know... Clare was actually for the cheaper dresses..

Am I alone..?[/QUOTE]

Yes, probably! they see a LOT more than we do and are well qualified to make the comments they do. They really make the show, so stop picking on them as they are getting on a bit My neighbour is very much like Margaret: Scary

We don't get to hear half of what is said and I'm sure SAS has a long debrief with Nick and Margaret before the boardroom when all contestants will be discussed. It is only right that liars should be exposed.

As for Michael... I can only assume he wasn't fired along with Sara because two Jennifers went the previous week and if SAS is too gung ho with the firing, there won't be enough contestants left to fill the scheduled number of weeks.

However... he is a most irksome little git and it will be a travesty if he ends up on a winning team in the next couple of weeks and escapes the firing line.

But she corrected Michael, and he wasn't lying. He really did advocate the high-end dresses in the phone conversation in which the decision was made. He said, "It's higher-end, so it's higher value so its bigger profit... he's a very renowned designed and a lot of people who already know about his dresses come to the exhibition. For me it's the way to go." He was unambiguous. He argued cogently and pretty much nailed the issues. Helene overrode him.

So it seems Margaret was acting out of a petty vendetta of her own. She doesn't like him and was trying to bring him down, whether fairly or not.

I agree. I don't like Michael at all but Helene made more mistakes than him in the task.

Isn't she meant to have an opinion then? If she's not there to tell SAS what she thinks about the contestants, what is she there for?

I like the 'deadpan' faces Margaret and Nick make in the BR.

They make errors, yes, but they do try to be as objective as possible - I think.

Margaret has been brilliant this season.

I don't remember ever loving her so much before...

Wasn't it Nick who said that about Birmingham? I remember him standing outside the exhibition centre and saying it.

Why does Nick persist to kissing Clare's big A***