Or the deaf manager of a Take That tribute band...

Now that I would have loved to have seen.....

Alex may have dramatised it or he may not. No doubt we didn’t see the full conversation between Lucinda and the others at different points during the day. We only see edited sections of anything.


If you’re talking about Alex’s refusal to be Simon’s second in command on the photography task then evidently he didn’t feel confident accepting such a role under Simon’s leadership. I wouldn’t say he walks away from any responsible role – he volunteered to be project manager in week 1. However like the others he needs to manage himself strategically for long-term survival in the competition. I see no problem with that. Admitting it however is problematic. I suspect that none of them are going to admit that they have one eye to long-term survival when participating in the tasks, yet everyone knows it goes on, including Sir Alan. Thinking strategically in the long term could be considered as a skill, including knowing when to step forward and when to step back. Unfortunately there’s a conflict of purpose because whilst people have to work together towards their team’s success, they also have to protect their own position individually because of the contest aspect. That includes having to protect oneself from the perceived incompetence of a team leader.

I think equally in denial of her failings was Lucinda in the post interview boardroom when Sir Alan challenged her with the observation that when she wasn’t in charge in a team things began to fall apart for her. He pointed out he’d be in charge in his company not her and asked if she’d fall apart and be despondent. She replied absolutely not and that she hasn’t done this to date. The camera then shows Margaret starting back and responding with a look of complete incredulity. Margaret clearly thinks Lucinda isn’t being honest. Obviously the candidates are going to present themselves in the most favourable light in the boardroom, Lucinda as much as Alex.


I think Alex was affected at the time he heard Lucinda express her doubts. However that wasn’t the time to bring it up. It would have affected his concentration on the interviews - and hers - to have conflict between candidates between interviews. It would probably have affected the other three as well. Furthermore, Alex may not have had time to absorb the information properly at the time – all of their mental and emotional resources were directed towards the interviews. It’s possible that the full significance of it emerged when the interviews were over and he had time to assimilate it more. It was obviously significant enough for him to believe that it was relevant to bring it to Sir Alan’s attention. It’s not his role to act as counsellor to Lucinda, trying to make sure she does the right thing and doesn’t take the opportunity away from anybody else. It’s Sir Alan’s task to ascertain the strength and authenticity of her motivation. Alex provided him with the information to begin a questioning process.

Watching the boardroom scene over again, my interpretation is that Lucinda expressing her doubts to the others when they were highly charged during the interview process affected them. Alex describes it as “soul destroying”. It’s clear to see that he feels quite strongly about it in the boardroom, drawing supporting responses from Helene and Claire.

I don’t doubt however that Alex was not blind to the fact that by raising it he would be likely to improve his position and that of the other three by comparison. However I think he believed it was relevant information to bring up. Sir Alan obviously believed it was relevant judging by his subsequent questioning. Lucinda had doubts at the interview stage, dismissed those doubts but has now gone on to admit again that it was the wrong job and environment for her. It seems to me therefore that it was relevant to bring up the fact she had reservations at the pre-selection phase.


Any introduction of a new member into a team is going to affect the group dynamic as is any change of circumstance. What amazes me is how some people fail to see that Lucinda did enough on her own to irritate Lee in a scenario where the teams were smaller and members had to be more self reliant. I don’t think it can be blamed on Alex.

Is that fair? Can you not admire him in some way for being so honest?
He's what my grandma would have called....."A real piece of shit".

He's not honest....he spouts half-truths which make things worse.

Your grandma sounds wise.

Lol...sadly he isn't even honest though, he sort of tells a warped version of events designed to make himself look good in the eyes of teacher....or SAS as the case may be....

They are all an absolute disgrace to themselves bar Lucinda, Raef and Simon.

I would also add Shazia, Sara and the Barrister guy to that list. They may have made errors but, they didn't come across as nasty people in the episodes we saw them in.

Yeah, I pretty much agree....I also don't think Lindi was nasty either (annoying yes, nasty no).

I concur.

Alex is a complete and utter cretin and has no redeeming qualities whatsoever.

He pouted, huffed n' puffed and rolled his eyes all through his interviews.

As for Karen Brady yapping on about his charisma "he doesn't even realise it" - no he doesn't luv because he ain't got any. Puh-lease, my cat has more charisma than Alex. As for his supposed good looks, don't get me started.

Please, please tell me where that line came from because it's driving me mad! I've heard it recently and cannot place it. Cheers

When Lucinda said what she said, I was hoping that one of the others would bring it up in the Boardroom. I thought it would be Claire – after all, “what’s the point of just sitting there like a big, fat lemon?”.

What exactly did Alex do that was so wrong? He spoke what the others were thinking. None of the others piped up in Lucinda’s defence. On the contrary, their words and actions backed up what Alex was saying. I have more respect for Alex for being the one who mentioned it than just one of the ones who agreed.

As for Lucinda not having said in so many words that she didn’t want the job, how do you know she didn’t? How do you know it wasn’t lost in the editing?

I can’t believe some people are saying Lucinda’s comments were private. She didn’t confide in any of them. She said what she said out loud and on camera. To say she was thinking out loud, soul searching or having a moment is no defence. What she did demonstrated a naivety that has no place in business.

Quite frankly, as a boss, I would be grateful of any employee who told me about any issues in the camp. How does that make someone unprofessional?

Also, as someone who hires consultants and contract workers, can I say that anyone seen to behave as Lucinda has been seen to behave would find it very hard to find employment? A particular shame for someone who is self-employed and reliant on contracts to make a living.

Do my staff trust me? I don’t expect them to confide their innermost secrets in me. I would also question the intelligence and common sense of anyone who confided doubts about their job in a boss or colleague. Concerns, yes, but doubts? Never.

If Alex or any of the others had challenged Lucinda about it when she said it, why should they not then still bring it up in the Boardroom? Whatever her explanation (or backtracking) had been, the fact is she had doubts and, as such, should have done the decent thing and admitted to it without having to be prompted.

She was given the opportunity to state the case for her defence and it was unconvincing, both in her words and in her actions.

How can anyone say Lucinda never backstabbed anyone? She backstabbed in the most insiduous way – by undermining anyone and hindering the efforts of anyone in charge who wouldn’t do things her way.

Alex’s repeated willingness to fight his corner throughout the series has made him my favourite candidate. Indeed when he stopped doing so, SAS asked him what had happened.

As for Alex’s looks, sorry but love him or hate him, it is ludicrous and petty to deny that the guy is good looking. There is personal taste but there is also fact. There are many good looking guys who do nothing whatsoever for me but I wouldn’t deny they are good looking.

Good on, Alex. I don’t think he will win but I hope he does.

Good riddance, Lucinda. Not a moment too soon and a few weeks too late.

I have to laugh at her supporters who appear to be the only people more deluded than Lucinda herself. The even funnier thing is that some are the same people who think Raef is a nice guy and not just a false, fake, four-faced fop. Still, those who have never had dealings with someone and are only judging by the editing of a TV show and the act that someone can keep up for a while cannot be blamed for their assumptions.

You do realise you are doing the very thing you criticise others for doing in this very post......

Am I?

Yep...

BTW, just seen your location....you live just down the road from me! That's a first in all my years on DS!!!!

Well Nicholas came across as a bit of a **** to be honest.

Nicholas came across as despicable and is the one who came across worst in TA:YF as well.


Anyway, I can't understand what the fuss is about. Any of them should have done what Alex did. I applaud him. Lucinda was wasting her time and, what's worse, everybody else's. She was a useless fruitcake.

No, the person who doesn't want to be the apprentice should say. Its not up to anybody else. She may have changed her mind, she may have just been expressing some doubts. Alex took the boardroom back to the playground.

The idea that SAS expects his candidates to have unquestioning loyalty to him is ridiculous anyway, cos most people will question whether a company is right for them or not, unless they are desperate, and Lucinda clearly isn't. She was a bit silly to express it to the others though, but she still has too much trust in human nature.

Good post (although not sure I agree about Raef )

He didn't tell the "truth" though. He conveninetly forgot to mention that Lucinda over came her doubts and vocalised these in front of them all....

Ah the cliché 'lump them all together'.

Funnier still:


Along with, as already pointed out, judging the very same people with the very same footage we are, you are then judging posters based on even less.

Since when did difference of opinion become deluded?

I haven't liked or trusted Alex since the first show: he's a shallow, self-obsessed backstabber with absolutely no substance.

If Sir Alan and his cronies honestly think someone as immature ("only 24" - going on 12) and sly (so 'disgusted' about fellow contestants that he can only feign his contempt in the boardroom) is worthy of a high-powered role, then I can only conclude that big business is only interested in amoral a*seholes who can't even accept the most constructive of critiques without trying to shift blame elsewhere.

If I thought Alex had even an inkling of empathy for anyone who didn't share his 'me,me,me / winner takes all' bullshit, then I might be prepared to give him a chance. As it stands he'll probably do well for himself and become even more of an insufferable gobshite in years to come. I wouldn't be proud of him if he was my son.

To be honest I can't remember Nicholas on YF. The only one I can remember thinking what an absolute idiot was "loser Ian". I know Nicholas wasn't the best of candidates but, I think it was because he was up against Alex that I now think he probably had a raw deal.

As for Lucinda being a useless fruitcake, I'm sorry I disagree. The woman was smart, intelligent and more than a match for most of them there.

What she said was not a problem. The person who raised it was not even attacked.

Everybody has doubts about a big decision. Do you have doubts about a job you are about to do? You should because it will take up most of your life and your time as wlel and may become your life.

But ultimately that was not a problem.

For production levels, it was not addressed because they wanted Lucinda to have a full 30 minutes of the final You're Fired because she was a popular character. This is why she left. Also, she was over qualified for the job as well.

The problem is, how is that boardroom behaviour when you snitch and wait to snitch on your own colleagues? On your own team members and your own to raise your own profile - you deem that it will raise your own profile - how is this not seen as a problem?

It was not seen as a problem because Alex was one of the only few they could have had for the final task.

Ultimately though, in the real world it is wrong behaviour. In the TV production of the apprentice - it is ok because this is just Eastenders but in a boardroom.

So since you admire and appreciate his behaviour you are more TV than reality.

Oh and Raef and Lucinda were the most successful (as well as Sara) away from the show.

Never thought of that! I would be SO ashamed.