Apprentice candidates slapped with bizarre ban once they enter the boardroom, says Tim Campbell
APPRENTICE hopefuls are banned from doing their business once they enter the boardroom, Tim Campbell has revealed.
Candidates at the post-task grilling are not allowed to nip to the loo once the doors are closed.
It can mean they are forced to cross their legs for hours.
Tim — the BBC One reality contest’s first winner in 2005 — told : “No one is going to the loo! These people are after £250,000.
“Once you’re in the boardroom, those doors are closed, and those scenes can go on for hours.
“When candidates are in the foyer, they have to be ready for a session that does not stop until Lord Sugar has made a decision — and he’s meticulous.”
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Previous candidates have also revealed a sex ban — introduced in 2019 after two contestants bedded each other — and limited mobile phone access.
This week, the final five candidates will face the interview stage — which will see the return of feared Claude Littner.
He warned: “I always ask the tough questions and look for honest responses.”
But Tim, 46, who started advising Lord Sugar in 2022, insisted: “I don’t think it’s brutal at all — it’s thorough.
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"If I was going to give somebody £250,000, I’d ask them some tough questions about what they’re going to do with that money.”
The Apprentice continues on Thursday at 9pm.