He’s back.  Along with 15 hapless hopefuls trying to prove their business acumen and professional worth in order to win a year long contract working for the grumpiest man in business ™

The latest series starts this coming Wednesday (25th) at 9pm on BBC1 and can be caught on the iplayer for anyone who misses it. This year’s line up can be found here . I love the apprentice and my fave things to look out for:

1. The shameless and usually nonsensical comments contestants use to “sell themselves” that really just make them appear deranged. (see this year’s contestant – Ben Clarke – and his quote “To me making money is better than sex” if you need an example)
2. Margaret’s facial expressions – usually to the side of the shot when she doesn’t know she’s on camera – regular yet priceless
3. Nick’s visible despair at the hopefuls’ lack of initiative and nous – seen in most episodes
4. Weekly tweetwatching from the likes of me and wadds and my failure to make up my mind about the winner until the final every year (what’s the hashtag then? #theapprentice09 and #apprentice09 both seem to be in the running)
5. The Apprentice “You’re Fired” show with Adrian Chiles straight after the regular show on BBC2 for weekly analysis and an interview with the latest reject

Based on the initial info, my money is on Yasmina and James for the final…how’s that for a total stab in the dark?!