So here we are again, it’s that time of year and The Apprentice is back. Well, it’s not exactly that time of year with the show taking up a new autumn slot due to the General Election and Lord Sugar’s position as a government advisor.

It took approximately 5 seconds for me to have serious reservations about this years’ crop. With comments like “there is absolutely nothing mediocre about me, I’m supremely intelligent...bla,bla,bla" from Chris Bates; what a banker!

He is apparently an investment banker from London. You know, one of those idiots costing us fortunes and jobs right now. Those guys should be on the dole not on The Apprentice!

I did feel sorry for the candidates when the task was set at midnight, meaning they had to work through the night. Harsh, very harsh!

They didn't even have the chance to have a few drinks to get to know each other and size up the competition before embarking on the first task of making and selling sausages.

Down to the business end. The fundamental difference between the two teams' offerings were market positioning and price, the girls going for the higher end market with a higher price point and the boys going the straight route from the school of Lord Sugar: stack them high, sell them cheap. Is there anything wrong with either of those philosophies? Well, actually no, to be fair both teams identified a market and then produced a product and a price applicable for that market space. Good on both of them!

Down to the individuals. Why, oh why, oh why, do people confuse managing or leading with shouting and barking orders? Dan Harris was a complete disaster as a project manager, screaming at his team members like some kind of Gestapo officer. The only thing missing was the Star Wars, Death Star type music and it would have been classic! Stuart has also managed to get on my dislike list as he seemed to confuse selling with being pushy. The guy thinks he is some kind of super salesman but if he was any more full of hot air I fear that he would float on up into the clouds.

While I’m not that impressed with any of the candidates, oh my word, Alex Epstein will have to do something very special for me to change my mind about him.

His entire demeanour just offends me. Comments like: “People like me don’t come along too often, with creativity and commercial nous” cut to his first creative idea, 'Britain’s Best Bangers'. Is that really the best you can come up with?

I have no idea how he survived the boardroom but then to give the reaction he gave on his return to the house, like he had just gone ten rounds with Tyson, what a joker.

My verdict on the board room is that the boys were a little unlucky to lose but the right three ended up in the there.

It was a very difficult decision for Lord Sugar, as we now have to call him, because all three of them were terrible for all kinds of different reasons. Had I been sat in his position I’m afraid I would have fired all three of them!