The Apprentice - Yasmina wins the day!

For me the biggest news from last night’s Apprentice final was not that Yasmina won (more of that later) but rather that Margaret Mountford is calling it a day as one of Sralan’s sidekicks. Will the show survive without her eyebrow?

She is heading off to complete her PHD in papyrology (apparently the study of ancient Egyptian manuscripts). For me her coolness quota has just crept up another few percent in that she is prepared to give up her television gig to focus on the study of ancient documents. She will be severely missed on the show and Sralan will have to search hard to find another worthy sidekick to match up.

As I said at the beginning of the run it is the trio of Margaret, Nick and the boss himself who make the show special and they have proved this again over the past 12 weeks.

So back to the main event! Clearly Kate won the task hands down on practically every front. Firstly the chocolates - in that Kate’s were edible, secondly the concept which was clever and thirdly the presentation where she wiped the floor with Yasmina. I had my hands in front of my eyes during Yasmina’s effort which concluded with her telling the audience that the world was rocked by the invention of electricity 150 years ago and that it would be rocked in a similar fashion by the arrival in all good confectionary shops of ‘Cocoa Electric!’ Hardly!

In spite of Kate’s obvious victory on the task I felt all along last night that Sralan would go for Yasmina and by way of explanation in the final boardroom he said he was going with his gut instinct. In the past few weeks it is clear that he had some question mark in his head over Kate. She seemed a little too controlled for him and he preferred Yasmina’s obvious passion and focus.

There was little to choose between them and he repeated last night that the decision was the toughest he had made in the past five years on the show. Not much comfort for past contestants there and in particular I am thinking of the Badger who stands out as the finalist hardest done by to date.

Nick was on form again last night with his observation about the proposed name for Kate’s chocolates (Intimate) which he said put him in mind of feminine freshness!! Generally laugh out loud moments were lacking last night as there was serious business a foot and James in particular was fairly low-key.

Next season on the show will be interesting with the departure of Margaret but you have to wonder what impact Sralan’s new role as Gordon Brown’s new enterprise tsar will have on the programme. Will the obvious conflict of interest cause difficulties with him continuing to work for the BBC. One immediate result will be the fact that I can’t call him Sralan anyone and Lordalan doesn’t trip off the tongue quiet so easily.

So what are we going to watch now? 

Bree Treacy