Lucinda Ledgerwood, 32, was the latest contestant to be fired from BBC TV's The Apprentice last night. After a torrid time being interviewed by Sir Alan's advisers, she said she was not disappointed to miss out on the job, dismissing it as a 'sales' position, and criticised the 'bullying' by the other candidates towards her. She tipped Claire to win.

The finishing line was in sight for the annual Sugar Derby. Lucinda decided to tone down her silks for the big interviews, clearly having realised that the Breton onion-seller style, of which she has been so fond, is de rigueur.

Time's up: The interviewers thought Lucinda was unsuitable for a job with Sir Alan

Alex and Lee had still not managed to locate a razor between them and continued to look not so much like front-runners as men whose horses had dragged them through a hedge backwards.

Having managed to put her gobby persona on hold for a few weeks, Claire resurrected it in a way that was guaranteed to frighten all the horses. And Helene appeared so terrified, she looked as if she would have to be put in blinkers before the proceedings began.

And they were off, with Sir Alan calling on his trusted advisers to see if the candidates had 'what it takes' to be a part of his empire.

Grilling: Claire made a good impression during her interviews

There was Karen Brady, who, at just 23, was MD of Birmingham City Football Club; troubleshooter Claude Littner; Bordan Tkachuk, chief executive of Viglen Computers; and Paul Kemsley, a chunk of a man who looks like one vast business lunch hiding behind a beard, but is apparently a property tycoon.

Paul's view of Claire was that she was a bad negotiator. On a salary of £85,000 a year, he was dismayed to discover that after earning her company £8million profit, she received a bonus of just £27,000.

Perhaps his biggest concern was why, with all that money, she had not bothered to get a decent haircut and had turned up looking like someone whose head had just endured an unfortunate run-in with the gallows.

Caught out: Lee was found to have lied about his educational background on his c.v.

Karen was impressed by her and later told S'rAlan in the boardroom that 'she would do a fantastic job for you', having been on 'a journey' throughout the process.

Paul added: 'I could see her in the canteen conducting the Birdie Song with your staff.'

That's the kind of imagination that comes with one too many business lunches, Paul.

Still, at least he was spared Claire's suggestion. Having found him a touch Neanderthal, she told the other candidates: 'I should have just leaned over that desk and sucked his lips off.'

And what would you have used to reach them through that beard, Claire? A topiarist?

Bordan criticised Lee both for his appalling spelling on his CV and the fact that he had lied about his education.

He claimed to have attended Thames Valley University for two years, but a background check revealed this to have been four months.

Worn out: The Apprentice hopefuls, including Alex, found the interviews exhausting

He said he was not proud of his educational background and so was 'trying to make it more than it was'. Fair enough, Lee, but Thames Valley?

Still, Inspector Morse used to buff up his Thames Valley copper CV by saying he worked in Oxford, and it never did him any harm.

If the few words Lee had were not the right ones, Helene proved that verbosity is not the mother of invention.

Having sworn her way through her interview with Karen, she claimed that having dipped her toes in the water of success, she was ready for the ocean of opportunity. Quite frankly, I hope she drowns in it.

Talking of water, was there ever such a dead duck lying in it as Alex? 'This is one of the most boring CVs I've ever read,' said Paul, who found him to have no energy, despite being in the energy business.

Finalist: Helene seemed terrified throughout the interview process but survived to the final

Alex had earlier claimed: 'I am dynamic, agile . . . I've got the full package to be The Apprentice.'

If he thinks that no one can hold a candle to him, it was evidently Paul's wish that someone would, if only to prove that rigor mortis had not set in.

And so to Lucinda. She was never going to win, but she provided us with great entertainment.

Those ridiculous outfits, the accent that made her sound not as if she had a plum in her mouth but an orchard lodged in her throat, her total inability to get on with anyone.

She says she's on £100,000 a year. If the judgment of Sir Alan's mob is anything to go by, she'll need double that just to persuade a hitman not to bump her off.

You're fired: Sir Alan Sugar said Lucinda was too 'zany' to work for him

'Bright, intelligent, highly skilled at what she does . . .but she would be a disaster for you,' declared Claude.

Paul's view was that she was 'an absolute nutcase', which is a little unfair on the nut population.

Lucinda's time was finally up, but Sir Alan decided that the other four should all be in the final.

I reckon it will come down to the wire between Claire and Lee. All dependent upon whether Sir Alan decides to go for a Birdie Song at dawn or a tweet he can teach to sing to his own tune.