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Sir Alan and a TV spoonful of sugar as his fortune goes down
Robert Mendick and Jonathan Prynn16.03.09
WHEN The Apprentice returns to television screens next week all the old favourites will be there including righthand woman and man Margaret Mountford and Nick Hewer, the hapless contestants and of course the boss himself - Sir Alan Sugar.
But for the first time in five series of the BBC programme, one component will be missing - the size of Sir Alan's fortune. For series four last year - as in all previous series of the hugely popular show - the size of Sir Alan's fortune was announced in the introduction at the beginning of each episode.
Sir Alan's wealth was put at "more than £800 million" as would-be apprentices battled for a £100,000 job in his mainly property empire. This time no value has been put although experts suggest the fortune may have fallen by up to £100 million, hit by falling property prices and the global recession.
Fans of the show have been discussing the subject on internet chatrooms as they await the unveiling of series five. One discussion board is headed: "Will Apprentice 5 still claim Alan Sugar is worth £800 million?" The answer appears to be no.
One fan commented: "I'd like to see SAS [Sir Alan Sugar] catching the bus rather than using a helicopter."
An Apprentice spokeswoman said: "I have watched the first part of the new show and it doesn't say how much he is worth. There is still the introduction but they don't say what he is worth. They don't do that any more."
A spokesman for Sir Alan confirmed the figure was missing but said it was merely an oversight. The spokesman said: "There is no sinister reason for removing it. In fact we didn't even notice it, so will take a look."
The BBC put a value of more than £800 million on Britain's favourite entrepreneur last year, taking its lead from the Sunday Times Rich List. This year, the list is likely to mark Sir Alan down by tens of millions.
The Estates Gazette, which published its own rich list in October, put Sir Alan's fortune at £750 million, made up of a property empire worth £400 million and the rest in cash and personal assets including homes in London, Florida and Spain. That is likely to have fallen further as the credit crunch has hit over the past six months, taking him to around the £700 million mark.
Despite the downturn, the BBC still expects The Apprentice to be a hit, although the more lavish foreign trips have been cut back. The names of the new candidates have not been revealed but the BBC has disclosed some of their biographies. One names their role model as Hugh Hefner, another comes from "a long line of aristocrats", there is a child chess prodigy, and someone who left school to play football.
Reader views (15)
Sir Alan,
YOUR FIRED.
- John ,, Scarborough, N. YKS, U.K.
Sir Alan will find it hard to start again if he does entually go skint; there are no market stall places left to rent.
Mind you; Supermarkets need apprentice shelf stackers.
- Mickyinlondon, london
Things carry on like this and he might need a part time job, Mayor of London has already been mentioned!
Boris Your Fired!!
- Melvyn Windebank, Canvey Island, Essex
Ha you fools who pay to watch this drivel!! - I gave my television to the local charity shop so they can generate some cash for a worthwhile cause instead.
- Wallytrader, London
I dont think Sir Alan is the problem with the Apprentice show - it's still a great concept. Far better for kids to watch the show and grow up wanting to succeed in business or commerce, rather than the vague statements you're likely to get these days from teenagers who say they want 'to be famous' when they grow up - I blame the likes of the trashy magazines and 'talent' shows the Beeb and ITV commission. My only problem with the Apprentice is that the past two series seem to have recruited contestants from the same pool of muppets who failed to get on to Big Brother or X Factor. As an employer I can quite honestly say that on average only 1 or 2 would even get a second interview if they applied for a job in my business (and that's even accounting for the fact that the BBC may edit the show to highlight their inadequacies!)
- Dc, London
Oh, really who cares? It's not like he's about to starve is it!
- Sarah Bradshaw, Enfield, Middx
For some years now, whilst earning zero revenue from no advertising, the BBC has being using a lot of license payers money to naively create millions in additional brand value for Sugar, Dragons Den, celebrity (?) chefs, unknown dancers, minor celebrities looking for career upgrade/change and others. This is a severe recession so please BBC stop using our money to do this. Or at least charge these people by claiming percentage of their increased wealth and certainly do not pay them. The entertainment value is now minimal in any case.
- Mike, london
I think Sir Alan is amazing to get where he is from nothing. Loosing £100m is a mass amount I do not think any one reading this article could comprehend loosing that sort money or investment.
- R, London
Just like the bankers,A.S.should now consider retiring from something he is clearly not qualified to do.All that rubbish about YOU'RE FIRED should now apply to him, but the BBC free advertising is too good to give up.A big fat pension from the corporation maybe next?
- Joe Martins, london
The BBC should stop wasting licence payers money on him.
- Mick, London, England
Just because you are successful in one enterprise, doesn't mean that you will be successful in all business deals. Mind you, if you were worth £800m, is a mere £100m worth worrying about?
- Philip, London, England
We seemed to have slipped into some awful repetitive TV over the last few years.
Dancing on Ice
Ant & Dec
Comic Relief
The Apprentice
The X Factor
Britain's got [No] Tallent
Strictly come dancing
Children in need.
How about not doing any of these and instead commissioning some new shows.
- Adam, Harrow, UK
Well Sir Sugar might be £100,000,000 down but at least he's still getting hundreds of thousands of pounds' worth of priceless free advertising from the BBC, every single week that the program goes out. Sweet!
- Geoff S, Suffolk
DOES ANYONE THINK ALAN LOOKS LIKE SID JAMES ,SID JAMES LIKED BETTING ON THE HORSES, ALAN SUGAR IS BETTING ON PROPERTY,I DONT THINK WE SHOULD WORRY ABOUT HIS TOTAL OF WEALTH,
- J Windsor, LONDON ENGLAND
I love the show, but his judgement has not been good recently - he invested in commercial property just before it's fall and then in Woolworths.................
- Dominic, London
