It might not surprise anyone who’s ever watched The Apprentice to learn that the celeb-spangled Christmas special goes ‘a little off the rails’.
That is despite the fact that the 12 lackeys parachuted into Lapland are tasked with making and flogging a set of festive biscuits for Children in Need, as opposed to charming Lord Alan Sugar into shaking hands on a business deal.
TV presenter Angela Scanlon, 41, who’s one of the two dozen split into warring teams, admits they’re probably just a ‘competitive bunch’.
‘The truth is, none of us are looking for a job,’ she told Metro ahead of the two-parter this Crimbo, ‘or are we?’
It turns out, Lord Sugar is as intimidating as he seems in his titanic swivel chair (‘He’s got a stink eye that I’ve not seen in real life very often’) and the recruits do feel a touch of pressure to laugh at his dad jokes, at least ‘first time round’.
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‘You’re in the boardroom feeling like you really hope he’ll pick you for this nothing job,’ Scanlon said. ‘You don’t really want to be on the receiving end of his withering comments. I just tried to keep my head down.’
It might seem like Scanlon’s team had something of a competitive edge, with The Apprentice alumni and bosh-extraordinaire Thomas Skinner among their ranks.
‘We were plucky enough about that. We referred to him as our golden goose from the get-go,’ said Scanlon.
Skinner was ‘great’, that is, until he took charge of directing an advert for the bickies. Scanlon doesn’t mince her words on the resulting product: ‘I will say, it was sub-standard.’ Sad bosh.
The biscuits in question – Jolly McTrouble and Gary the Penguin – have been on sale for weeks already, and while we would shun the idea of declaring TV show spoilers, the general public has already anointed their victor via supermarket reviews. Only look if you dare.
The festively-dressed green-jumpered penguin biscuit was Scanlon and co’s effort, whose prosaic name they justified in the boardroom by pointing to Marks & Spencer’s hallowed Colin and Percy sweet treats.
Their gingerbread biscuit is flavoured with a curious combination of bubblegum, lemon and… black pepper. ‘We were encouraged to push the boat out and create something unusual. I think we stuck to the brief,’ Scanlon said, straight-laced.
Scanlon suggested Gary might be an ideal stocking-filler – bit late for this year now, so maybe next (expiry dates allowing). Although there’s one caveat: ‘I would say, have a glass of milk close to you.’
Did Scanlon have any fears Lord Sugar and his challenges might show her up like they have so many contestants? ‘Maybe I should have thought about that a bit more deeply,’ she muses. ‘But no, when I’m in, I’m in.
‘I’ve always been okay with looking foolish, believe it or not. I definitely did look foolish at points. But I can live with that.’
What the mum-of-two is less sure about are some of the other reality show options I bandy her way. I’m A Celebrity? ‘I just don’t know if I want visuals forever of me projectile vomiting kangaroo balls out my mouth.’ Celebrity Traitors? ‘I know that my face does not lie, which is both my gift and a curse.’
But what about those Strictly Come Dancing host rumours? Scanlon’s name was one in a reported shortlist of 10 who are said to be undergoing chemistry tests. She’s incredibly flattered just to be in the conversation.
‘The significance of two women [Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman] at the helm of that show, it was very formative for me coming over here,’ she said.
‘I think at the time, a lot of big shows in Ireland were always hosted by men and so it lit a spark in me. The significance of that booking of the pair of them is so huge for so many of us.’
That emboldened female voice is something Scanlon conveys to her nearly half a million Instagram followers.
‘I think women for a very long time have been encouraged to stay quiet and to sit in a corner and to wait their turn and to behave a certain way. I have never subscribed to that,’ she said, noting that becoming a mum to two daughters has helped solidify that belief.
‘Social media gets a bad rap for all of the reasons and rightly so in many cases. But I have – I’m touching wood – found that I have the most amazing community of men and women.’
Scanlon even had a kind word to say for those who pop up in her comment section to slag her off. ‘I quite enjoy responding to those things, which is so petty of me, but it really does something for my soul,’ she trills.
So if the Celebrity Apprentice Christmas special is taken as given for the thing Scanlon is most looking forward to, what else would she like to be treated to this festive season? The answer is a Christmassy one, inspired by a scene in The Holiday.
‘I would love 24 hours in a blackout room with no noise. The best pillow, one that Oprah recommended maybe. Then just a big, long, uninterrupted sleep. That’s what I’d love.’ Here, here.
Will you be tuning in to The Celebrity Apprentice Christmas special?
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I’ll try the biscuits
The Celebrity Apprentice Christmas specials air on BBC One and iPlayer on 29 and 30 December at 9pm.
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