TEN QUESTIONS WITH
Lord Sugar’s lieutenant on his tips for victory and facing his trickiest interviewer — his mum
Tim Campbell won the first-ever British series of The Apprentice back in 2005. Drafted in as Lord Sugar’s super sub in 2022 — to deputise for Claude Littner — he now has his feet firmly planted under the boardroom table. But as his third series comes to an end and the final looms, has he picked out a winner? And how would he fare if he entered the competition today, two decades on?
How does it feel to be on the show with candidates who were babies when you won?
My daughter is 22 so there are candidates to whom I could legitimately say, “I’m old enough to be your dad”. It’s crazy. They’ve said, “I’ve Googled you and watched you on YouTube”.
I’m a YouTube relic! The show’s longevity proves its power.
Do you and Baroness Brady find it hard to hold back when candidates make silly mistakes?
People don’t understand the stresses of the challenges and working with people you’ve never met before; also, being followed by a camera can cause people to make some interesting choices. It’s never easy for us to not intervene. You’ll have seen we have stepped in to say, “Those numbers don’t look right” or “You’re running out of time”. It’s a balancing act – we have to be independent and let the situation play out, but we don’t want them to let the show’s reputation down, or damage the brands and businesses they’re working with.
How gruelling are the boardroom scenes and are there loo breaks?
No one’s going to the loo! These people are after £250,000 – once you’re in the boardroom, those doors are closed. Those scenes can go on for hours. When the candidates are in the foyer they have to be ready for a session that does not stop until Lord Sugar’s made a decision – and he is so meticulous.
Is it a shock when people start spinning a different version of events in front of Lord Sugar?
People have very clear recollections of events from their own perspective and often retell the story through that filtered lens.
Baroness Brady and myself are the helicopter parents who can see everything and give a more unfiltered view of what transpired.
That sometimes shocks individuals who might have focused on their good bit and forgotten what else they did…
Does the infamous interview round help the candidates or is it too brutal?
I don’t think it’s brutal at all – it’s thorough. If I was going to give somebody £250,000 I’d ask them some tough questions about what they’re going to do with
