No more Mr Nice Guy: Christopher is fired

No more Mr Nice Guy: Christopher is fired
No more Mr Nice Guy: Christopher is fired

Christopher Farrell has had his chips after becoming the latest contestant to be dropped from The Apprentice - following a bungled crisp sales task. The 28-year-old mortgage broker - who is currently on police bail over fraud allegations - was told he lacked the spark of genius required by business guru Lord Sugar. But Christopher, a former Royal Marines Commando, said afterwards he thought it was possible to do well in business and remain 'nice'. Before dismissing him with his famous phrase 'you're fired', Lord Sugar told him: "You do work hard, there's no question of that. My concern is that you perhaps don't have that spark of entrepreneurial genius that I'm looking for." Christopher said in his own defence later: "Lord Sugar says you can't be nice in business; that's one thing I do disagree with him with. Nice people get far in life sometimes." The former military man got the boot after his team Synergy, managed by investment banker Chris Bates, lost out to rivals Apollo in their task of selling British crisps in Germany. Synergy lost a crucial sale when they chose to book an afternoon appointment with a major hotel chain, only for rivals Apollo to visit them first thing in the morning and corner the market. Christopher will find out next month whether he is to be charged with fraud. He is on bail pending a decision from the Crown Prosecution Service. The contestant, from Plymouth, was arrested in August and it is understood the allegation relates to making a false representation via cheque or card.

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Patrick McLennan

Patrick McLennan is a London-based journalist and documentary maker who has worked as a writer, sub-editor, digital editor and TV producer in the UK and New Zealand. His CV includes spells as a news producer at the BBC and TVNZ, as well as web editor for Time Inc UK. He has produced TV news and entertainment features on personalities as diverse as Nick Cave, Tom Hardy, Clive James, Jodie Marsh and Kevin Bacon and he co-produced and directed The Ponds, which has screened in UK cinemas, BBC Four and is currently available on Netflix. 

An entertainment writer with a diverse taste in TV and film, he lists Seinfeld, The Sopranos, The Chase, The Thick of It and Detectorists among his favourite shows, but steers well clear of most sci-fi.