Tom Allen who hosts The Apprentice: You’re Fired says he's terrified he'll accidentally let slip the winner. Comedian and presenter, Tom, has been at the helm of the spin-off show to The Apprentice since taking over from Rod Gilbert in 2019.
However, in an exclusive chat with WhatToWatch.com he reveals he's always fearful of revealing the winner and so has a special way of avoiding that.
This week’s episode saw the final four candidates, Brittany Carter, Stephanie Affleck, Harpreet Kaur and Kathryn Burn being put through their paces during grueling interviews with Lord Sugar’s advisors, including scary Claude Littner.
Four became two as Stephanie and Brittany were fired leaving Harpreet and Kathryn to battle it out for Lord Sugar's £250,000 investment in next week's final on Thursday, March 24.
Speaking to Whattowatch.com Tom says, “I only ever watch The Apprentice one week in advance so that I don’t know too much ahead and definitely don’t know who’s won!
"It means I can enjoy the excitement and the revelations as they come along but most importantly it means I definitely don’t know the winner. It’s best that way. It’s always terrifying when you’re doing interviews that you’ll get a bit confused and make some terrible revelation on The One Show or something!"
Next week Tom is hosting a new panel show, The Island, which begins on Wednesday, March 23, the day before The Apprentice final so he definitely needs to keep his lips tightly sealed.
Here Tom, who's also a regular presenter on Bake Off's spin-off show, An Extra Slice, goes on to reveal what he most loves most about The Apprentice, who he’d choose to be stranded on a desert island and what his own baking skills are like...
Tom Allen — what do you enjoy most about presenting The Apprentice: You’re Fired?
Tom Allen says, "I actually love meeting the candidates. They are such a nice crowd. But I also like making fun of them when they do silly things like creating a toothbrush that looks disgusting! What’s great about The Apprentice is how galvanized the fan base is, it’s really die-hard. We always have so many fans wanting to come to You’re Fired, we have to turn them away."
Your new show, The Island, sees four comedians compete to create the ultimate island. How do you think this year’s Apprentice candidates would handle being stranded on an island together?
"Appallingly! The thing about doing The Apprentice is, it’s a bit like doing a Year 9 drama at school when you’re put in a group together and told to create a play. No-one listens to each other, everybody wants to be the star. But you can’t have too many leaders in the world, you’ve got to have people who follow too. I think they would be a nightmare but that would be very fun to watch!"
Who would you like as your companion if you were stranded on a desert island?
"Joanna Lumley would be good because she’s done it before for her programme, Girl Friday. She would know what to do, she’d have great stories to tell and be very entertaining and positive."
"Kathy Burke would be good too because she’s very direct with me which I think I would need because I’d talk too much and not get anything done. I’d be like ‘Oh let's just sit down and chat again’ and she’d be ‘No!'"
How resourceful would you be left entirely to your own devices?
"I’d be rubbish. Any remote island setting would be my worst nightmare. I was in the cubs but the only badges I got were for things like housekeeping, cleaning, cookery and first aid. Everybody else got all these great adventurous ones. I couldn’t start a fire and I never went camping. Camp came to me!"
Will you be back doing An Extra Slice again later this year?
"That’s the plan. We have a lovely time making that show and Jo Brand is so brilliant. I tend to be a bit more sarcastic on that than I am on You’re Fired. I think the bakers have had such a nice experience in the Bake Off tent you can poke fun at them a bit more. It’s a bit of a contrast to The Apprentice where I feel I have to be nicer because the candidates have already had a rough time being told off in the boardroom!"
What are your own baking skills like and have you picked up any good tips from doing Extra Slice all these years?
"My baking skills are terrible. I thought I’d be really good from doing all these programmes but no, I’ve never learned anything it turns out and I’m awful. I tend to over-bake things. I panic. I don’t trust the oven and I don’t have equipment you need like mixers. It’s really hard trying to do things like that with just your arm. You get tired and have to sit down."
You've had acting roles in the past. Would you fancy a return to acting?
"Yes I would. I like acting. I think I like the dressing up bit. I did a thing recently where I had got to put on a wig and dress up as the Roman Emperor Caligula and I did enjoy that. And so yeah, I do quite like dressing up and doing silly voices. So I would love to do more of that. Maybe a sitcom one day!"
The Island starts Wednesday, March 23 at 10pm on Dave.
