This year's Apprentice final aired in a special live show yesterday in which the final four were presented to Lord Sugar's business colleagues for a gruelling interview process. Hot on the heels of the last firing, the finalists were given no time to "think on it" - whilst arriving home from Natasha's firing, the call arrived and the four were briefed on their business plans - before the winner, Tom, was selected.

It would have made things more difficult for them as Tom, Helen, Susan and Jim faced up to the ordeal of challenging questions when they could be having a rest - a matter which may have given calmly disposed competitors such as Tom and Helen the edge.

Tom's back-relieving chair idea, however was quickly torn to shreds by a pitbull terrier known as Lord Sugar's "global troubleshooter" - it was like watching a teddy bear face the death squad - as Tom smiled and nodded along.

"Your career is floundering at the moment.." said his interviewer..."Err...I wonder what would point you in that direction..." replied Tom calmly before being told it was the CV he had provided.

After facing grillings in the first half of the series he never answered back on certain questions. Helen - on the otherhand - had become perhaps too over confident on her successes: "You've got a pretty spectacular record in this process," admitted Margeret to Helen, "I have yes, I've been very lucky" - the slip of the tongue had her correcting - "Well, I think it's a culmination of hard work and luck." she had to add quickly.

In the end it was always difficult for Susan, who buzzed confidently - "I'm just really really excited," she confessed..."This is going to be a long interview" she was told. Her 'pie-in-the-sky' projection of a £1m profit in her first year of business seemed fictional, and her taxes appeared to have not been done. It was not just her who struggled, every competitor was grilled and tested on their interview skills:

"The majority of your business plan didn't use the word 'chair'" Tom was told after leaving the word out "by accident" - a business man or engineer "'has to be accurate", said his interviewers..."I'm not a show pony, or a one trick pony" claimed Jim on the other hand in his CV - "Did you take it seriously?" he was queried.