Music tastes and news stories may come and go.

But year after year, Britain seems to produce a crop of razor-sharp business minds bursting with more entrepreneurial talent than the last, able to give of themselves hundreds more percent than mathematicians ever thought possible.

Not all of us can be blessed with such ability – but we can all learn lessons from the candidates’ insightful strategies. No doubt you’ve got your own favourite moments – here are four of ours!

1. Don’t take no for an answer

Selling ice cream to Eskimos, yes. Coal to Newcastle, perhaps.

But there’s a reason why 'selling spades and shower heads to Debenhams' hasn’t made it into the business dictionary.

It certainly wasn’t for the want of trying.

As the candidates dragged their bathroom appliances, garden tools and a large container of soil through spotless aisles of beauty products, none of them seemed concerned by the mismatch.

2. Set a competitive price (and then increase it)

You’ve heard of Price Drop TV. This is Price Rise TV. It’s certainly an unusual approach for a TV shopping channel task.

Yasmina Siadatan and James McQuillan are not entirely sure of the prices of the products they’re trying to sell - but their on-screen double act is priceless.

3. Make your sales pitches memorable

Company director Alex Mills from Cardiff didn’t get to be a project manager until the ninth task - when he was promptly fired.

Asked to come up with a type of ready meal, his team delivered a brand with a horror theme, which got a cool reception from mums in market research ("I as a parent tend not to buy anything with skulls").

But it was Alex’s contribution to a pitch aimed at supermarket buyers that was the real horror story:

 
4. Take an aggressive approach

Organising a team-building away day offered our candidates a unique showcase for their skills, and boy did they make the most of it.

Displaying the impeccable judgment that would lead to her being 'hired' by Lord Sugar, Leah Totton dressed up in a kitsch army uniform, and treated the pinstriped staff of a large corporate bank to a display of sumo wrestling.

A dignified end, there, to our little collection of awkward Apprentice moments.

Over to you. What were your favourite lessons from the last few years? Let us know in the comments!

Ten Years of The Apprentice is on Monday, 13 October at 10.35pm on BBC One and BBC One HD, 11.05pm on BBC One Wales, and 11.15pm on BBC One NI. For further programme times, please see the upcoming broadcasts page.

Series 10 of The Apprentice begins at 9pm on Tuesday, 14 October, and continues on Wednesday, 15 October on BBC One and BBC One HD. For further programme times, please see the episode guide.

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BBC One: The Apprentice: Meet the Candidates
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Comments made by writers on the BBC TV blog are their own opinions and not necessarily those of the BBC.

On paper it sounded easy, but in reality (especially without a plan B!) it couldn’t have been much more complicated.

If the insider’s cover was blown we simply wouldn’t have a programme to deliver and we’d all be in big trouble – a fear that had the team on the ground in a state of perpetual paranoia and myself, as the executive producer back in the office, constantly checking my phone expecting a call at any second to say it had all gone horribly wrong.

From the outset we were determined not to make a mean programme. This wasn’t going to be about identifying the worst person for the job but rather about discovering the best. 

The job seekers would be clearly informed (both in writing and verbally) that they’d be assessed around the clock and that anything they said to each other, on or off camera, might be reported back to the bosses.

There would be no hidden cameras, no deliberate attempts to trip people up and no humiliation.

The chosen companies would be encouraged to offer all the candidates further opportunities beyond filming (something they were all very keen to do) and everyone was comfortable and felt we had been fair.

Finding suitable companies to take part in the series wasn’t difficult, but finding suitable companies with suitable insiders was. We needed people who were convincing actors - senior enough to decide who to hire, but who could behave with the youthful, less experienced manner of the other job seekers.

They had to be tough enough to deal with the pressure of not being 100% honest with people they might bond with and, of course, they needed to be confident enough to keep their cover 24/7 (including after a few drinks in the pub!)

Making approaches to potential insiders only increased our anxiety levels. What if they didn’t like our idea or we inadvertently hit on the office blabbermouth? The secret could be blown before we’d picked up a camera.

To minimise the risks we worked with the company bosses. First we talked through the options and, with the help of company photos and video footage, and sometimes a subtle ‘recce’ (which mostly consisted of a tour of the office and a sharp nudge when we passed a potential insider) we drew up a very short list of targets.

These people were then individually approached by the company and, once they’d agreed to sign a confidentiality agreement, we were finally able to talk.

The final four insiders had to remove all online traces of themselves. Names and photos were removed from company websites, Facebook and Twitter accounts were deactivated and, just in case we’d missed something and a very enthusiastic/suspicious candidate outwitted us with their detective skills, we also changed their surnames.

We avoided telling the insiders too much about the job hopefuls because we wanted them to get to know them on camera. But we did have to run their names by them to check they weren’t related and/or hadn’t met before (yet another risk!)

There was a danger that they’d start overthinking things and act unnaturally, so as much a possible we treated them as if they were one of the competitors. 

We even made them go through exactly the same casting process as the others so that they were prepared if someone asked where they’d found out about the programme and what they thought of the selection process.

After much debate, we decided to bring the companies’ employees (or at least all the people who worked in the buildings we were shooting in) in on the secret a day or two before filming started.

We were worried that if we did it too early the secret would soon get out beyond the company and potentially reach our job seekers, but too late and we might cause upset in the workplace with people feeling they hadn’t been given time to discuss any concerns.

They all signed confidentiality agreements and were instructed to behave as normal – apart from, of course, having to remember to pretend they’d never met one of their colleagues before and avoid the urge to pull silly faces in their presence!

In one episode we filmed with a workforce of more than 750 people looking on - and held our breath every time our candidates were within earshot of the rest of the company.

There was always the chance that someone would, wittingly or unwittingly, give the game away. In fact, within the first ten minutes of filming our first episode, a security guard innocently, but very loudly, asked the film crew why one of the company’s managers was sitting over there (a few feet away with the other candidates) waiting for a temporary pass to the building!

Thankfully, the group were engrossed in conversation, the security guard was quickly (and very quietly) brought in on the ruse and a note was swiftly sent out for the next three episodes… Never forget the security guards!

Ros Ponder is an executive producer on The Insider.

The Insider continues on Mondays at 9pm on BBC Three. For further programme times please see the episode guide.

Comments made by writers on the BBC TV blog are their own opinions and not necessarily those of the BBC.

 

I trust my instincts and knew I would make the right choices with my investments.

I think the beauty of us five judges is that we all have our own strengths and expertise and complement each other well.

I was excited when Piers came into a deal with me and I’m enjoying working with him.

I did think that we would work well together: I was certainly keen to learn from him as the fast-moving technology industry fascinates me.

The new lift which delivers entrepreneurs in and out of the Den is a great addition.

Watching the entrepreneurs’ reaction as they walk in is so interesting and even more so as they leave - especially when they have just had an offer. You see their genuine joy.

As a viewer I really enjoyed watching all of the Dragons – each one is always unique.

Now as a Dragon myself I have learnt so much from each of them, even though we are competing for an investment.

We don’t always agree but more often than not I find myself in line with Deborah. We go after the same pitches, probably because we both invest in the person who is pitching and not just the business.

I don’t think the show puts people off starting up their own businesses at all. On the contrary, it inspires people.

Entrepreneurs are able to see others go on the show with interesting ideas and it helps them to believe in themselves.

It gives people that push to take the risk, something that being an entrepreneur is all about!

The realness of the show is always so captivating. It is an honest show, we have to be honest as investors.

We are not there to pretend when something clearly is not a good investment or, as often happens, the valuation is ridiculous and therefore you have no choice but to not invest.

Sometimes that is a shame. Equally there are businesses you simply don't want to invest in.

It’s a rollercoaster every day you are there. It is more than your average show, everyone is 100% involved.

Kelly Hoppen is the new Dragon on Dragons' Den.

Dragons' Den begins on Sunday, 11 August at 8pm on BBC Two and BBC Two HD. For further programme times, please see the episode guide.

More on Dragons' Den

BBC Radio 4 Woman's Hour: Kelly Hoppen interview

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Comments made by writers on the BBC TV blog are their own opinions and not necessarily those of the BBC.

Richard Reed talks about how to turn a good idea into a great business

Be Your Own Boss on BBC Three is me putting this model into action. On a larger scale.

In the series you'll hear me banging on and on about the quality of the idea and the quality of the team as I expose myself to 500 pitches from new entrepreneurs looking for investment.

There are some where I don't rate the idea but can see talent in the entrepreneur (step forward the Porridge Power lady), there are some where the idea would do much better if it could choose itself a new team and there are a few where the planets align and both are good.

And that's when we get to talk business.

I hope people enjoy watching the show. But more than that I hope it helps people who want to set up their own company.

It's designed to, by showing both what it takes to set up a business and what investors look for in funding start ups.

And as people watch the stages unfurl it will hopefully trigger the reaction I am most looking for in the viewer - one of, 'hang on, I could do that'.

And if you do find yourself thinking that when you're watching, you're right.

So switch the telly off and go get started on your business plan instead.

Richard Reed is the co-founder of innocent Drinks and appears in Be Your Own Boss.

Be Your Own Boss is on Wednesday, 19 September at 9pm on BBC Three. For further programme times, please see the episode guide.

Comments made by writers on the BBC TV blog are their own opinions and not necessarily those of the BBC.

It's just that I don't want Business Nightmares to make you all feel smug about the failings of business.

If there is a reason why most of us would not make mistakes on the scale of the characters in the programme, it is simply that most of us don't make complex decisions like the people in the programme.

We don't create companies, launch new products or devise marketing campaigns.

When most of us make mistakes they tend to be rather routine. Whether we be journalists or dentists, filing clerks or mechanics, we err all the time and rectify (or ignore) our mistakes as we discover them.

But for those in business, it is different.

They live in a world governed by gods that are particularly creative.

Gods that hate to make life regular, that enjoy playing with the unpredictable and that like to challenge the brave.

So when we see people in business fail, we must always ask whether they deserve respect rather than derision.

For example, in the three-part series of Business Nightmares, some of the nightmares are simply genuinely difficult situations that no amount of clever handling could resolve.

What exactly would you have done if you were running Polaroid when digital cameras came along?

We feature gambles that were taken perfectly reasonably, but which didn't happen to pay off in the end. The Rabbit phone seemed like an awfully good idea when mobile phones were beyond the reach of ordinary people, but is easily ridiculed now.

And we tell the stories of what I call "good" mistakes - those which result from trying to be ambitious and original. Boo.com was ambitiously ahead of its time but at least it wasn't stuck in the past.

Of course, there are a few straightforward bad mistakes too: the genuine howlers that prompt one to ask, "What were they thinking?"

Royal Bank of Scotland's takeover of ABN Amro as a banking crisis broke in 2007 comes to mind. But there are fewer of those than you would think.

So here's my tip in watching the programme. Laugh at the funny bits. Revel in the mistakes. But laugh with the protagonists not at them.

And be inspired by them to take a few risks of your own, to be ambitious and to move outside your comfort zone to the arenas of life where error is inevitable.

Business Nightmares with Evan Davis is on BBC Two at 8pm on Monday, 9 May.

Evan Davis is the presenter of Business Nightmares. He also a presenter on Radio 4's Today Programme, and BBC Two's Dragons' Den.

For further programme times, please visit the upcoming episodes page.

Comments made by writers on the BBC TV blog are their own opinions and not necessarily those of the BBC.

Another is that 50% of UK plc's turnover (or Gross Domestic Product [GDP] in layman's terms) comes from small and medium sized businesses.

And 50% of all small and medium sized businesses fail in the first three years.

Now if we can give them a leg up with some guidance and finance, then we could gallop out of this recession. We just want small and medium sized businesses not to fail so dramatically. And we only need to do a tincy wincy bit.

With a little bit of growth from businesses abroad, we can replace all that consumer buying that is now lacking in the UK.

Doing business abroad sounds very attractive looking at it that way.

But of course, doing business in someone else's back yard can seriously get your butt kicked if you don't learn their culture. And it takes more than an airline ticket and a hotel room to do business abroad.

The show was made in partnership with the Open University, so it is a learning-based programme that had to be entertaining too. There's only a little bit of lecturing there, hopefully.

Something I preach when you start a new business is: homework, homework, homework.

Stack the cards in your favour. In a casino if you stack the cards in your favour, you get thrown out. In commerce it's called knowing your business and with it, you'll have a better chance of surviving.

You can't say "I'm going to set up in India or Vietnam or Brazil" from the comfort of your office. You need to get out there, smell it and see it.

I'll share a story with you about a lingerie business I was once involved in. We had a successful formula which worked all around the world so we set up a franchise in Saudi Arabia.

So, you have lovely lingerie on the shelves and on the peg and fantastic pictures of ladies wearing it, which you put around the store and in the window.

Wrong.

Because in Saudi Arabia, you can't have those pictures up on display - number one.

Number two: all the shop assistants are male because women aren't allowed to work.

And then, just when you think you've got enough problems, every time there's a call to prayer, all your staff walk out the store, leaving the tills and doors open to go and pray.

Even with all our homework, those were three challenges we only learned about by being in the country.

Now luckily, they have a pretty good honesty system in Saudi Arabia, which I won't go into, but nobody nicks the money. So there's a relief. We could never bring that business model back to the UK where you say, don't worry, leave the tills alone and go to prayers. But it it really does work in Saudi. They don't steal the money.

Now if you've only got male assistants, the ladies won't try the lingerie on, so you don't need changing rooms. The customers take it home to try on and you have to have a good returns policy.

And how do you deal with not being able to put pictures up? You do artistic line drawings which simulate the female form and put that in the window.

You have to have an open mind. Look at your product and think, how do you modify it to fit the market? Because you know what, it's really tough to change the market to fit your product.

That leads us onto episode two, where you'll see us trying to launch three products in India - luxury watches, biofuel and Marmite. I started off thinking I was a hater though since the show I've come round a bit. If I had been a lover of Marmite, I probably wouldn't have liked to see this next scene in the programme.

It was where we were on the streets of Mumbai, giving away free Marmite sandwiches. The people just hated them. This starving stray dog came up to me, and I thought, well I've got a whole tray of these things...

So I end up on my hands and knees and as I'm going forward to the dog to entice it to eat this sandwich, the dog instantly taught itself to walk backwards. It became a circus dog and as I went backwards, the dog came forward. In the end I left it on the ground for him. He sniffed it, backed off, cocked his leg and walked away.

It's comical but that was a worry to me, I've got to be honest. Because if dogs won't eat it - who's going to? You'll see in the episode how we got through all the challenges.

The Marmite marketing team were fabulous by the way, and so they should be, being owned by Unilever and having the resources. Their venture partner in India thought Marmite wasn't a big enough product to try launching. Unilever deals with hundreds of millions of pounds of turnover with their washing powders and so on, and they didn't want to dilute their resources for a smaller product.

The marketing team decided to go ahead anyway. Marmite has a history of being commercial in varied ways.

In Sri Lanka, it sells very well as a drink you mix with a few local herbs - and it comes in powder form!

And during the First World War, Marmite was given to newborn British babies. It was sold as a food supplement for vitamin B. There's an old black and white ad I've seen around which says something like, "Have you got a disappointing baby? Feed it Marmite!"

Their marketing manager, Cheryl Calverley is exactly the person you'd like with you in the trenches. She has the right outlook in that she doesn't expect success or failure. For her, it's a scientific approach. If the samples weren't right, she wouldn't power on.

She's passionate, which is often something lacking in big companies. But she makes sure she still sees dangers and is prepared to rein back if the signs are there - some passionate people can't do that.

Entrepreneurs like me generally look at it differently. We look at the risk/reward ratio. My approach is gut reaction and experience. Sometimes I do things which have a chance of failure. I'm not afraid of failing.

Anyway, let us know what you thought of the programme - and if you've ever had a go at setting up abroad, let's hear your tips.

Theo Paphitis is the presenter of Theo's Adventure Capitalists.

The second episode, set in India, is broadcast on BBC Two at 8pm on Tuesday, 11 May. Episode one is available on iPlayer until Tuesday, 25 May.