The Apprentice interview - Lee McQueen
Thursday, 12 June 2008
Well nobody thought he'd edge motor-mouth Claire Young or charm-laden Alex Wotherspoon to the most lucrative job in reality TV, but Lee McQueen managed it last night, to become Sir Alan Sugar's new Apprentice.
Yesterday we said nobody had worked harder than milkman's son Lee McQueen to get to the final of The Apprentice, and although we reckoned he came across as more of a Del Boy salesman than a cut-and-thrust businessman, maybe that's what Alan Sugar wants. A raw, determined bloke, similar to him!
Now crowned the winner of The Apprentice 2008, Lee McQueen speaks about how he felt when he won, how he feels now, and gives us a bit of Apprentice goss...
Congratulations, Lee! How do you feel?
I'm feeling very happy, very pleased. It's all a bit surreal at the moment. Winning hasn't sunk in as much as it should have. It's brilliant. It's a very strange thing because I've been in the process for such a long time and now it has ended. For me, it's ended on a fantastical high, and I've achieved what I set out to do. There is no better feeling that that.
How did you feel the moment he told you?
My heart missed a beat when he said you're hired. I just tried to take it all in. It's a relief as well as anything else cos you put yourself out there for such a long period of time, to finally hear those words in phenomenal. It felt brilliant.
Do you know what your actual role will be?
Sir Alan is looking at acquiring another organisation, which will launch a new product into the marketplace. There will be a lot of branding, and lots of preparation. It's something he and his staff are very passionate about.
Will there be any presentations to do?
I think there might be later on. The presentation problem is something that Sir Alan has to knock out of me, I suppose, but I think I put my tissue task presentation demons to rest in the final. I think I delivered my presentation quite well.
Are you nervous about your first day on the job?
I'm not nervous, I'm confident. I'm really pleased that the job I will be doing is testing the skills that I learnt on The Apprentice, and teaching me new skills around how to set up a business how to run an organisation, so I'm more excited than nervous.
He's told you off for not wearing a tie, hasn't he?
Yes, I wore a tie right through the Apprentice process, so until I met him after the show, he hadn't seen me without one. Well except in week five, when he came to the house and I was in my pyjamas.
Has Sir Alan given you any advice for your new role?
Yes he told me to take the time to take everything in, and he told me not to take on too much at the one time. Some people can get a little bit excited and try to do everything at once. The project starts with lots of research and planning and he told me to do that thoroughly before cracking on.
You and him bonded over your love of Spurs...
Yeah, I don't think being a Tottenham Hotspur fan hindered me! But Sir Alan is very professional and I'm sure his overall decision was based on more than just that.
Overall, how did you enjoy your time on The Apprentice?
I would recommend The Apprentice to anyone. It is great to be taken out of your comfort zone and be given a real challenge... The Apprentice allows people from all walks of life to put themselves out there and be challenged.
What were your best moments in the show?
I'm happy that out of all the candidates in the series, I ended up with the best record in the boardroom. I played twelve, won eight, lost three, and never was in the final three in the boardroom. I really enjoyed Marrakesh and the supercar task.
We enjoyed your impressions very much!
I've learned that if you get on the same level with people, and are willing to look a bit daft, then they will warm to you. The reverse pterodactyl is just something I do. When I did the impression of an alarm clock, there were language difficulties and he told me the right way to go. He had a laugh and told me the right way to go so it worked.
Who was the hardest person to manage?
Lucinda. Lucinda and I had a unique relationship because we were on team Alpha for a long time together we continued to win. When she was team leader she was very, very good and I have gone on record to say that many times. When she wasn't in charge she was very hard to manage, and I'm proud that I got the best out of Lucinda and Sara in the Marrakesh task I think they got their best comments the week that I managed them. In the supercar task it was very difficult to manage someone who still wanted to shadow someone, we only had three members so it was really important that everyone worked hard on their own.
You gave Sara a very hard time one evening. What was that about?
The thing between Sara and myself was a misunderstanding and we've shared our views about that. I knew that I would be project manager in task six, and I was trying to get everyone - not just Sara - fired up for the process. I have a lot of fire in my belly and sometimes that can be misconstrued. If I offended Sara I do apologise.
While we're on the tough questions - why did you lie on your C.V.?
That was such a cringeworthy moment. I was trying to paper over my insecurities over my lack of formal education. I did write on my C.V. that the qualification was not completed, but when Borden was grilling me, I couldn't remember what I'd written. The message is clear to everyone - don't fib on your C.V.
You've started a national craze with 'that's what I'm talking about'...
It is becoming quite popular! I think it's one of those things that you love to hate. I'd be happy if it caught on. Do you know that in the Marrakesh task I apparently said it every six minutes, which is ridiculous!
Can you do the same for talking in the third person, such as 'Lee McQueen is very concerned'?
I said that because I was on speaker phone, and in week three, people didn't know each other very well. I wanted to make my point clear, and I wanted to make it clear who was saying it.
You had some great moments in there, such as directing the sexy video in task 12.
I had to be quite caring or tender, because the model that we were using was beautiful, but only about seventeen or eighteen. I didn't want to start talking about the love making thing, but I did need her to get into the mood.
So that was you toning down your romance?
Yeah! It was! I didn't want to offend anyone but I wanted to get the best out of the actors and I think the photos came out brilliantly actually.
You did well in the tissue task...
All I remember was the cringeworthy presentation. I was happy that I got to have the chance to be creative, and come up with a brand that well received. I was proud of the Atishu! name. I tried to do the same thing with Psst! in the perfume task but it didn't go down so well!
Bet you wish you had a box of Atisu! handy when you had your nosebleed!
Yeah, that was pressure, that was, when I was preparing the final presentation. I knew there were 150 people in the room, including industry experts and Sir Alan. I was losing it, but I held it together and nailed it in the end.
Who do you think was your strongest competition?
I realised that very early on, Alex was going to be strong competition. Alex is not afraid to speak his mind and sometimes that got a bit misconstrued in the boardroom, but he was strong. I realised Claire had a good chance around about week five. She came through a lot of pressure and kept getting better.
Who have you kept in touch with?
I've spoken to Claire, Helene, Alex, and Raef. Raef was one of my best buddies in the house, everybody loves Raef. That sounds like it should be a TV programme!
How do you think you're perceived by the public?
The thing is with me is what you see is what you get. Maybe I've proved to younger viewers that a) you shouldn't swear and b) education is important to get a good set up in life. Hopefully I've also proved to older viewers that even if your exam results aren't great you can still achieve your goals; it's never too late to change your life.
And you can achieve anything as long as you employ your spell check...
Yeah - I think I might go for a dyslexia test in the next few days!
Any words of advice for prospective Apprentice candidates?
Understand that you will get a lot of scrutiny. It's not a reality TV programme - it's a serious business programme that teaches invaluable business skills. It you want that, you should absolutely do it. It's like no other job interview in the world.
Did Lee deserve it? Share your opinions in our Reality TV forum >
Image credits: WENN/BBC
Interview credit: BBC
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