Lord Sugar fires 'Apprentice' candidate after France flop

Leon Doyle became the latest candidate to get fired from The Apprentice this evening after failing to impress Lord Sugar in a British export challenge.

Sugar packed the remaining candidates off to France, where they were challenged to sell unique and unusual British products for the highest possible value.

Susan Ma's Team Venture soared to victory and made a record-breaking €228,699 after Helen Milligan secured €214,000 in a deal with La Redoute. In comparison, Tom Pellereau's Team Logic only made €11,705 in sales.

After the results were revealed, Lord Sugar blasted: "This is not just a loss, this is an annihilation, I'm going to need to get to the bottom of who's responsible."

Pellereau was quick to defend himself, arguing: "Fundamentally we lost because of one order, a very very big order for the rucksack." The project manager shifted the blame on to Melody Hossaini, who he claimed had failed in her market research into what would be the best product to sell.

However, an unimpressed Sugar responded: "You were the team leader, you didn't put your foot down and take it. Sometimes, your instinct, your gut feeling, you should go with it."

Pellereau took Hossaini and Doyle back into the boardroom, but Sugar and Nick Hewer believed that he made a mistake in his choices.

"Melody brought home the bacon so don't let's pretend that she was a failure because she wasn't," said Hewer. Meanwhile, Karren Brady posed the question: "What on earth did Leon do?"

Sugar's final decision came down to "gut instinct" and he claimed that he admired Hossaini for her "bulldozing" tactics on the challenge and he took a punt on Pellereau despire question marks over his decision making.

"Leon, I don't know what you were doing on this task, all I've heard from you is that you couldn't speak French and you left everything to Melody," said Sugar.

"From a gut instinct, I think I've made my mind up, Leon - you're fired."

Speaking in the black cab home, Doyle said: "I'm really upset that he chose me, I really saw myself getting to the finals and working with Lord Sugar. I'm everything I think he's looking for, if he's failed to spot that then it's his loss."

The Apprentice continues next Wednesday at 9pm on BBC One.