Ian fired from 'The Apprentice'

Ian Stringer is the third contestant to depart The Apprentice.

Ian, 26, a software sales manager from Flitwick, joined Kevin Shaw and Simon Smith in the boardroom after coming second to the girls in their pub restaurant and theme night task.

As team captain, Ian was fired by Sir Alan Sugar after the boys team's Italian night took in £300 profit against the girls' £600 for a Bollywood night.

The boys took in more revenue than their opponents but Sir Alan was angry with their lack of preparation regarding costing.

Sugar told the team: "I'll tell you what annoys me, about this loss, is this is the epitome of blowing in to the wind. You went out and took £844, you actually worked hard, you were beavering away, and what was the end result? Nothing really, because you made fatal errors, that's what annoys me."

Sugar also questioned Simon's contribution to the team: "I know you can graft, but can you inspire?"

Ian pinned the blame for his firing on chef Kevin: "Mistakes were made by me head chef. There'll be no tears, no anger, because I trust myself to deal with whatever happens in life. I can deal with this because I'm an achiever."

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

> Click here for our interview with Ian