Ben Clarke's 'Junior Apprentice' verdict

Ben Clarke caused a stir on last year's Apprentice with his no-nonsense attitude, cut-throat business sense and desperation to win at all costs. Ultimately, the Sandhurst-loving former stockbroker, who thinks "making money is better than sex", fell foul of Lord Alan Sugar. We caught up with the Belfast-born contestant to find out what he's up to a year on from being fired and get his straight-talking verdict on the Junior candidates.

What was your reaction when you heard about the Junior version of the show?
"I thought it was a fantastic idea. I was so young myself, going into the adult version, I appreciated that it was possible to get along in it with very little experience and to pull it off completely on acumen. I was only 11 months out of university and therefore had very little business experience. These guys have virtually nothing so they're going completely on acumen - it's fantastic to see. I'm really enjoying it. It's disappointing to see that the public aren't taking as much interest as they do in the adult version but I think it's good and there are a few good characters in there which is really important."

Do you think it's appropriate to put 16-17 year olds through the process on television?
"Well within a year they're going to have the right to vote, they're full adults so I know they're young but if you're going to be declared a full adult at 18 you've got to be ready to take the job on. It is a stressful environment, it is difficult, I did struggle but it's one of those situations where you don't get through unless you can take it. If you weren't capable you wouldn't be there."

You are hosting your own video blog. Are you hoping to go into TV presenting as Kate Walsh has?
"Not particularly. I wouldn't rule it out but then I wouldn't rule anything out. Obviously I'm having to present my Junior Apprentice Blog. It's been a bit of a shaky start because I've never presented anything before so I'm really having to wing it! I know I'm not very good so you always worry that your friends who are TV presenters are looking at you going 'What the hell is he doing!' The real money in TV is making the shows not being on them."

Who is your favourite candidate?
"I've been doing a rundown each week and I have now promoted Tim to number one and demoted Zoe - I think she might be a one-trick pony. She's all sales. There are two angles to the selling thing - there's selling the product to the consumer and then as we saw last night, she did completely whip Kirsty in selling herself as an agent to the producer or the artist. Kirsty was saying she was fantastic at sales but she wasn't fantastic at sales - she was useless. She didn't engage with the artists, she didn't manage to sell herself to the artists and then her sales patter at the actual exhibition wasn't great either. That said, Zoe's getting demoted because her teamwork skills left a lot to be desired."

Will Kirsty be the next out?
"She could be. My rundown is 1. Tim,. 2. Zoe, 3. Emma, 4. Kirsty, 5. Arjun. Arjun is going to have to step up to the plate next week - it'll obviously be Arjun and Kirsty team-leading. He seems to be quite chilled out but whether he can pull it out of the bag will be a different kettle of fish. [Last night] he sold one painting for £2,500 but you've got to look at the overall team takings which were roughly £6,000 and I think Zoe was responsible for the rest, which is why she was maybe a little bit arsey even though they won the task. That's not going to do her any favours because at the end of the day - well, in the adult Apprentice - Lord Sugar's got to fit you somewhere into his organisation. The big question he would be asking himself taking on an apprentice like Zoe is where would you fit into my organisation and how would you get on with my existing staff. You can sell, what else can you do?"

Will Tim win?
"Possibly. He showed a new side to himself last night. He's always been an ideas man but he showed last night that he can remain cool and calm under pressure, manage a team well and sell himself well. I really liked how he made sure to chase up potential buyers before everything happened. I thought: 'Here's a guy who knows what's important here.'

How did you rate Emma as the other team leader?
"I thought she did quite well as well, to be fair. They sold £6,000 worth of stuff, didn't they, so she did quite well."

Did any of them have the makings for a Sandhurst scholarship?
"Tim could probably handle Sandhurst - he's a bit rough and ready, he's got fantastic taste in socks... I don't know if Digital Spy have picked up on this, but Tim has gone for the Ben Clarke look this year. Unshaved with outstanding taste in socks."

Ben Clarke's video blogs can be found at www.youtube.com/user/BenClarkeApprentice