Remote Control: Saturday 27 December, 2014

So this was the year all the big questions were being asked, like: ‘What do women dislike the most? Vegetables, waxing or cricket.’
By The Newsroom
Published 27th Dec 2014, 14:00 BST
Villagers walk with their belongings past two boats that were washed ashore by tidal waves at Nagappattinam, in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu.Villagers walk with their belongings past two boats that were washed ashore by tidal waves at Nagappattinam, in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu.
Villagers walk with their belongings past two boats that were washed ashore by tidal waves at Nagappattinam, in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu.

Sadly, I don’t think we ever got the definitive answer from the finest young business brains of Britain during a task to create a board game from scratch. Yes, The Apprentice (BBC1, last Sunday) has rumbled to the conclusion of its 10th series.

In a bid to stave off cries that the show is past its sell-by date, this year they started with 20 candidates – the highest ever number – allowing Lord Sugar the option of double, or as on one memorable occasion, a triple firing.

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But in the final it all came down to Aussie Mark, with his nebulous digital marketing business plan, versus Bianca’s scheme to make people pay six times the odds for some coloured tights.

Our final pair’s task was to launch their business in 48 hours, with the help of some of those previously fired.

It was nice to see that Daniel –he of the pursed lips and misguided faith in his ability to sell stuff – wasn’t nursing any grudges against his nemesis. After being picked by Bianca, he told her: ‘You got me fired, but I hate Mark more.’ And he later added: ‘At the end of the day, I’ve still got a chance to beat Mark here.’

Maybe it was the use of men in bright orange and blue body condoms that swung it at his presentation, but Mark ultimately scooped the £250,000 start-up cash.

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However, I don’t think the world of hosiery has seen the last of Bianca, as industry experts seemed keen on her idea. Just so long as she doesn’t offer exclusivity rights on a pittance, I guess.

Apparently The Shugster’s right-hand man, Nick Hewer, who has been there since the start, is bowing out this year.

Following his surprise appearance as one of the interviewers in the penultimate round, could previous winner, Ricky Martin – no, not that one –, be getting ready to step up...?

Incredibly, yesterday marked the 10th anniversary of the Boxing Day tsunami that devastated the Indian Ocean region, killing a quarter of a million and ruining the lives of millions more. Tsunami: Survivors’ Stories (ITV, Monday) followed the stories of a hand full of British survivors and the families of those who didn’t.

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The documentary didn’t attempt to take in the full terrible scale of the tragedy, instead focusing on these few – all of whom were still clearly struggling to come to terms with what happened that day.

Siblings Ben and Emily, 14 and 16 at the time, returned to Thailand for an emotionally-charged reunion with the local woman, Yupin, who comforted them while their father tried in vain to find their mother.

And Dorothy, who lost her partner Tom, kept what she called her ‘tsunami box’, which contained all her belongings related to the day, as she explained: ‘When you think you’re having a bad day, you take yourself back to that day, and think no, I’m not really. What’s in that box, that was a bad day.’

The programme wasn’t perfect, but you’d need a heart of stone to remain unmoved by the stories these people told.

Chris Broom

Related topics:Britain