Accusations of bullying by candidates Candidate Shazia Hussain allegedly made a complaint to the BBC claiming that fellow candidate Mark Moseley racially abused her. It was claimed that the incident was caught on camera with the contestants wearing microphones but the BBC chose not to include it in the final broadcast of the programme. A BBC spokesperson said that after Hussain had made a complaint, "an investigation was conducted and she received in-person support from senior members of the production team".
Interviews stage bullying allegations The interviews stage, where the final five candidates are grilled on their business plans, was accused by viewers of going beyond grilling into bullying and belittlement.
Karren Brady's interviews with candidates Victoria Goulbourne and Dani Donovan brought both of them to tears. Brady called Victoria Goulbourne's business plan for her online sweet business as "crazy as it comes" and had "no depth or substance". Sarah Carson, culture editor at
iNews, wrote on Twitter that "it is deeply unpleasant to watch Karren Brady bully or sneer her way through" the interviews such as "treat[ing] all the contestants with disgust". In an opinion piece for
iNews, Emily Baker wrote that in contrast to previous years "this year's interviews felt different: more cruel, less substantial and, crucially, less fun than ever". She gave the examples of Linda Plant who recommended that Victoria Goulbourne return to her previous job as an airline stewardess and how Plant questioned Dani Donovan's use of mermaid branding in her hair extensions brand Mermane because mermaids do not actually exist.
Lord Sugar agreed with the allegations, calling the interview process for this season as 'hard to watch', and promised to tone it down in the next season. He has spoken to his advisors and the subsequent interview episodes will not be a repeat of the performance in this season. == References ==