The Apprentice (British TV series) series 9
The ninth series of British reality television series The Apprentice was broadcast in the UK on BBC One, from 7 May to 17 July 2013. This series saw the format return to having a business task as the final task, rather than simply concluding the series at the Interview stage. Alongside the standard twelve episodes, with the first two aired on consecutive days, two specials were aired alongside this series – "The Final Five" on 8 July, and "Why I Fired Them" on 11 July.
Sixteen candidates took part in the ninth series, with Leah Totton becoming the overall winner. Excluding specials, the series averaged around 7.34 million viewers during its broadcast.
Series overview
Applications for the ninth series opened in spring 2012, with the selection process of auditions, assessments and interviews held throughout the midsummer of that year, with filming beginning in October 2012. In contrast to series 7 and 8, this series returned to the original format, whereby the two finalists partook in a business venture as part of the final task, rather than the series concluding at the Interview stage. In addition, Sugar brought back the use of exotic filming locations, with the Great Recession coming to an end. Alongside these changes, Matthew Riley left the programme after two series as an interviewer, being succeeded by Claudine Collins.This series' teams were named Evolve and Endeavour. Of those who took part, Leah Totton would become the eventual winner, going on to establishing cosmetic skin clinics with her investment, the first of which opening on 22 January 2014.
Candidates
| Candidate | Background | Age | Result |
| Leah Totton | Doctor | 24 | Winner |
| Luisa Zissman | Retail Entrepreneur | 25 | Runner-up |
| Francesca MacDuff-Varley | Dance & Entertainment Entrepreneur | 32 | Fired after Interviews stage |
| Neil Clough | Regional Manager – Soccer Centres | 32 | Fired after Interviews stage |
| Jordan Poulton | Business Analyst | 26 | Fired after Interviews stage |
| Myles Mordaunt | Marketing Agency Co-Founder | 39 | Fired after tenth task |
| Alex Mills | Company Director | 22 | Fired after ninth task |
| Jason Leech | Historian / Property Entrepreneur | 29 | Fired after eighth task |
| Natalie Panayi | Recruitment Manager | 30 | Fired after seventh task |
| Kurt Wilson | Health Drink Entrepreneur and Health & Safety Manager | 26 | Fired after seventh task |
| Rebecca Slater | Pharmaceutical Sales Rep. | 35 | Fired after sixth task |
| Zeeshaan Shah | CEO of Property Investment Company | 27 | Fired after fifth task |
| Uzma Yakoob | Entrepreneur & Make-Up Brand Owner | 32 | Fired after fourth task |
| Sophie Lau | Restaurateur | 22 | Fired after third task |
| Tim Stillwell | Mexican Food Entrepreneur | 23 | Fired after second task |
| Jaz Ampaw-Farr | Literacy & Education Company Director | 41 | Fired after first task |
Performance chart
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Controversy
Jordan Poulton's applicationAs part of the programme's rules, candidates are not permitted to submit business plans for a company they do not own or co-own. However, upon applying, Jordan Poulton submitted a business plan that he was not an official director of, a fact picked up on by Claude Littner during the competition's Interview stage. Furthermore, Poulton was only prepared to yield a 15.39% equity stake to Lord Sugar, which is in direct contravention to the agreed-upon 50% partnership deal. Littner was so appalled by these revelations that he terminated the interview, after deeming Poulton a "parasite". Poulton later admitted on Twitter that he had been "naive" and apologised for "wasting everyone's time".
Ratings
Official episode viewing figures are from BARB.| Episode no. | Airdate | Viewers | BBC One weekly ranking |
| 1 | 7 May 2013 | 7.25 | 7 |
| 2 | 8 May 2013 | 6.64 | 8 |
| 3 | 15 May 2013 | 7.22 | 4 |
| 4 | 22 May 2013 | 7.69 | 2 |
| 5 | 28 May 2013 | 6.88 | 2 |
| 6 | 5 June 2013 | 7.29 | 2 |
| 7 | 12 June 2013 | 7.81 | 3 |
| 8 | 19 June 2013 | 7.48 | 4 |
| 9 | 26 June 2013 | 7.30 | 5 |
| 10 | 3 July 2013 | 7.53 | 5 |
| 11 | 10 July 2013 | 8.24 | 1 |
| 12 | 17 July 2013 | 6.74 | 2 |
Note: During the 2-hour final, the show was shared with The Apprentice: You're Hired, and as a result the figures are lower than usual. The first hour was the main show, followed directly by the corresponding episode of You're Hired.
Specials
| Episode | Airdate | Viewers | BBC One weekly ranking |
| The Final Five | 8 July 2013 | 3.39 | 29 |
| Why I Fired Them | 11 July 2013 |