That Mitchell and Webb Look - Apprentice

[@cow_tools_]

I love how they can just get a new hair style and wear a trendy shirt to appear like completely different characters.

[@makeawishlol]

✨acting✨

[@dddgtsd]

I was thinking that, whenever someone plays a TV producer they put a patterned shirt on and that generic 00s hairstyle and somehow it's spot on haha.

[@VSC96]

@@dddgtsdhahah that is so true wow!

[@naysaykiller928]

Don't forget the glasses

[@samuelboundy7184]

That's sort of how acting works.

[@JockTalk7]

I auditioned for the apprentice, through to the third round. This sketch is literally true, there were actual geniuses with me and none of them made it in. The crazy ones did.

[@JockTalk7]

One of the crazy ones asked me "So what's your secret tactic going to be?" And I said - "well i'm going to make sure our team does the best in every round" - and she just said "Aww, bless". She then told me how she'd made a pie out of dogfood for her boyfriend and put his toothbrush in the toilet when she was nearly ready to dump him.

[@ColinHall]

I used to work for a company who was going to be featured in a task many years ago. Apparently the 'wrong' team 'won' that part of the task and the whole segment was removed. People need to realise just how construed the programme is. Even the way they cut together dodgy looks or awkward silences - every part of the whole thing is fabricated for drama. Something you'd expect more from ITV than the BBC to be honest.

[@xenon8117]

@@ColinHall Last night with the asparagus he was unfairly blamed. The guy on the phone led them on about it being fresh and yet he gets the blame for the trip which Lord Sugar would have you think was up in the very north of scotland when it was only a quarter hour or so.

[@juliaconnell]

the crazy ones make for 'good' tv - the crazier the better. not just this, most reality shows

[@madontherun]

I want to be on the Chase as I find all the questions beneath me. Someone told me to act thick and get most of the test questions wrong to have any chance of getting on

[@simonhmackie]

Amazing how this is all still true, more than a decade later.

[@LDacic]

This has been true for centuries

[@L.i.am95]

You look like you could be webbs brother

[@uschurch]

It's only amazing to an idiot 🤷‍♂️

[@AA-hg5fk]

That's because there's still plenty of idiots around and the BBC like to keep shows going for more than a decade after they cease to be interesting!

[@GirolamoZanchi_is_cool]

And you will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart. -Jeremiah 29:13 “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish, but have eternal life. -John 3:16 Repent therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out. - Acts 3:19 If you’re in North America, please go check out any of the churches available to you: PCA, OPC, Rpcna/Rpc, Urcna, or a canrc church (These are conservative and actual Presbyterian churches) If you can’t find one of the conservative presby churches then, maybe a Lcms Lutheran church. If you are Scottish, I recommend the Free Church of Scotland and the APC. (Different from the Church of Scotland) If you’re English I recommend the Evangelical Presbyterian Church in England & Wales and the Free Church of England (Different from the Church of England) Also online you can look up church finders for each of the groups, it will show you locations.

[@notthatadam]

"we can't give a million pounds to an idiot, that's what the lottery's for"

[@JackPorter]

@Vi Vl sorry to hear about the diagnosis. how are you dealing with your idiocy?

[@Jariid]

@Vika Crym You've just won the lottery

[@sergiojuanmembiela6223]

Lottery is for getting money from idiots

[@zapkvr]

A thousand pounds. That's loads to an idiot

[@Leto_0]

@Vika Crym the humor is that it's unwise to play the lottery. They're saying everyone who plays the lottery is an idiot. Sorry if that's you but you're better off being insulted than scammed.

[@benmaketh]

"They show up the same, my friend. They show up just the same." That couldn't have been more pointed if they looked directly into the camera. I love it!

[@IshtarNike]

Guarantee some people watch this clip and laugh without realising it's about them

[@rockets4kids]

Funny how votes work the same way

[@DanTheStripe]

"I've got a hunch that for some reason, people will think that this never stops being worth commentating upon." That gets more and more relevant with every new series of the Apprentice.

[@paulrawcliffe7452]

That's numberwang.

[@tonk3878]

Many people obliviously commenting on the same thing is a staple of humanity. We’ve done it, we’re doing it, and we’ll do it until our little lives peter out of existence.

[@AnonEyeMouse]

I didn't get through a single episode of the Apprentice.

[@boba2783]

Still relevant in 2022

[@qmkut9121]

"And thanks to the huge number of Love Island rejects desperate for 15-minutes of fame, we now have a totally new batch of idiots ready made for us to use."

[@TheRealJDC]

Nearly every sentence is quote-worthy. Perfect

[@vzxvzvcxasd7109]

I don't think most people understand, they're satirising the real show, they find a bunch of idiots, and they show it to idiots, but then somehow, they'll think they're the only ones knowing that the show is full of idiots, because they're dressed in a suit

[@RickReasonnz]

Pretty much nailed every single reality show ever!

[@mary-janereallynotsarah684]

Except Outlast where the hardest working non idiot was basically shat on and abused the whole season while the crazies ran around unmonitored.

[@JohnPreston888]

I'm not too sure about that. I have only ever seen where they were filming "The real C**ts Of Suburbia", but not any episodes. It might have been a departure from the norm. (Thank you, Rockstar Games 😀 )

[@him050]

“Also, once the contestants are split into sub-teams we’ll ensure they make no communication with each other, whatsoever. No matter how important the new information is!”

[@wain9026]

I love how this skit could easily be a David Mitchell rant you see on Would I lie to You

[@mofomo6209]

“Everyone will think that they’re the only person watching to notice that the contestants are all idiots” ouch

[@tsawy6]

@@jacksprat9209 You can not watch it

[@3Dant]

@@tsawy6 Yes you can

[@stefevr]

@@3Dant No, you cannot

[@dylanclarke9497]

@@stefevr It is, in fact, the opposite of what you both are claiming.

[@stefevr]

@@dylanclarke9497 yes, it is not

[@GameArchiver]

"You can't give a million pounds to an idiot, that's what the lottery is for" LMAO

[@drifter402]

They basically managed to sum up ALL reality TV. If you ever talk to somebody that watches it they say "I just think it's funny how dumb they are," like they're above it all. As if that isn't the entire point

[@philpants44]

Ironically they're sitting there watching it instead of something worth watching not realising they're being swindled

[@Needham90]

"I wouldn't be a millionaire if I fired a fifth-teenth of my workforce each week" Brilliant.

[@gwouru]

learn to spell numbers.

[@Ben-nr2rm]

@@gwouru learn to spell wolf and right.

[@danielthompson6448]

@@gwouru Their comment was 9 years ago xD

[@nagualdesign]

_*Fifth-ten-eenth_

[@gwouru]

@@Ben-nr2rm You're just as bad as the guy who can't spell numbers. That's akin to me telling you to learn to spell your name. (since my comment was deleted)

[@sandman8472]

The lowest biggest amount for idiots is £100K - similar to what the winner of Big Brother gets LOL

[@Ramboost007]

I think they're specifically targeting Big Brother

[@Quareat]

Brilliant. This is exactly how the apprentice was conceived, exactly.

[@Collachienho]

another season... this couldn't be more true even now

[@andyc5155]

And also now...

[@ztrinx1]

Always and forever

[@AlanValdes]

forever and always

[@theunidropout]

Still now

[@stevenhulbert6973]

Still now two months later. will keep you posted bye!

[@Jco176]

And just like that, Total Wipeout was born.

[@magicaIpineapple]

id humiliate myself on tv for 100k to be honest

[@rymdalkis]

I have bad news my friend

[@magicaIpineapple]

if it's that i'm an idiot that isn't news to me

[@djoakeydoakey1076]

magicaIpineapple Are idiots self aware?

[@youfoolwarrenisdead6400]

Really, it's 1/16 chance to £100k, not guaranteed 100k.

[@benedikta.9121]

This is a strange situation. If one acknowledges that they themselves are idiotic then that shows they have a sense of self awareness, which is a sign of intelligence

[@BanjoLuke1]

I had no idea Mitchell and Webb produced the first series of The Apprentice. Some of this archive footage is extraordinary. Chapeau to whoever is finding it all.

[@NibberKSmooth]

Likely this is the meeting that takes place for EVERY 'reality' show.

[@CozzaP1969]

I watch this sketch every time the Apprentice is on and it never loses its relevance

[@premier6666]

"How do these ironic non-idiots show up on the ratings" This is why tv programming is so terrible these days

[@batt3ryac1d]

The reason it's terrible is because everyone moved onto netflix because it was terrible after the writers strike and only old people and morons are left. Though to be fair the BBC still makes some good shit.

[@RKBock]

the real reason it's terrible (and not only "these days"... shows like jearsey shore etc existed as long as tv exists) is because you all are still watching. don't blame them that you show up the same in the statistics. blame yourself for watching.

[@user-iq3xc5gc1f]

batt3ryac1d Right but that doesn't at all explain why Netflix is as shit.

[@Ownage4lif31]

ᛋᛖᚪᛉᛖ ᚹᚫᚳᚾᚪᚾ Netflix makes good shows. I don't use Netflix but I watch their netflix shows. They make some good shows but they also make some bad shows. However, they monitor it. Also if your talking about Netflix as a streaming service, it's cause of copyright laws. They're only legally allowed to have a certain series up for as long as the network they bought the rights from gave them. TV these days is just a mess.

[@user-iq3xc5gc1f]

RandomSilly I'd argue that they make an awful lot more bad shows than they do good ones. I can think of one good show off the top of my head, Bojack Horseman, and another that doesn't really count because it didn't start on Netflix and got worse once it was on it, Black Mirror.

[@rhydianbanner3590]

this isn't satire. This is a word for word recreation of a conversation mitchell and webb accidently recorded at bbc hq. It's journalism

[@Stroija]

This sketch is pretty much every reality TV-show in a nutshell.

[@CCNuck]

This skit makes a terrifying amount of sense.

[@listerofsmeg884]

so brilliantly meta. you laugh at the idea but realise the joke is really aimed at you

[@astronomenov99]

This is pure social commentary. Scarily accurate.

[@NateSean]

American Producers "Do you see this back firing?" "How so?" "Well, all those idiots might think the executive is one of them and have him elected as president."

[@DeathnoteBB]

I mean to be fair, the executive was in fact an idiot

[@guidadiehl9176]

Democracy should just be abolished at this point. I was so revolted when the stupid plebs elected the wrong person, AGAIN.

[@joshuagrahamcrackers]

@@guidadiehl9176 Why bother letting people vote if they're going to vote WRONG? It's like if our society was a ship and people like US, who are RIGHT, were the ones trying to move water OUT of the ship while the OTHER people, who are WRONG, were trying to move more water IN. If only there was a system by which WE, the sensible ones, could tell everyone ELSE "Look, this is what's RIGHT. You're going to take it and be happy. Or else." Dictate what's right to them, if you will. A dictator ship.

[@Bagofnowt]

@@joshuagrahamcrackers I was wondering where the ship analogy was going, but that was a fucking good comment, well done

[@davidlea-smith4747]

The real shame is that there is not a show about talented businessmen competing for a prestigious job.

[@stevechristie2569]

David Lea-Smith hard to portray that on TV - a talented businessman will be crunching hours of actuarial statistics and reading through contract jargon

[@Synochra]

I think shark tank may come close, but I've never actually watched it so I don't know what the fuck I'm talking about

[@wolfmanhcc]

If they were really talented businessmen, they could pool their wealth of knowledge together.

[@An_excellent_YouTube_account]

@Slim Dim Your mother never hugged you as a child did she?

[@andrewpepper3145]

@Slim Dim See now, a golden opportunity to just say nothing and not sound like a right prick and you missed it. That's a shame right there

[@theotendleeey]

the contestants might all be idiots but these two men are certainly both geniuses

[@madnessbydesignVria]

Beautifully encapsulating 'reality television'...

[@sylviaelse5086]

Little did they know what they'd end up doing to the American electoral system. They have a lot to answer for.

[@robinraine5065]

Literally, every single reality show ever.

[@rickrose5377]

One can hardly count the number of times this pitch has succeeded.

[@Tsunkuotaku]

and THAT sums up 90% of network television in the 2000s. Bob bless us for the internet and youtube.

[@cityzens634]

Yes we should all bless Bob

[@mrsmith4662]

These guys are so funny & clever. We need more.

[@kevinbooth-]

Watching this in 2017.... fml

[@aaronlatham5161]

Try watching it in 2020 :)

[@tonyttt31]

One of the best comedy sketches.

[@abacab87]

"If homeopathy beats science" is my favorite, this is now second.

[@gilamasan]

0:18 I don't think Mitchell and Webb could have predicted this would be common practice in the 2020s

[@PolarPhantom]

Thanks for reminding me of this Jim Sterling.

[@whaddyamean99]

Here from Jim too

[@johnmartinez7440]

Who?

[@Scruffi]

I live in Los Angeles and I can tell you this skit is shockingly close to the mark of how much of Hollywood operates.

[@drcl7429]

You can thank the British creators of most of these shows.

[@Setzer]

"We can't give a million pounds to an idiot; that's what the lottery is for" lol...so true...

[@anthorisme]

Robert Webb looks like Russell Howard with this haircut!

[@zamnodorszk7898]

"I wouldn't be a millionaire if I fired a 15th of my workforce every week" Is a point that needs to get hammered home, especially people who think the Apprentice is an accurate reflection of the world of business. You don't just fire people when things get bad, it's a way to just trigger a death spiral for a business.

[@lusteraliaszero]

I have a feeling the people who make the reality tv shows are getting the same sort of entertainment out of their audience. In writing this comment, I establish myself at the top of this foodchain, obviously.

[@Synochra]

umm I'll piggyback on this guy

[@agdgdgwngo]

It's not far off how a lot of it works. They have all these skits about big directors and producers, they're all kind of cynical about the process.

[@Gerbilsftw]

Perfect. Everything about it is just right. It's the same with the X-Factor, Britain's Got Talent, I'm a Celebrity and worst of all, Big Brother.

[@thesuperginge1348]

The sad thing is that Big Brother started as a really interesting social experiment, and just ONE series later it divulged into what it became known for.

[@harryiii3361]

The most truth in a sketch ever

[@BlazeCon97]

Evil corporate David is one of my favourite Davids

[@nickcoupe2964]

Having watched the first episode of the new series yesterday this still rings true.

[@TheDaern]

It didn't go unnoticed to me that the prize money for The Traitors was £120,000. Except that, by the time they'd done the challenges to earn the money, this had been reduced to £101,000. This sketch remains on point 14 years later.

[@DingKong]

Quality from M & W as usual

[@Lorgar64]

I love the Apprentice. So does my dad. He calls it the muppet show.

[@AlexFlockhart]

I suppose you could say he watches it with a sense of irony then.

[@Lorgar64]

@@AlexFlockhart No, we both know it's a bunch of idiots running around like headless chickens. We like it for that.

[@AlexFlockhart]

@@Lorgar64 I was referencing what they were saying in the clip, and yeah if you're watching it because you know they're all idiots, you are watching it ironically. In the ratings, the demographic of people like you and your father "show up just the same"

[@Lorgar64]

@@AlexFlockhart We're not watching it ironically, though. We know it's about idiots. We like watching idiots. There's no irony.

[@abacab87]

We didn't realize at the time just how fake it was, with Trump being thought of as a successful billionaire.

[@david552]

Those 5 channels are the only ones with universal coverage, and the BBC channels digital / non-digital are amongst the most watched on any given night, and the radio stations are amongst the most listened too.

[@luckyspurs]

The best sketch they ever did.

[@DinoAlberini]

Breaking the fourth wall at the end was pure genius.

[@Sidsidsids]

This video was funny and all but that ending was just perfect *slow clap*

[@booley]

so that's who Jersey Shore got started

[@mikeconway867]

booley How?

[@MrShortfastloud]

Yes. That's exactly who Jersey shore got started.

[@justsomeofmyfavs]

Great take on the "reality show" format. It's the bane of modern TV - as true today as it was 15-20 years ago when it first took off. These shows are basically cultural pollution, except for a handful of more or less genuinely productive/educational shows like "The Great British Bake-off" that you can actually learn something from. I for the life of me cannot understand how people don't see the emptiness and the actual abysmal boredom of shows like this (empty conversations, "conflicts" pulled out of an arse etc.).

[@ianmangham4570]

These two are so fkn hilarious

[@sEaNoYeAh]

The rare sketch where all the characters are intelligent.

[@carlpierce2486]

Remarkably insightful.

[@petertaylor6384]

It's like a prediction of the next decade of television

[@_J.F_]

Love the BBC reference on the ring binders in the background.

[@BootneckAlphaKilo]

‘16 idiots, and some arseholes too...’ effortlessly nutshelling the entire formula. But it never gets old. And I shall tirelessly comment upon it. What about the line up this year 😂 the very apex of arseholery!

[@aboothunitedstates]

Having a car and paying road tax is entirely optional because although convenient, a car is not a necessity in the UK. You don't pay if you don't have one. That model fits just fine.

[@thebobbrom7176]

This comment is from 12 years ago but I've been staring at it for ages now. Why did you comment this? Did you think it was to a different video? Or does this bear some relavents to this video I am yet to understand. Please still have your account be active and your memory clear so you can make my mind whole again.

[@silvasilvasilva]

​@@thebobbrom7176This is from a time when comments on KZbin didn't appear on threads. It means it's probably just a random reply to someone else's comment. You see a lot of it under old videos.

[@guyosborn615]

Brilliant, as always

[@GullyFoyleTerra]

This is a brutal and fantastic way to totally shit on the apprentice and those behind it.

[@ecjj21]

@Rincewind211 that only apllies if he has exactly 15 workers... If say he had 1000 workers, he could fire a 15th every week (66.66 in the first week, 62.22 in the second week and so on and so forth) until he reached 15 workers, then it would be a 15th of the workforce that week, then a 14th, then 13th etc..

[@normansidey5258]

Many a truth told in jest, with their inside knowledge of BBC producers I suspect they have got this spot on.

[@neildempster2827]

The thumbnail pic makes RW look like Russell Howard.

[@TheEcofreak]

@SHITONASTICK1100 I've been to the preview showings of that mitchell and webb look, they record the audiences genuine reaction to the sketches and that's the laughter you hear. sorry if you didn't find it as funny as the audience on the night but then it was brand new at the time.

[@citrusjuicebox]

Is there a version of this without the laugh track?

[@rj_ay8172]

I feel like I've just been insulted..

[@leikfroakies]

Every new series, I see everyone commenting on social media 'I wouldn't invest in any of them. Its not like it was back in the day when they were all smart'

[@jeesuskristus9787]

True story.

[@jblasutavario9549]

This applies to all TV. Amazing.

[@aboothunitedstates]

I've lived in the UK for over 30 years, so don't try and imply I don't know. Unlike road tax, the money goes to ALL roads and you can choose not to have a car because there's public transport. The TV License model would be the equivalent to paying road tax that only goes to maintaining roads in a small town in Wales.

[@darkridr25]

Finally. Someone finally voiced precisely what I despise about that show. This is the exact reason I do not watch The Apprentice anymore....

[@wisteela]

Amstrad eMailer on the desk: Great attention to detail

[@verynormalman]

I used to work for Lord Sugar. He used to fire me every Tuesday, and hire me back every Friday. It really hurt productivity.

[@lukeshdoesntknow]

"How do these ironic non-idiots show up in the ratings?" Reminds me of people who watch shows like Kardashians "ironically"

[@Whitecroc]

I know this is really late to the party, but I should mention that some firms, such as McKinsey, do in fact fire the bottom two or three percent performers of their workforce each year, even if the people there are performing alright. It's an absurd practice and nobody benefits from it, but it's such an audacious move that people assume it must be working.

[@fuzzywzhe]

Were they referencing some actual show incidentally? I don't know because I haven't own a television in years.

[@Airblazer]

goddammit..for years I've sneered at Daily mail readers as brexit fools and commending myself on why I read it and I'm no better lol...what a sketch :)

[@casgetoutofmyass]

It's not really anything to do with baking, or whatever else, it's about business. It doesn't matter what sector it's based in, they are still business related tasks. They should know how to handle buying, selling, organising and marketing.

[@paulwoodford1984]

These two were and are too good. Taking the p#ss out of everyone

[@goodtoGoNow1956]

Mitchell and Webb should consider some sort of collaboration with Keye and Peele

[@TheJollyAlex]

I hope Katie Hopkins watches this

[@JoeJG12321]

@david552 BBC is available to anyone that wants to watch.... and pays their tv license

[@IsaiahINRI]

That reminds me that they make crime show characters so slow that everyone picks up the plot and names the killer before the characters do that they think they are geniuses because of it and keep watching just to show off their "superiority" and feel good about themselves subconsciously and masquerading it as them actually enjoying the show

[@steveluckhurst2350]

And breathe.

[@aboothunitedstates]

Here's and interesting fact, whenever someone says MOST, MOST often they MADE IT UP 3 of those 5 are NOT BBC channels. They rely on advertising and are logically amongst the most popular, because terrestrial broadcasts do not require a satellite dish or a cable connection.

[@ssss-df5qz]

Love island is one of those shows

[@tonynelligan1930]

why have i only in the past month discovered these guys????

[@d0md0mt0mt0m]

It describes every reality TV show and the viewers of said shows.

[@WilliamReginaldLucas]

This is basically every reality TV show pitch

[@ellaeadig263]

"I wouldn't be a millionaire if I fired a 15th of my workforce every week" lol

[@STho205]

Worked for Elon Musk. Worked for Jeff Bezos. Didn't work for President Trump though.

[@Gogoglovitch]

"So what do we do about the host? For the pilot, we managed to get the CEO of a major multinational conglomerate, but obviously someone like that is never going to be on board with offering even a junior job to a bunch of backbiting idiots, or employing idiotic management strategies on international television." "The prize money is an idiot's idea of a lot of money, right? We need someone like that -- an idiot's idea of a successful businessman. Someone pompous and arrogant who throws money he doesn't have around. Someone who's always teetering on the edge of bankruptcy, so he'll be eager to take even a relatively small job on television, for a little money and an ego boost." "But he'd be able to see how much of an arsehole we'd be making him look in the public eye, wouldn't he? Unless-- Oh, I see." "You've got it, my friend. Unless he's an idiot, too." "It's foolproof. Unless... the idiots watching it buy into his act and he parlays it into a big media deal or a high political office or something." "He might. But consider this: we'll still have the money." "I'm sold."

[@ronintje7647]

I just love those people who keep telling they are great at something despited having failed at that thing during every single task. All those great salesmen who even after 8 episodes haven't sold anything and still keep repeating they are the best salesman in the UK🤣 So many contestants don't know how to sell a glas of water in the desert😎

[@andy0705b]

@DrCreosote no its something completely diferent mate