MUMBAI: Comedian Jack Dee has been roped in as the new host of BBC Two’s You’re Fired and You’re Hired - the companion show to The Apprentice – with fellow comic Romesh Ranganathan taking a regular place on the panel alongside the business experts and celebrities who appear each week to discuss the outgoing candidates’ performance.
Dee enjoys a special empathy with the candidates as he has been through the process himself, taking part in 2009’sComic Relief Does The Apprentice. Dee made it into the final boardroom only to be beaten by Michelle Mone of the women’s team.
Dee said, “I’m very much looking forward to hosting You're Fired and hope that the luckless candidates will see me as the friendly face at the end of a difficult time in their lives.”
Ranganathan added, “As a massive fan of The Apprentice, this is very exciting for me. I love You're Fired and am looking forward to putting all the questions to the candidates that people at home want to see asked. I also have a number of business proposals of my own that I think Lord Sugar will be pretty interested in…”
Entertainment Commissioning controller Mark Linsey said, “It’s great news that we have someone of Jack’s comedy calibre as host of You’re Fired, and I’m really excited that he will be aided and abetted by the hugely talented Romesh. Jack will be brilliant at guiding us through the highlights of The Apprentice and as a super fan of the series, Romesh will provide us with his own uniquely funny perspective.”
BBC Two and BBC Four controller Kim Shillinglaw added, “BBC Two should always be fantastic company and who better than Jack Dee and Romesh Ranganathan to share the candidates’ highs and lows with us and bring their wonderfully funny take on the week’s events – I’m delighted to welcome them both to You’re Fired.”
You’re Fired and You’re Hired was commissioned for BBC Two by Sohail Shah and will be made by Boundless. The 11 x 30’ (You’re Fired) and 1 x 60’ (You’re Hired) shows will be series produced by Kate Staples and executive produced by Cal Turner.
The Apprentice and You’re Fired return to BBC later this year.
