The Apprentice's Claude Littner has admitted that he goes "overboard" in preparing for the show's notoriously-difficult interviews episode.
Lord Sugar's trusted business advisor is returning next week to run the rule over the final five candidates in this year's process - Dani Donovan, Marnie Swindells, Megan Hornby, Rochelle Raye Anthony and Victoria Goulbourne.
Littner, who has appeared in all 17 series to date, is a famously-tough interviewer and concedes that he wants to make the process "uncomfortable" for the candidates.
"I prepare for everything in life to the best of my ability, so I go overboard in preparing for the interviews and I've always done that," he said.
"I spend hours and hours meticulously looking through all of the business plans. Not trying to find flaws but trying to find some good things where Lord Sugar will be pleased to have chosen this individual because they are investable.
"There are questions that I particularly want to challenge them on because if something doesn't make sense such as the numbers not adding up, well then, they don't have a clue what they're doing. I do prepare to try and find a candidate worthy of investment."
He continued: "I don't really want to make them nervous, but on the other hand I don't really want to make it easy for them either.
"It is what it is. I know they're frightened, it is scary, you're in a big room and it's quite daunting. You know you're going to be quizzed, you know that if you don't get the answer right, you may look foolish.
"Irrespective of who is interviewing, it's still going to be challenging; they come in, they're nervous.
"I want to make it uncomfortable for them, but only because I want to get the best out of them in terms of whether they've got an investable business plan."
The Apprentice continues Thursday at 9pm on BBC One and iPlayer.
Neil Wilkes
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