Apprentice hopeful claim rejected

Mani Sandher bowed out in the fifth episode of series two

The BBC has rejected a complaint by Apprentice contestant Mani Sandher that he was unfairly portrayed in an edition of the reality TV show.

Mr Sandher, who appeared in the second series last year, said the editing of a sequence distorted the role he had played in one of the programme's tasks.

The BBC Trust said the editing did not mislead the audience and "fairly reflected" his role in the task.

They added that Mr Sandher was aware the programme was subject to editing.

'Disarray'

"The complainant had not been misled about his contribution to the series," the adjudication said.

The makers of the programme refuted suggestions that Mr Sandher's portrayal had been defamatory, saying the show's cut and commentary were "checked and re-checked" to ensure fairness to the candidates.

Mr Sandher, who was appealing against an earlier dismissal of his complaint, claimed his direct response to a question had been cut during a sales presentation to pitch a charity calendar in the second edition of the series.

He added it gave the impression that he had failed to consider pricing policy which he maintained the programme's edits revealed that he had addressed.

The Editorial Complaints Unit said "fairness does not require broadcasting a whole of a particular exchange".

The programme reflected the group's "disarray" and "shortcomings in the team's approach," it added.

Mr Sandher was fired by Sir Alan Sugar in the fifth programme of series two, which was won by Michelle Dewberry.