The Apprentice 2009: the series in pictures

As Sir Alan Sugar's search for 'Britain's brightest young business prospects' ends, we look back at the highlights of this year's The Apprentice. Read on for a week-by-week analysis... Photograph: BBC

Week 1: Sir Alan challenges the teams to make as much money as they can by setting up a cleaning business. The girls' team succeeds in winning a contract to clean Hummer limos, while the boys wash minicabs Photograph: BBC

Week 1: Crucially, the girls fail to keep costs under control by spending their full budget on cleaning materials - allegedly including oven cleaner Photograph: BBC

Week 1: In the boardroom, Anita (right) is left floundering as Debra and Mona deny all responsibility for the slip-up over costs Photograph: BBC

Week 1: Anita is the first candidate to be fired by Sir Alan Photograph: BBC

Week 2: The teams are challenged to set up a catering service for City workers. The boys prepare a range of sandwiches themed around the London Olympics Photograph: BBC

Week 2: The girls' team decide to make snacks with a Mediterranean twist. Yasmina insists they use the cheapest ingredients they can find, leading to complaints from customers Photograph: BBC

Week 2: In keeping with the Olympic theme, the boys decorate the venue for their catering event, a law firm's office in London's Gherkin, with Greek-themed props. However, their heroic effort - and their toga-style outfits - falls flat with their clients Photograph: BBC

Week 2: Despite his boasts about his attractiveness, Ben turns out to be no Adonis Photograph: BBC

Week 2: Having kept costs down, the girls are rewarded with a trip out to play polo. Lorraine and Yasmina manage to raise a smile for the first time in the series Photograph: BBC

Week 2: The boys' team leader, Rocky (centre) - the youngest of this year's candidates - is put on the spot for failing to lead the task effectively. Outclassed by the more experienced James and Howard, he is fired Photograph: BBC

Week 3: With the teams asked to invent an item of fitness equipment, former Gavin Henson lookalike Ben tells team Empire that 'sex sells'. He then proceeds to use the marketing of their product - which bears more than a passing resemblance to a medieval torture device - as an excuse to strut around in a vest. Check out the guns! Photograph: BBC

Meanwhile, after much head-scratching, the Ignite boys and girls (well, mainly Phillip) came up with the Body Rocker. Here Mona demonstrates one of its many uses while her colleagues look on, appearing very underwhelmed Photograph: BBC

Week 3: They needn't have worried, though - Body Rocker is an unqualified success, which is more than can be said for Empire's fitness box thingy. After a boardroom dust-up involving Ben, left, and James, Maj's tactic of trying to slip under the radar failed spectacularly and he is fired Photograph: BBC

Week 4: From looking ripped to smelling nice. This week the candidates are charged with making skincare products from scratch. Paula, left, and Yasmina discuss the scent they will use and plump for sandalwood (£1,200 a kilo) over cedarwood (£26 a kilo). Still, in the minuscule quantities they're using it won't matter, will it? Photograph: BBC

Week 4: This is Kate's reaction when she finds out that actually it will matter. Quite a lot. Oh dear, Yasmina Photograph: BBC

Week 4: The other lot dress up in chemical warfare outfits, sorry, beekeeper costumes, to flog their honey-themed lotions. It's not going brilliantly, as Howard, Kimberly and Phillip, observe, and Ignite resort to slashing prices Photograph: BBC

Week 4: Despite being superior in nearly every department the cedarwood/sandalwood debacle means Empire makes a loss. Yasmina (left), Paula and Ben are summoned back to see Sir Alan - and Paula carries the can Photograph: BBC

Week 5: The teams are challenged to create a new brand for a healthy breakfast cereal aimed at children. Empire opt for Treasure Flakes, whose mascot is parrot Captain Squawk; their TV advert looks amateurish but features an irritatingly catchy sea shanty Photograph: BBC

Week 5: At Philip's insistence, Ignite create a cereal named Wake Up Call, with an ad campaign based around character Pants Man. Howard and Lorraine do the pants-over-clothes thingy for the team's advert Photograph: BBC

Week 5: As she promised in the previous week's episode, Kimberly finallly gets to show that she has 'balls', as she is betrayed by Lorraine in the boardroom. However, it isn't enough to outbalance her failings as team leader, and the self-styled 'rough, tough cream puff' is fired Photograph: BBC

Week 6: Sir Alan challenges the teams to value and sell 10 items of bric-a-brac. Ben leads team Empire, ambitiously taking seven of the items to sell with Debra and Noorul. When they try to dump a commode in an antique shop, the owner offers them a fiver to take it away Photograph: BBC

Week 6: Philip leads the Ignite team, who luckily manage to offload their life-size skeleton in a pub Photograph: BBC

Week 6: However, selling the rug - which Lorraine insists is the 'gem' among the items - proves more of a struggle. They end up selling it to a passerby for £60; they later discover it is worth £200 Photograph: BBC

Week 6: In a bitter boardroom battle, Ben (centre) defends himself against charges that he mismanaged the task. After a shouting match with his teammates, Noorul (right) is fired by Sir Alan, who says: 'Whoever employs him better get a receipt' Photograph: BBC

Week 7: The candidates the candidates travel to Liverpool and Manchester where they pick two products to represent and sell to retailers. Mona's Ignite team pick a full-body sleeping suit and a dual dog lead, which she and Debra manage to convert into more than £4,000 of orders Photograph: BBC

Week 7: Lorraine leads team Empire, who choose a bicycle shopping bag and cat playhouse to sell. They split up into two groups; here Yasmina and Lorraine pitch the playhouse to an unconvinced buyer Photograph: BBC

Week 7: Philip, Kate and Ben form a sub-team but fail to make a sale all day. 'We shouldn't be having so much fun when we've made no sales,' Kate laughs Photograph: BBC

Week 7: In the boardroom, Philip mounts a sustained attack on Lorraine (centre). However, Sir Alan points out his lack of sales and, after Lorraine reveals Philip's relationship with Kate (right), the Durham estate agent is fired Photograph: BBC

Week 8: Sir Alan challenges the candidates to rebrand seaside town Margate. Team Empire, led by Debra, decide to focus on attracting the gay market to the resort. James and Lorraine head to the town, where they direct a photoshoot. 'Not too much suggestive licking, guys, we're not doing a porno,' James tells his two male models after buying them ice creams Photograph: BBC

Week 8: Team Ignite, led by Yasmina, try to rebuild Margate's image as a family resort. Ben, still in his finest City outfit, spends time with Lorraine trying to line up the perfect shot on the beach Photograph: BBC

Week 8: Kate presents Ignite's plans to ad industry experts and Margate residents - they are bland, but slick-looking Photograph: BBC

Week 8: In contrast, Empire's poster and leaflet look unprofessional and wordy. Despite Howard attracting praise for his energetic pitch, they lose the task Photograph: BBC

Week 8: In the boardroom, James points the finger at project manager Debra for leading the task badly - and leaving the team's leaflet unfinished. However, Sir Alan turns his fire on Mona, who he says lacks creativity. 'You spoke about the pier in Margate and it looks to me like you might be at the end of the pier in this process,' he says. 'So Mona, with regret: you're fired' Photograph: BBC

Week 9: The teams line up in a hospital to be told of this week's task: to pick two products and then sell them at the country's biggest baby show Photograph: BBC

Week 9: Howard has a go on the rocking horse – some of which were being sold for up to £7,000. You'd want a real horse for that much, wouldn't you? Photograph: BBC

Week 9: Agitation in the boardroom before Ben is fired. At one point Surallun asks the candidates to start admitting they were wrong, at which point Ben and Debra begin falling over each to claim responsibility for a mistake Photograph: BBC

Week 10: The candidates are challenged to sell products on a TV shopping channel. Yasmina and James, who are in a team with Debra, do a great double act. 'Have you done something different with your hair?' asks James when Febra puts on a hairclip. 'Oh James! You noticed!' replies Yasmina. 'I haven't noticed you looking this cool before,' quips James Photograph: BBC/Talkback Thames

Week 10: Kate - in a team with Lorraine and Howard - is forced to sell a rather dubious gold leather jacket. Apparently it is one of the channel's top-selling items Photograph: BBC/Talkback Thames

Week 10: Kate pitches an air-guitar game to the viewers with gusto Photograph: BBC/Talkback Thames

Week 10: Lorraine and Howard spend most of their slot demonstating how their electric fryer works, failing to mention the price – or the phone number of the channel Photograph: BBC/Talkback Thames

Week 10: Unsurprisingly, Howard and Lorraine sell few of the fryers and end up in the boardroom with Kate. Lorraine and Howard battle it out, but Sir Alan turns his fire on the latter for being what he calls a 'Steady Eddie'. 'In my business,' says Sugar, 'we are risk-takers. I haven't got time for ordinary people. Howard, you're fired' Photograph: BBC/PA

Week 11: The remaining five candidates face probing interviews from Sir Alan's associates. 'I've read through your CV and your personal statements and it's fair to say they are exceptional,' James is told in the first interview. 'Exceptionally bad, that is.' The telecoms executive looks rattled as he is asked why there is so much jargon in his CV. Comments such as 'I put a leash on people who spunk money up the wall' and 'I bring ignorance to the table' don't help much either Photograph: BBC

Week 11: In contrast, Kate is composed throughout her interview. But even this is turned against her: 'You're Little Miss Perfect. You're faultless,' global troubleshooter Claude Littner tells her. 'And that worries me.' She is also probed about her statement 'It says here that one of your biggest challenges was having to work in an all-female team' Photograph: BBC

Week 11: 'People don't seem to like you very much in these references,' Birmingham City managing director tells Debra. 'Complaints lodged, swearing, shouting, rudeness.' 'If you're a strong, ambitious woman, people are going to call you a bitch,' Debra responds Photograph: BBC

Week 11: Restaurateur Yasmina faces a grilling from Claude Littner over her company's accounts and starts spluttering. She goes down the stairs to join the others. 'How was that?' they ask. 'Yeah, lovely!' she says. 'He's really nice!' Photograph: BBC

Week 11: In the boardroom, there is an emotional moment as Debra wipes away a tear when James is the first to be fired. 'James, you've made me laugh, but you're a corporate man, and I don't think that's what we need,' says Sir Alan. Lorraine and Debra follow in getting the push Photograph: BBC

Week 11: Yasmina and Kate celebrate as they learn they have made it to the final Photograph: BBC

Final: The two finalists have to create new chocolate brands, helped by a team of candidates from earlier in the series, and present them to the industry. Kate comes up with an innovative box with three trays: one for him; one for her; and one to share. She initially calls the upmarket brand 'Intimate', but is persuaded to change her mind when she's told this sounds more like a feminine hygiene product. She does a slick and confident presentation for the final product, Choc d'Amour Photograph: BBC

Final: Yasmina toys with the idea of creating a brand of chocolates aimed at men but eventually changes her mind after she's told no one will buy it. However, she decides to stick with her brand name, Cocoa Electric, which has a pink lightning flash on the box and promises to 'shock' buyers: 'New, modern flavours for a mass market' Photograph: BBC

Final: In the boardroom, Sir Alan praises both candidates for the quality of their work; they also draw compliments from their respective teams. The fact that Kate's chocolates are priced at £13 while Yasmina's come in at a budget £6 seems to count against her, but the quality of Cocoa Electric also comes under fire: 'They weren't shocking flavours, actually. They were shocking chocolates,' Sir Alan tells Yasmina Photograph: BBC

Final: Sir Alan seems to see some of himself in Yasmina: 'I think of myself at your age. I was nine years younger than you when I started my business. Two years later, I could honestly say I was made. I didn't have loads of money but what I did know was I didn't need anybody else. I could do it myself. And I think you could do it yourself. You've done it' Photograph: BBC