| by Lorna Cooper, TV Editor |  |
The Apprentice Contestants 2008
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Lee McQueen was declared the surprise winner of The Apprentice 2008. The son of a milkman said he had to take "a deep breath" when Sir Alan Sugar told him "you're hired". He was the only candidate not to have been hauled into the boardroom.
Formidable opponent and finalist Claire Young, a senior retail worker nicknamed the Rottweiler, had been favourite to land the £100,000 job. However the recruitment sales manager with eight GCSEs and a BTEC Diploma, was picked for the plum job despite being caught out in the early stages of the show for lying on his CV. He said: "I'm a winner! I think I won because I delivered consistently. I'm a football fan and if you compare it to a Premier League table I'd be at the top. I delivered every time. I was consistently able to drive things forward to a positive result." He didn't make a great start in his new job; he called in sick on his first day of work for boss Sir Alan Sugar. Reacquaint yourself with the class of 2008 in our gallery.
The Apprentice, Wednesdays, 9pm on BBC1
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