Entrepreneurship does not seem to get a very fair run on our main terrestrial television channels, as far as I can tell. The BBC is a particular offender. So credit is due to the BBC for a programme that shows how contestants with business ideas compete for money and interest from a panel of venture capitalists.
I watched the programme on Tuesday evening, and after my initial reservations about the format I became pretty engrossed. At the end, the final contestant, who eventually negotiated a deal where the others had failed, came across as such a smart fellow that I would have invested my own meagre funds in his idea.
The impression I got was that the producers asked the panel of VCs to play the role of flint-faced, capitalist bastard. They certainly succeeded. I disliked all of them intensely. No doubt that was the goal of the producers, but despite all that, I could not fail to be impressed by the enthusiasm of the wanna-be entrepreneurs.
The BBC may not fully realise it, but it is spreading the entrepreneurial meme.
. . . Can Trump’s “the Apprentice” be far behind? Despite its self-promotion and contrived concept, this show has taught some very good values to my kids and opened up their eyes to the business world, introducing them to results-based competition, teamwork, accountability, entrepreneurship, and how to shrug off disappointment. . . Shaking Spears
I thought “The Apprentice” simply taught people to scream “racism” when things don’t go their way. 🙂
I believe there is a British version of The Apprentice in the works right now. They were doing auditions a few months ago…
And what does the commercial side of broadcasting come up with?
Darts Player’s Wives …