The Apprentice candidate and cosmetic dentist Dr Jana Denzel reportedly used racist language in a task and decided to leave the process
The Apprentice candidate Dr Jana Denzel has reportedly quit the BBC show after ‘using racist language’.
It has been reported that the cosmetic dentist used the term ‘coloured’ to describe a black person during a task. The incident was said to have been reported to the show’s producers and he was asked to do diversity training following the filming.
Next day, Dr Jana is said to have told Lord Sugar he was leaving – but said his exit was unrelated to the reaction from bosses. During scenes in the boardroom, Dr Jana told Lord Sugar he didn’t feel he was a “good fit” and was leaving the process.
It is believed he used the term during a task which saw the team creating a character for a marketing campaign. Two female candidates were shocked by his comment and told show bosses. All 18 contestants had been given a warning about sensitive language during an earlier task too.
His exit is expected to air at the end of the fifth episode in two weeks time, and his “ill-informed comment” won’t be explained on the show itself, but his exit scenes will air for viewers in a fortnight.
Dr Jana has left the process (
Image:
BBC/Naked/Ray Burmiston)
→ Swipe to see more articles
Lord Sugar is looking for his new business partner (
Image:
PA Photo/BBC/Boundless)
“The team had been discussing what the character should look like, and there were suggestions from some members to make sure the character was inclusive. It was then that Jana made the “coloured comment”, which particularly upset two female candidates on his team. The team were particularly shocked because, coming from a minority background himself, they did not expect Jana to use such offensive language to describe their marketing campaign,” a source told The Sun.
“While his co-stars did push back and made it clear to Jana the comment was unacceptable, it was then escalated further when it was flagged to the production team, who pulled Jana aside.”
A spokesperson for the show said: ” Jana withdrew from the process for completely unrelated and separate reasons, and he has our full support.” Of the use of the alleged term, the spokesperson said: “We were made aware of an ill-informed comment. As soon as it was flagged, we took swift and comprehensive action to address the issue.
“Whilst we have made it very clear to Jana that his use of language was not acceptable, we are confident there was no ill-intent behind it. The concerns of all parties involved have been addressed and resolved.”
