Lord Sugar’s ex ‘lieutenant’ PK Hemsley vows to act nothing like the mogul on Channel 4’s Selling Super Houses
PAUL ‘PK’ Kemsley has promised not to follow in Lord Sugar’s footsteps when it comes to his new Channel 4 property show Selling Super Houses.
The business mogul is offering a sought-after job at his luxury agency — just like Alan does on The Apprentice, which Paul used to appear on.
But he has sworn he won’t be inspired by Lord Sugar’s style.
Instead, he says he will treat the eight wannabe agents on the series — which has been likened to both glossy Netflix hit Selling Sunset and the BBC business show — as he would his own children.
He says: “I actually want to do the total opposite of The Apprentice. I find that saying, ‘You’re fired’, very harsh and very Eighties.
“I think that time’s moved on. I’ve got five kids and I want to be who I would be happy for my kids to be with, how they would be spoken to.
“The tough boardroom stuff with The Apprentice was great when we did it, but we just live in a completely different time now.”
Recalling his own first steps in the industry, he continues: “When I started off, my boss used to walk in, kick my table over, scream and shout, and we just don’t behave like that any more.
“I wanted it to be reflective of who I am. I don’t believe in being tough for the sake of being tough. You get as much done by being kind — and, to be honest, I’ve always been a softie.
“I’m not like Alan Sugar, I’m not the same person. I’m very different. I’m no Rottweiler, I’m a puppy!”
If anyone can make the comparison, it’s Paul — as he used to be one of the Lord’s lieutenants on The Apprentice, assisting in the interview round.
Second chance
But he was forced to quit when his £500million business empire collapsed in the 2008 financial crisis.
It left him to rebuild his life and he headed to America to seek out a second chance.
And it’s clear the experience has shaped his new approach to business — and the show, which begins tomorrow at 9pm on Channel 4.
He adds: “I had to give up the caviar and go back to beans on toast. It destroyed my career at the time.
“I guess that’s in my nature to not be a quitter. But now, I think I’m a better businessman because I’m not chasing success.”
Morgan laughs at life
MORGAN Freeman was reduced to tears and titters when recording his voice-over for his new Netflix show.
The Hollywood actor is the narrator for the new nature series, Life On Our Planet.
And he found the experience so moving that it had him laughing and crying inside the recording booth.
Series producer Dan Tapster said: “He took one look at the CG version of this bizarre prehistoric creature called the arandaspis, which was half fish and half ET, and just burst out laughing during narration and couldn’t stop.
“Then later, when he read the final moments of the series, a section about the sixth mass extinction on Earth that humans are causing, he was really moved by the words.”
Life On Our Planet, a co-production by Steven Spielberg’s Amblin Television, debuts on Netflix on October 25.
‘Jail’ left Jamie-Lee screwed
felt she was losing touch with reality during her spell in ‘jail’.
The actress, who plays prison officer Rose Gill on Channel 4’s Screw, was put behind bars in Kelvin Hall, Glasgow, where the set of Victorian jail Long Marsh had been constructed.
Jamie-Lee, best known for her role on Derry Girls, said: “I was stuck inside a box – prison wing C – inside a bigger box, Kelvin Hall, a state of affairs that really messed with my head. After a while I started to go stir crazy and lost touch with reality a bit.
“I needed to get away from the role and let off steam, which I did by taking part in games of snooker with other cast members, on one of the tables in C Wing.
“I was rather good at it.”
Alison's lookin' for love
THIS Morning star Alison Hammond is ready to settle down and find love.
The presenter, who will be one of Holly Willoughby’s regular co-hosts from September 4, said: “As soon as I hear the word marriage I get cold feet. I’m getting to that age now where I think it’s OK to settle down.”
Kim’s spin on cult horror
KIM Kardashian sets fans’ spider senses tingling in this haunting preview of her American Horror Story debut.
The queen of reinvention looks suitably spooky in these first images of her character, ageing actor Siobhan Walsh.
In one promo shot, she cradles a giant arachnid against her tummy, while in another she wears a high-necked red blouse and rocks platinum blonde hair to her shoulders.
The series airs on Hulu, and Kim will be on screen next month, though details of her part remain sketchy. What a web of intrigue . . .
Bremner ‘black-up’ apology
RORY Bremner revealed he has apologised to some of the celebs he’s done impressions of by “blacking up”.
They include the likes of newsreader Sir Trevor McDonald and chef Ainsley Harriott, who often featured on his shows on Channel 4.
In the past, Rory has always stopped short of actually saying sorry and insisted making himself look like the stars was nothing to do with laughing at their race.
But in a YouTube interview with Panda Christie, he seems to have changed his mind, saying: “I’ve spoken since to people that I used to make up for, and some of the blackface make-up characters, and I’ve kind of made my peace with them, to apologise.”