We catch up with the speakers at The Reality of Reality TV event, which benefited UJIA and UKIB, including Leeds-born business extraordinaire and The Apprentice star, Linda Plant.
The UKIB & UJIA event, “The Reality of Reality TV,” hosted by Linda Plant, was a fantastic success, bringing together a lively crowd at The MAZC Centre. Attendees had the chance to hear from some of the most memorable contestants from popular shows such as The Traitors, MAFS, Big Brother, Dragons’ Den, Junior Bake Off, and The Apprentice. Linda Plant, the renowned BBC The Apprentice interviewer and CEO of the Linda Plant Academy, led the engaging discussions, offering unique insights into the world of reality television. With everyone enjoying the lively atmosphere and thought-provoking conversations, the packed room left with a greater understanding of what it’s really like behind the scenes in the reality TV world.
Linda Plant is one of Britain’s most recognisable businesswomen. Born and raised in Leeds, she progressed from selling fashion on her parent’s stall at Dewsbury Market to launching international knitwear brand, Honeysuckle, becoming one of the first women to take a business from a market stall to the London Stock Market. A pioneering female leader, she has worked in various executive roles across property, interior design, fashion, and electronics. Readers may also recognise her as the so-called ‘queen of mean’ from the interview phase of The Apprentice.
“My family first took on a market stall just to make ends meet,” Linda explains her humble business beginnings. “That was the first time I realised I love buying and selling and knew that was what I wanted to do with my life. I left school at 15 and worked on the stall, and from there they grew across Yorkshire as part of a wholesale business. I ended up launching Honeysuckle and that’s what catapulted me to another level; it became one of the biggest knitwear importers in the country.”
Linda speaks fondly of her childhood in Leeds: “I had a very happy childhood; I was an only child, and we had a lodger that lived and worked with us who became part of the family – he worked for us until he died. I was born in Chapeltown, moved to Street Lane, and then to Alwoodley when I got married. I never thought I’d leave Leeds; I still have such a fondness in my heart for it. It’s true what they say, you can take the girl out Leeds!”
“Reality TV is so popular these days, there are so many shows out there.”
Readers may be aware of Linda’s mum, Regina Waldman, who is well known for her remarkable fundraising: “My mother worked for Donisthorpe Hall for 42 years as a fundraiser and then as a treasurer. She was awarded an MBE from the Queen for her work for charity – she’s an inspiration.”
No stranger to reality TV, Linda has been a guest interviewer on The Apprentice for almost 11 years: “Reality TV is so popular these days, there are so many shows out there, but The Apprentice seems to have stood the test of time – in June we’ll be filming season 20! The general audience is ages 16 to 40, its format has been perfected and meant that younger people love it and have stuck with it all this time.
Although we film months ahead, nothing ever gets out and there are never any spoilers, we’re very close knit and keep things tight,”
Of the process, Linda says: “What surprises people most about the filming of the show is that none of the interviews are done in separate takes. Obviously, it’s edited – reality TV is always TV first – as it’s important to give the audience suspense, surprise, and the thrills that they tune in for because nobody wants to watch something boring. But it is all genuinely filmed in one take. When the show gets down to the final five, every candidate has something special to offer because they’ve just survived through what is a gruelling process but there has to be some sort of sensation to make good TV.”
Linda laughs as she recalls one of the more memorable interviews she conducted: “It definitely doesn’t lack drama, I once had a candidate say they wanted to hit me!”
Looking for some business advice but scared to approach the so-called queen of mean in the street? Linda doesn’t want that to put people off: “The nickname has meant I do get recognised quite a lot, but I’m not actually mean! The show has catapulted me into a whole different world as I’m now able to advise people and give advice and guidance whenever I’m out and about which I enjoy doing.”
“My mantra is ‘yes you can’ and I really believe age is no barrier to success, don’t say no to an opportunity that might come your way just because you think you’re too old; resilience and persistence are key in business.”
