Apprentice reject to make comedy debut at Fringe

HE'S The Apprentice star forever immortalised as Stuart Baggs "The Brand".

But with a stand-up comedy show debuting at the Fringe this summer, will discerning Capital audiences buy into what he's selling?

Baggs was arguably one of the most compelling and cringe-making characters the hit BBC series has seen.

The programme's youngest contestant, then 21 years old - who had built up a fortune through his successful telecoms company on the Isle of Man - was abruptly given his marching orders after claims on his CV were proven to be inaccurate.

Barring him from appearing in last year's series finale, Lord Sugar subsequently quipped: "What he should do is deploy the brain and shut the mouth down a bit."

With his first ever comedy show confirmed at Space Cabaret@54 in the Carlton Hotel this August, it seems the motor-mouthed wannabe is paying little heed.

Speaking to the Evening News just days after the one-off show was announced, Mr Baggs said he had a "rich tapestry of life to tell", which he hoped would tickle the funny bone. But there would be no ready-made gags to save his blushes, he added, with all his material interactive and improvised.

"On The Apprentice things didn't quite go as planned," he said. "It's like when you go out with a fit, attractive woman and she realises that you are quite ugly and decides to dump you.

"But I am 100 per cent more nervous about (performing stand-up in Edinburgh]. At the end of the day, Alan Sugar is a wrinkly old man sitting in his ivory tower, whereas the audience here are paying to see me doing some comedy."

Mr Baggs, who has employed a team to look after his business interests while he explores the realms of reality TV, said he doesn't feel like a "traditional" comedian and admits there may be some laughing at him.

But his goal at the Fringe is to "make people laugh and smile" and claims his skin is as "thick as Vanessa Feltz's stomach" to buffer any hecklers or cat calls.

Asked if this was the start of a burgeoning comedy career, he said: "Who knows, it could be the start or the end of it.

"I could either be the next Frankie Boyle - one notch down - or the next Christopher Biggins . . . though not as fat."