Dr Jana Denzel, a candidate on The Apprentice, has reportedly left the BBC show after allegedly using racist language. It’s been claimed that the cosmetic dentist used the term ‘coloured’ to describe a black person during a task.
This incident was reportedly brought to the attention of the show’s producers and he was asked to undertake diversity training following the filming. The next day, Dr Jana is said to have informed Lord Sugar of his decision to leave – but stated that his departure was not related to the reaction from the show’s bosses.
During a boardroom scene, Dr Jana told Lord Sugar that he didn’t feel he was a “good fit” and was exiting the process. It’s believed he used the term during a task which involved the team creating a character for a marketing campaign.
Two female candidates were taken aback by his comment and reported it to the show’s bosses. All 18 contestants had previously been warned about using sensitive language during an earlier task.
His exit is expected to be aired 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 be shown to viewers in a fortnight, reports the Mirror.
“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,” an insider revealed to 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 stated: ” Jana withdrew from the process for completely unrelated and separate reasons, and he has our full support.”
Regarding 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.”