10 Famous TV Business Owners

Reynholm Industries (The IT Crowd)

Nobody really knows what Reynholm Industries actually does, least of all its head, Douglas Reynholm. A deep-voiced lunatic with a history of sexual harassment, Reynholm can barely remember the names of his employees, never mind run a business.



Lord Alan Sugar (The Apprentice)

In the last series of The Apprentice, one hapless candidate struggled to recall any of Sugar’s current businesses, remembering only Amstrad, which he formed in 1968 and sold in 2008. Now with a range of business interests (and worth an estimated £730 million), Sugar rules the roost with a strong, no-nonsense approach to business.



Steptoe and Son (Steptoe and Son)

Father and son, Albert and Harold, run their ‘scrap reclamation’ business in an uneasy partnership based in Shepherd’s Bush. Though their lock up is usually seen to be brimming with items for sale, they rarely receive much in the way of custom, and the business is likely to be as stretched as their relationship.



Arkwright Grocers (Open All Hours)

Albert Arkwright does everything he can to maximise profits at his small Yorkshire grocer’s shop. In fact, the only thing tighter than Arkwright is the spring in the shop’s till. As the sign says, he’s open all hours, with only the affections of buxom neighbour, Gladys Emmanuelle, likely to make avaricious Albert shut up shop early.



Grot Shops (The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin)

Owner, Reggie Perrin, set up Grot shops assuming it would result in an interesting failure. However, products such as square hoops, round dice and sprout wine inexplicably caught on and the business boasted profits of £750,000 in 1977. Not the most reliable of businessmen, Reggie is known for disappearing for extended periods, often returning with a completely different name.



FlyLo (Come Fly with Me)

Omar Baba, the owner of the low cost airline, isn’t afraid of trying new ideas to enhance the passengers’ experience (and boost profits of course). Upright "flat" beds, for example, or life jackets which require a credit card swipe to open. Such is Baba’s entrepreneurship, other budget airlines are surely taking notes.



Black Books (Black Books)

Bernard Black runs his book shop in a rather unorthodox fashion, with an openly hostile attitude to customers and often with very little in the way of saleable stock. Eschewing normal business acumen for booze and cigarettes, Black treats his shop more like his own personal library.



Trotter’s Independent Trading

T.I.T. are an unregistered company, trading primarily in black market goods and unregulated services. With a poor history of success and less than complete tax records, this business could be seen as a disaster. However, owner Derek Trotter is more optimistic, predicting profits of at least £1 million by this time next year.



The Queen Victoria (Eastenders)

The Queen Vic pub has changed hand more times than a Scottish fiver. Both the pub and its current owner, Phil Mitchell, have been through troubled times, with the Vic burning down (again) in 2010, the same year in which Mitchell’s drug problem came to a head. Mitchell rents the pub to Alfie and Kat Moon, who will hopefully steer the business to happier times.



Wernham Hogg (The Office)

Wernham Hogg’s Slough operation is run in a rather laid back fashion by manager David Brent. Brent wants to be regarded by his staff as "a friend first, a boss second and probably an entertainer third". Whether this pays off for either the paper merchants or Brent himself is yet to be seen.



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