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Stuart Baggs
Born(1988-07-23)23 July 1988[1][2]
Plymouth, Devon, England
Died30 July 2015(2015-07-30) (aged 27)
Douglas, Isle of Man
Other names"The Brand"
EducationRamsey Grammar School
OccupationEntrepreneur
Years active2007–2015

Stuart Baggs (23 July 1988 – 30 July 2015), also known by his self-styled sobriquet as Stuart Baggs "The Brand",[3] was an English businessman and entrepreneur from Plymouth, Devon.[4] He founded and ran BlueWave Communications, a broadband company in the Isle of Man.[5] He gained recognition for reaching the final five of Series 6 of The Apprentice. Baggs died aged 27 in Douglas, Isle of Man due to an asthma attack.[6][4][7]

Business career

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Born in Plymouth, Baggs spent most of his life in the Isle of Man and got into business by selling yo-yos at school.[1] He attended Ramsey Grammar School.[8] When he was 13, he founded BlueWave Communications to provide internet services in the Crown Dependency and legally incorporated it as a company when he was legally able to on his 18th birthday.[1][9] It was formally launched in 2007 with Baggs saying that he founded it with the intent of providing broadband to areas of the Isle of Man with slow broadband.[10] In 2015, on his 27th birthday and a week before his death,[11] Baggs announced he was going to launch a new 4G data-only network.[10]

The Apprentice

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Baggs successfully applied to appear on the BBC programme The Apprentice broadcast in 2010. At 21, he was the youngest ever candidate to appear on the programme.[12] He gained a reputation for one-liners and exuberant business style.[12] He was described by one of his fellow contestants as "a breath of fresh air" and stated they felt he was aiming to better himself.[13] He started with strong performances before calming during a few weeks but reached the semi-finals after some strong results.[14]

Baggs made it to the final five interview stage where he made several errors including: addressing Margaret Mountford by her first name, arguing with Claude Littner about calling himself "the Brand" and being discovered by Bordan Tkachuk to have lied on his application claiming BlueWave was fully licensed for telecommunications when it only had a broadband internet licence.[12] In the boardroom, before being fired, Lord Sugar said that Baggs was "...full of shit" for his attitude and statements.[15][16] He was also not invited back for the final.[17] Following his appearances on The Apprentice, he was reportedly in talks to become a television presenter.[18] He appeared on several television programmes afterwards, including The Alan Titchmarsh Show, Come Dine with Me and Pointless Celebrities.[19][20][21]

In 2020 after his death, fans of the programme paid tribute to him and many of them regarded him as their favourite contestant.[22]

Death

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On 30 July 2015, Baggs was found dead by officers of the Isle of Man Constabulary at his home in Douglas.[6] Though initial investigations could not determine his cause of death,[23] it was later discovered that he had died of an asthma attack.[4] Lord Sugar paid tribute saying "Stuart was one of our most memorable characters and regretfully he's passed away, but he'll never be forgotten. What a great character".[24] His funeral was held at St Ninian's Church, Douglas.[25]

References

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  1. ^ a b c "Stuart Baggs: Businessman who made his name on The Apprentice but was fired by Lord Sugar at the semi-final stage". The Independent. 2 August 2015. Retrieved 25 April 2021.
  2. ^ "Apprentice star Stuart 'The Brand' Baggs found dead just days after 27th birthday". Business Matters. 30 July 2015. Retrieved 6 May 2021.
  3. ^ "Former Apprentice star Stuart Baggs found dead". Glasgow Times. 30 July 2015. Retrieved 25 April 2021.
  4. ^ a b c "Apprentice star Stuart Baggs' death caused by asthma attack". BBC News. 6 August 2015. Retrieved 25 April 2021.
  5. ^ "aql acquires BlueWave Communications". AQL. 22 September 2015. Retrieved 25 April 2021.
  6. ^ a b "Apprentice star Stuart 'The Brand' Baggs found dead". BBC News. 30 July 2015. Retrieved 25 April 2021.
  7. ^ "Apprentice star Stuart Baggs death: Family 'shattered'". BBC News. 31 July 2015. Retrieved 16 June 2024.
  8. ^ "Manx man becomes the youngest candidate on The Apprentice". BBC News. 28 September 2010. Retrieved 6 May 2021.
  9. ^ "In memory of Stuart Baggs 'The Brand'". Littlegate Publishing. 31 July 2015. Retrieved 25 April 2021.
  10. ^ a b Please enter your username (29 July 2015). "Interview: Stuart Baggs - launching a 4G 'revolution'". Isle of Man Today. Archived from the original on 29 September 2015. Retrieved 25 April 2021 – via Web.archive.org.
  11. ^ "Stuart Baggs on his plans to "change the world" in his last ever interview before tragic death". Daily Mirror. 30 July 2015. Retrieved 25 April 2021.
  12. ^ a b c Stuart Baggs. "Apprentice - Stuart Baggs: Biography and latest news". BBC. Retrieved 25 April 2021.
  13. ^ "Stuart Baggs riles fellow contestant in The Apprentice". Isle of Man News. Retrieved 25 April 2021.
  14. ^ Hogan, Michael (1 December 2010). "What if Stuart Baggs actually wins The Apprentice?". The Guardian. Retrieved 25 April 2021.
  15. ^ "Top 10 Reality TV Show Exits". Comedy Central. Retrieved 25 April 2021.
  16. ^ Hogan, Michael (15 December 2010). "The Apprentice semi final, review". Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 25 April 2021.
  17. ^ "Stuart Baggs 'not invited back' for Apprentice final". BBC News. 16 December 2010. Retrieved 25 April 2021.
  18. ^ "Stuart 'The Brand' Baggs in talks to present own TV show". Evening Standard. 11 April 2012. Retrieved 25 April 2021.
  19. ^ radiotimesteam. "The Apprentice changed my life..." Radio Times. Retrieved 25 April 2021.
  20. ^ Tomorrow 3:35pm - 4pm. "Come Dine with Me - what time is it on TV? Episode 60 Series 31 cast list and preview". Radio Times. Retrieved 25 April 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  21. ^ Williamson, Marcus (2 August 2015). "Stuart Baggs: Businessman who made his name on The Apprentice but was fired by Lord Sugar at the semi-final stage". The Independent. Retrieved 25 April 2021.
  22. ^ McLennan, Patrick (1 October 2020). "The Apprentice and fans pay tribute to the late Stuart Baggs 'the brand'". Radio Times. Retrieved 25 April 2021.
  23. ^ "Apprentice star Stuart Baggs' death 'undetermined' after post-mortem". BBC News. 3 August 2015. Retrieved 25 April 2021.
  24. ^ "Stuart Baggs tribute from Lord Sugar in The Apprentice Best Bits | Metro News". Metro. 1 October 2020. Retrieved 25 April 2021.
  25. ^ Edwards, Mark (21 August 2015). "Apprentice star Stuart Baggs' funeral takes place". BBC News. Retrieved 25 April 2021.
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