Who's the boss? BBC2 last night.

[amidonefor]

Anyone else watch this?

Fantastic viewing - tv people edited this eejit brilliantly.

A finer example of a pompous fool you'll not find.

Trendy beer company boss takes part in tv show where his staff are allowed to recruit a new manager from a selection provided by an agency.

Except when Brewdog boss James Watt sees the candidates - it's written all over his trendy face that the candidates are too old, too ugly, too fat, too chavvy for his cool school of beer.

Of course, he can't say any of that, (not cool) so he has to find plausible excuses and someone to blame to squirm out of the process.

If earnest pains push your buttons - definitely worth watching:

www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b073gnxw/whos-the-boss-3-brewdog


www.thedrum.com/news/2016/03/09/brewdog-boss-james-watt-dubs-bbc-who-s-boss-appearance-bit-disaster

[ifgrandmahadawilly]

That sounds amazing. I'll give it a watch tonight, hopefully.

[AlbusPercival]

Completely agree OP, he came over as a bit of a muppet didnt he

Not surprised no one took the job!

[amidonefor]

Totally @ AlbusPercival.

Well worth it @ ifgrandmahadawilly

I think the guy (James Watt - he calls himself The Captain!!!) somehow got the idea that telly can be manipulated for your own purposes and that he could use the BBC as a big Brewdog beer advert.

And then half way through it becomes apparent that the telly people aren't there to make him look even greater but in fact to make entertaining tv and if that means finding a foll (like him) and pointing at them - then that's what they'll do.

Even by the end, I'm not sure he fully realises what an idiot he's been - and so casually/callously dismissive of the candidates and 'conventional' people - cos the Brewdog folks all think they're such rebels - blowing all of our ordinary tiny minds with their hipness - woo hoo!

[amidonefor]

edit - finding a fool (like him)

[Doublejeopardy]

I would say that i would have expected some experience as some sort of multi site manager in hospitality or a manger of a large hospitality organisation as a pre requisite to the interview process

He was undoubtedly a (&& but i also think that i could find you 4 better candidates via my linkedin with more experience of what he wanted. I don't think they had demonstrated the ability to be what is in effect a pub area manager

However it did make great viewing

[amidonefor]

I agree that the candidates seemed t be chosen mainly with the television audience in mind - if that's how it works - if the producers have more sway with the recruitment agency than the client.

There was a terrible scene where the owner James, phones up the recruitment agency and accuses them of sending the wrong sort of candidate.

James is the only person in Brewdog to get to read the CVs apparently - and he tells us (the viewers) that none of the candidates have hospitality or area manager experience - which is really weird, because at the beginning of the show, when they introduce the candidates, Russ is highlighted as a brewery area manager - and the bald man is some sort of multi-site manager and the woman works in food hospitality.

So James decides that he will confront them all and go - Have you got hospitality experience?

And then looks entirely perplexed when what they say doesn't match with what he implied to the viewers - and it turns out that yes, they do have hospitality experience.

But what they haven't got is beards, piercings, cool haircuts, or essentially anything that appeals on a surface level

[MardyBra]

What a dick. Yes, I'm sure he'd been edited in the worst possible light, but at the end of the day, he should have made sure that he was happy with the candidates on paper before starting the filming of the show. Maybe they could have found better candidates double, but not necessarily ones that were prepared to go through the process on telly.

But yes, it was patently obvious that he only wanted to hire hipsters, and he was utterly vile to the Lucy (I think that was her name), when he told her she hadn't spoken any sense.

And he was extremely rude to the recruitment consultant. He may not have agreed with him, but there are better ways to disagree than that.

His workforce must feel really demoralised to have some staff participation dangled in front of them and have it withdrawn. And the alternative job offered was a complete fiasco.

[2rebecca]

I agree that if he wanted to be sure the best 3 candidates were in front of the camera then he should have drawn up the shortlist himself. I'm amazed how many companies let recruitment agencies draw up interview lists for top jobs as they are often staffed by egotistical under-talented numpties.
When my husband had a period of unemployment he hated the recruitment agents. They were forever putting him forward for jobs that were unsuitable and where he didn't fulfil the person spec and not considering him for things he thought were just what he was looking for and similar to stuff he'd done before.
He should have checked them all out before agreeing to go ahead.
For senior posts vetting applicants yourself shouldn't be that onerous. If you really want someone with particular experience you instantly reject all CVs without it.
I didn't like him standing on the stairs looking down.
Offering them a building maintenance job instead was just silly.
I don't blame him for rejecting them though. They weren't that in to beer, particularly brewdog beer. None of them spotting the nasty tasting beer would have had me instantly rejecting them.
I like Brewdog beer, although they do tend to make all their beers taste the same mainly due to using the same hops in them all.
Agree he was nasty to Lucy although she seemed to be punching way above her weight with the job.
The lateral thinking interview questions just ensure you get an employee who can bullshit well who may not be the best at managing staff. Some physics knowledge may have helped with the jelly bean question.

[ppeatfruit]

Yes I began watching because last weeks' had been good (the chocolate factory) I could see this one was going pear shaped; because the applicants weren't the types for this hipster firm. So I couldn't be bothered to watch all of it tbh.

[ppeatfruit]

Oh and I don't like beer either I used to work for an employment agency and hated it because it's sooo commission based. The applicants were sent for ANYTHING .

[CowCat]

Funny reading this old thread in light of the recent revelations here //www.punkswithpurpose.org/dearbrewdog

[TheOrangeChair]

[quote CowCat]Funny reading this old thread in light of the recent revelations here //www.punkswithpurpose.org/dearbrewdog[/quote]
Indeed, the boss of brewdog James came across as a right tool on that programme and it's awful to hear how his employees have been treated over the years.

Very well written open letter and also response to brewdog's "apology" by punks with purpose.