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''The Apprentice'' is a British business-styled
reality Reality is the sum or aggregate of all that is real or existent within a system, as opposed to that which is only imaginary. The term is also used to refer to the ontological status of things, indicating their existence. In physical terms, r ...
game show A game show is a genre of broadcast viewing entertainment (radio, television, internet, stage or other) where contestants compete for a reward. These programs can either be participatory or Let's Play, demonstrative and are typically directed b ...
created by
Mark Burnett Mark Burnett (born 17 July 1960) is a television producer who is the former Chairman of MGM Television, MGM Worldwide Television Group. He is best known for creating and producing the reality shows The Apprentice (American TV series), ''The Ap ...
, distributed by
Fremantle Fremantle () () is a port city in Western Australia, located at the mouth of the Swan River in the metropolitan area of Perth, the state capital. Fremantle Harbour serves as the port of Perth. The Western Australian vernacular diminutive for ...
and broadcast by the
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
since 16 February 2005. Devised after the success of the American original and part of the international franchise of the same name, the programme focuses on a group of
businesspeople A businessperson, businessman, or businesswoman is an individual who has founded, owns, or holds shares in (including as an angel investor) a private-sector company. A businessperson undertakes activities (commercial or industrial) for the ...
competing in a series of business-related challenges set by British
business magnate A business magnate, also known as a tycoon, is a person who has achieved immense wealth through the ownership of multiple lines of enterprise. The term characteristically refers to a powerful entrepreneur or investor who controls, through perso ...
Alan Sugar Alan Michael Sugar, Baron Sugar (born 24 March 1947) is a British business magnate, media personality, author, politician and political adviser. In 1968, he started what would later become his largest business venture, consumer electronics com ...
, in order to prove themselves worthy of a prize offered by him. To observe candidates as they undertake these tasks, Sugar is assisted by two close business associates who act as observers with little involvement in what is conducted – these roles are currently performed by
Karren Brady Karren Rita Brady, Baroness Brady, (born 4 April 1969) is a British business executive and television personality. She is a former managing director of Birmingham City F.C. and current vice-chairman of West Ham United F.C., and an aide to Al ...
and Tim Campbell. Originally aired on
BBC Two BBC Two is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It covers a wide range of subject matter, with a remit "to broadcast programmes of depth and substance" in contrast to the more mainstream an ...
, its first series generated favourable viewing figures that led to the creation of a companion discussion show, '' The Apprentice: You're Fired!'', with further increasing figures after the second series leading to the programme being aired on
BBC One BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's flagship network and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News television bulletins, p ...
to a much wider audience. The success of ''The Apprentice'' has led to it receiving its own merchandising, including a magazine and official books, along with one-off celebrity episodes for charity, and a spin-off, '' Young Apprentice'', which ran between 2010 and 2012. The programme is a staple part of the BBC's television schedule, with the programme contributing a significant part to television culture, including parodies and imitations for comedy, as well as influencing the designs of other British-based business programmes, such as ''
Tycoon A business magnate, also known as a tycoon, is a person who has achieved immense wealth through the ownership of multiple lines of enterprise. The term characteristically refers to a powerful entrepreneur or investor who controls, through perso ...
'', and '' Beat the Boss''.


History

In March 2004, following the success of the first season of
NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are l ...
's ''
The Apprentice ''The Apprentice'' is a Reality competition, reality talent game show franchise originally aired in 2004 in the United States. Created by U.S.-based British producer Mark Burnett, the show depicts contestants from around the country with variou ...
'',
FremantleMedia Fremantle (; formerly FremantleMedia) is a British multinational television production and distribution company based in London. Fremantle takes its name from Fremantle International, acquired by predecessor company All American Television i ...
saw the possibility for creating an international franchise, and announced its intentions to create a British version of the programme under the same name and format. The company offered any British broadcaster the chance to secure the rights to the new programme, the most significant bids coming from the
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
and
Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned enterprise, state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a four ...
. Negotiations finished on the 1 April, when the BBC was announced as the new owner of the future programme after outbidding their rival. This left the BBC with the task of finding a business personality to front ''The Apprentice''. The BBC made offers promising a potentially lucrative business opportunity to several business individuals, including
Philip Green Sir Philip Nigel Ross Green (born 15 March 1952) is a British businessman who was the chairman of the retail company the Arcadia Group. He owned the high street clothing retailers Topshop, Topman and Miss Selfridge from 2002 to 2020. As of Ma ...
,
Felix Dennis Felix Dennis (27 May 1947 – 22 June 2014) was an English publisher, poet, spoken-word performer and philanthropist. His company, Dennis Publishing, pioneered computer and hobbyist magazine publishing in the United Kingdom. In more recent times ...
and Michael O'Leary, but each of their initial choices declined when approached. On 19 May,
Sir Alan Sugar Alan Michael Sugar, Baron Sugar (born 24 March 1947) is a British business magnate, media personality, author, politician and political adviser. In 1968, he started what would later become his largest business venture, consumer electronics com ...
agreed to present the twelve episodes of the programme that had been commissioned. After the first series of the British version proved to be a success, Sir Alan signed on for subsequent series.


Format


Candidate selection

The show's initial stage, which is not filmed, focuses on open auditions and interviews held across the country; this stage searches for the candidates for a series before filming of it begins, which often attracts thousands of applicants. A second round will usually be held in
London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
for a small percentage of applicants, who divide into groups and are asked to do various exercises to test their business skills and to gauge how they work as a team. Following this, between 20 and 30 applicants are chosen and given an assessment by a psychologist, receiving further checks by the production team and providing them with references, before the final line-up is selected from this group and filming can begin. The number of candidates who appear in a series has varied over the show's history, though the general arrangement is that each series always consists of a balanced number of men and women when it begins.


Tasks

Once the candidates are selected, they are divided into teams and given a series of business-themed tasks – every series focuses on ten team-oriented tasks, with the exception of the seventh and eighth series where it was eleven. Each episode covers a single task, which is designed to test candidates on important business skills – salesmanship, negotiation, requisitioning, strategy, leadership, teamwork, and organisation. Before each task is given, the teams are briefed by Sugar over what kind of challenge they will be conducting, what rules they must adhere to during the timespan of the task, and the conditions for winning – an example of this could be that they must buy supplies on a limited budget, convert them into a product, and then sell their creation all within a single day, with the win determined on who makes the highest profit from their concept. Before a task begins, each team must assign a
project manager A project manager is a professional in the field of project management. Project managers have the responsibility of the planning, procurement and execution of a project, in any undertaking that has a defined scope, defined start and a defined f ...
(PM) to lead them, whose roles involves denoting each member's role on the task, tackle the important key decisions, and manage team members carefully to avoid potential friction and disruptions. The role of PM is mainly chosen by the team – the choice, decided on a vote, can be influenced by factors, the most common being a candidate's business background and its relation to the task, or the amount of confidence team members have in their selection – but at times, Sugar may appoint someone into the role, based upon his opinion of their performance in the process, their background, or, since the seventh series, their business plan. The briefing period of the episode is often used at specific points in the series to rearrange teams, as candidates are whittled down in the process, and is mainly done to either balance out the number, ensure a fair distribution of skills for a specific task, or to give less vocal candidates a chance to demonstrate their abilities. Each team is provided with two vehicles to use to get around during a task, and can only split into two sub-teams for each task; in some tasks, the candidates are given additional items to use to assist them, such as a shop space or a workshop. Although the teams are expected to work together, the competitive nature of the show means that candidates will often focus on their individual roles and needs rather than the greater good of the team, primarily to prove themselves worthy of winning the process and increasing their chances of making it into the Final of the series. During the execution of their task, each team is followed by one of Sugar's aides, who notes down their opinions, observations and thoughts for later reference in the boardroom, mostly on any noteworthy matters, such as performance, mistakes, and issues, minor or serious; while it is rare for them to intervene, they may do so if an issue arises in the team's actions that needs their attention.


Boardroom

Once a task is finished, the candidates report back to Sugar at the " boardroom" – either following the task's completion, or the day after it has ended – to hear about feedback on their performance and learn the results of their endeavors. During team-based tasks, the process is played out in three stages in the following order – Results, Task Review, and Final Boardroom. Each stage is conducted in a different fashion, but follows a general format: # Result – Sugar and his advisers conduct an initial discuss with teams about their performance, and review what they did on the task – in tasks where a product, video marketing promotion, or branding is created, such items are provided in the boardroom for examination. During this stage, discussions take a look over feedback on the performance of candidates within their respective team, issues encountered, and any praise or criticism that needs to be addressed. After this initial review of performance is made, the results of the task are given out, in which the winning team advances to the next stage and receive a reward for their performance. After they leave, the losing team are dispatched to the "Losers' Cafe" to discuss amongst themselves over what factors contributed to their loss, before they must return for an in-depth review of their performance. # Task review – The losing team are subjected to an extensive review of their performance in the boardroom, including open criticism of performance and/or contribution on the task. Candidates within the team are allowed the freedom to argue their cases for their respective performance and contributions, voice opinions about other members, and counter criticism if they feel it to be unjustified. After a period of discussion with each member, the appointed PM must then select two members of the team to return with them for a final boardroom discussion; a choice is not required if the team has only three members left in it. The choice made by the PM can be influenced by factors that they perceive about each member – these include responsibility for the team's loss, inexcusable mistakes, lack of contribution, and clash of personalities. Those not picked are free to return to the candidates' accommodation, while remaining members are sent outside to give Sugar and his aides time to discussion in private about the PM and other members in regards to concerning observations and doubts about each. # Final boardroom – The PM and their two choices face a final discussion with Sugar and his advisers, which focuses on further in-depth analysis and criticism of their actions in a task, their performance throughout the process by that stage, their relationship with other candidates, and any criticism raised against them. Remaining members retain the freedom to argue their cases and also denote who amongst them should be fired from the process based on the reasons they feel justifies their dismissal. Sugar makes a final summary when he calls discussions to an end, relaying his personal thoughts on each member before him, before eventually making his decision on who is fired – the selected candidate, whom he gives his reasons for their removal, is pointed at and proclaimed eliminated with the words "You're fired!", a process that may be repeated if another candidate is deemed by him to have no further potential to continue in the process. The surviving candidate(s) return to the candidates' accommodation, while the fired candidate(s) depart via a waiting taxi and taken on "home", conducting a brief interview to reflect on their elimination. While the boardroom scenes differ for the Interviews and Final (see sections below), there are a number of exceptions in regards to the boardroom format after tasks, which can occur during this scene: * Candidate firing – Sugar can choose to fire a candidate at any time in the boardroom, if he deems it noteworthy. Thus a candidate could be fired during the first or second stage of the boardroom, rather than as a part of the final three. * Reward – Sugar may withdraw the reward, if the winning team's performance on the task is considered to be too inadequate to his liking. In this case, they simply return to the candidates' accommodation after the results. * "Final three" selection – Sugar may opt to choose who returns for the final boardroom discussion, rather than let the PM make this choice themselves, while he can freely send someone back to the candidates' accommodation if he feels they do not deserve to return.


Interviews

The Interviews stage of the process takes place as the penultimate step of the competition, in which the five remaining candidates in the competition each undergoes an individual set of interviews with a selection of trusted aides of Sugar; for the seventh and eighth series, this stage was assigned as the final step, and featured the four remaining candidate in each respective series' competition. The aim of this stage is to determine the suitability of the candidate for the prize being offered by Sugar. In this stage, each interviewer questions the candidates over various matters, from their performance in the process, why they applied for the show, the content of their CVs, and any concerns about their personalities. Discussions often focus around brash or controversial statements that candidates have made on their CVs and application forms, with the interviewers determining whether such claims are truthful, exaggerated or deceitful. Since the seventh series, following the change of prize, the interviewers now question the candidates about their business plans, discussing the feasibility of the idea, how the candidate would go about setting up the business, and whether they have the temperament and skills to deliver the plan. After candidates have been through their interviews, and Sugar has heard feedback from the interviewers, he conducts a boardroom session to discuss with the candidates over what he has learnt about them, as well as reviewing their performance on the tasks they undertook. Eventually, he will determine who he feels has potential to move on to the Final, with his decision usually resulting in three candidates being fired at this stage of the competition; there has only been one instance in the show's history where Sugar fired just one candidate, as the feedback from the interviewers during the third series' competition made it difficult to fire more than one. For Series 7 and 8, where the Interviews was the final task, his decision determined who won the competition. Key: : Currently stars : Previously starred


Final

The final stage of the competition sees the finalists of the process compete against each other in one final task, with the outcome influencing Sugar's decision on who wins the current series' competition, though his choice is determined through a comparison of the two candidates, and is not influenced purely on how successful a candidate is in the final stage, but also other factors connected with them such as their overall performance in the competition, and the overall feedback he has received about them. Whereas in Series 7–8, the Interviews stage was the final task, prior to these series and after them, the task sees the finalists being able to form a team out of a selection of returning candidates that had been fired over the course of the competition, their choices affected by past experiences with them, how well they worked together, or if their skill set can help improve their chances of winning. For Series 1–6, the final stage was a purely business-styled task, as a final test of a candidate's skill set and their suitability to the job being offered as a prize in these series. For Series 7–8, following the change of prize, the task primarily focused on determining how potential a candidate's business plan was for investment, via interviews. Since the ninth series, the final task reverted to a similar format prior to Series 7, though was altered in that the finalists' task is to promote their business idea, presenting their proposed plan along with its brand identity to a group of industry experts. In all versions, the finalists eventually reconvene at the boardroom in which Sugar discusses with them over their performance, the feedback they got, and voices his final opinions of the candidates, Eventually, he declares his choice, proclaiming to the winner he points to with the words "You're hired!", at which point the winner departs in Sugar's limousine and conducts a brief victory interview, reflecting on their success in the competition. While only two finalists ever reach the final stage, Series 4 featured four finalists, who were divided up into pairs, working as joint project managers respectively on the final task, with Sugar effectively firing the pair who performed poorly, and making his final decision on who won, between the candidates within the remaining pair.


The Board

Each boardroom session featured in the show consists of the same setup for "The Board", in the form of a panel that evaluates the performances of the candidates in the competition. Along with Alan Sugar (the "boss"), the panel consists of his two personal advisers, who are assigned to watch over the candidates during each task of the competition; to date, four people have operated as Sugar's advisers, of which two currently remain a part of the show in this respective role. The following details each member of the board: *
Alan Sugar Alan Michael Sugar, Baron Sugar (born 24 March 1947) is a British business magnate, media personality, author, politician and political adviser. In 1968, he started what would later become his largest business venture, consumer electronics com ...
– The central figure of the show since the conception of the British adaptation of the American original, he was the
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
's finalised choice for the programme after their initial choices rejected the offer to head the show. Outside the boardroom, he arranges the tasks the candidates undertake, including arranging the location for the task briefing, which he may give either in person or indirectly via a recorded message, and in some circumstances may attend a task primarily to observe a team in terms of pitching. Inside the boardroom, he makes choices based on feedback, is able to overturn a result if he deems it wrong, withdraw a reward he has arranged if a team is not deserving, and ultimately determines which candidates are dismissed from the process. For the first four series, the show made frequent references to his connection with
Amstrad Amstrad was a British electronics company, founded in 1968 by Alan Sugar at the age of 21. The name is a contraction of Alan Michael Sugar Trading. It was first listed on the London Stock Exchange in April 1980. During the late 1980s, Amstrad ...
, the electronics company he founded, and originally called him "Sir Alan" in reference to his knighthood during that time. Since the fifth series, he is billed in the opening credits as controlling a "vast business empire", following the sale of Amstrad and his departure from the company, while he is referred to on the programme as "Lord Sugar", owing to a politically neutral appointment he had been offered around that time. Since the birth of the companion discussion show, Sugar appears on every ''You're Hired'' during the time when the winner of the series is being interviewed. *
Nick Hewer Nicholas Radbourn Hewer (born 17 February 1944) is a retired English television presenter, company director (2010) and former public relations consultant. From 2005 to 2014, he appeared as Alan Sugar's adviser in the British television series ...
(Series 1 to 10) – After Alan Sugar signed up for the programme, Hewer was brought in as one of his advisers, as he had closely worked with Sugar since being chosen to represent Amstrad in 1983. He operated in his role on the main show, as well as on its spin-offs, including ''Young Apprentice'', and acted as an interviewer during the initial series of the programme, appearing on ''You're Fired'' as a guest panellist. He remained with the show until he revealed on his Twitter page on 18 December 2014 that his tenth series would be his last, believing his departure on the show's tenth year was "the appropriate time". His decision to leave was fully confirmed in the show's sister discussion programme, '' You're Hired!'', following the broadcast of the final episode of Series 10. *
Margaret Mountford Margaret Rose Mountford (''née'' Swale, born 24 November 1951) is a Northern Irish lawyer, businesswoman and television personality best known for her role in ''The Apprentice''. Biography Mountford is originally from Holywood in County Down, ...
(Series 1 to 5) – Alongside recruiting Hewer to work with him on the programme, Alan Sugar also recruited Mountford as his second adviser, having worked with her since she first met him while working as a partner for the law firm
Herbert Smith Herbert Smith LLP was a multinational law firm headquartered in London, United Kingdom. The firm was founded in the City of London in 1882 by Norman Herbert Smith and merged with the Australian law firm Freehills on 1 October 2012, forming Herber ...
, until March 1999. She remained with the show until she announced in her column for the ''
Daily Telegraph Daily or The Daily may refer to: Journalism * Daily newspaper, newspaper issued on five to seven day of most weeks * ''The Daily'' (podcast), a podcast by ''The New York Times'' * ''The Daily'' (News Corporation), a defunct US-based iPad new ...
'' on 1 June 2009, that the fifth series would be her last, citing that her departure would allow her to devote more time to her studies, with the decision fully confirmed during her appearance on ''You're Hired'', after the final episode of Series 5. Despite departing from the role, she remained with the show for Series 6–9, acting as an interviewer for the Interviews stage of the competition. *
Karren Brady Karren Rita Brady, Baroness Brady, (born 4 April 1969) is a British business executive and television personality. She is a former managing director of Birmingham City F.C. and current vice-chairman of West Ham United F.C., and an aide to Al ...
(Series 6–present) – Following Margaret Mountford's departure from the role, Alan Sugar assigned Brady as his new adviser. A notable businesswoman in her own right, she had previously appeared on the show as an interviewer in the fourth and fifth series, and as a team leader for ''
Comic Relief Does The Apprentice ''Comic Relief Does The Apprentice'' (also known as ''The Celebrity Apprentice for Comic Relief'') is a special celebrity version of British reality television series ''The Apprentice (British TV series), The Apprentice'', initially produced to ...
'' in 2007, where she led the team of celebrity women to victory while raising over £1,000,000 for charity on the spin-off programme. Her first appearance in the role was on ''Young Apprentice'' before the sixth series of the main show, and she regularly appears as a guest panellist on ''You're Fired!''. *
Claude Littner Claude Littner (born 4 May 1949) is an American-born British business executive and the former chairman of Viglen, Powerleague, ASCO and Azzuri Communications. He is also the Deputy Chairman of Blacks Leisure and former chief executive of ...
(Series 11–15) – Primarily assigned as an interviewer on the show since its conception, he was appointed by Alan Sugar as Nick Hewer's replacement following Hewer's departure from the role of adviser, with this appointment being confirmed prior to the eleventh series beginning its broadcast. Although he operates in this role throughout the competition, he retains his position as an interviewer in the Interviews Stage, while he appears as a guest panellist on ''You're Fired'' having done so since 2012, four years before becoming an adviser to Sugar. * Tim Campbell (series 16) – The winner of the first series, he replaced Claude Littner for the sixteenth series, following Littner suffering an injury while cycling. Mike Soutar, a regular of the interview stage, filled in for Campbell in the tenth episode of the sixteenth series.


Series overview


Series 1 (2005)

The first series began in February 2005, with the opening theme being "
Montagues and Capulets ''Romeo and Juliet'' (russian: Ромео и Джульетта, Romeo i Dzhulyetta), Op. 64, is a ballet by Sergei Prokofiev based on William Shakespeare's play ''Romeo and Juliet''. First composed in 1935, it was substantially revised for its ...
". The viewer ratings climbed to almost 4 million viewers for the final episode on 4 May 2005. The winner of this series was Tim Campbell, who had previously worked as a Senior Planner within the Marketing and Planning Department of
London Underground The London Underground (also known simply as the Underground or by its nickname the Tube) is a rapid transit system serving Greater London and some parts of the adjacent ceremonial counties of England, counties of Buckinghamshire, Essex and He ...
. After his victory he went on to become Project Director of Amstrad's new Health and Beauty division at the time, but left the company to pursue other interests the following year, starting up the Bright Ideas Trust in 2008 which offers funding and support for young people wishing to start their own business. In August 2008, the American cable channel
CNBC CNBC (formerly Consumer News and Business Channel) is an American basic cable business news channel. It provides business news programming on weekdays from 5:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., Eastern Time, while broadcasting talk sho ...
began to present the first series on Monday nights, but it was aired in disparate time slots or not at all due to the network's abrupt shifting of their programme schedule in order to cover developments regarding the
global financial crisis of 2008–2009 Global means of or referring to a globe and may also refer to: Entertainment * ''Global'' (Paul van Dyk album), 2003 * ''Global'' (Bunji Garlin album), 2007 * ''Global'' (Humanoid album), 1989 * ''Global'' (Todd Rundgren album), 2015 * Bruno ...
, leading to the series not being broadcast in full. With CNBC deciding to focus their prime time schedule on financial news programming, the programme's rights were moved to
BBC America BBC America is an American basic cable network that is jointly owned by BBC Studios and AMC Networks. The channel primarily airs sci-fi and action series and films, as well as selected programs from the BBC (such as its nature documentary seri ...
, where it started transmission on 5 May 2009.


Series 2 (2006)

The second series began on 22 February 2006, with a spin-off programme introduced on
BBC Three BBC Three is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It was first launched on 9 February 2003 with programmes targeting 16 to 34-year-olds, covering all genres including animation, comedy, curre ...
to air alongside it called '' The Apprentice: You're Fired!''. The series finished with a record of 5.7 million viewers watching the final being won by
Michelle Dewberry Michelle Louise Faye Dewberry (born 9 October 1979) is a British businesswoman, politician, presenter, and media personality. Dewberry won the second series of British television programme ''The Apprentice''. Early life Dewberry was born a ...
. Dewberry briefly took up a post under Sugar following the series, but left in September 2006 after a series of personal problems.


Series 3 (2007)

For the third series, 10,000 applications were received by the production staff, with a promise made to incorporate "tougher tasks and better people", after Alan Sugar expressed concerns that the show was becoming similar in format to that of '' Big Brother''. Alongside this, the
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
also revealed that the programme was being moved over to BBC One and aimed at a more "mainstream audience", with the broadcaster subsequently moving ''The Apprentice: You're Fired!'' to BBC Two as a direct result. The series started on 28 March 2007 with viewing figures of 4.5 million, climbing throughout the run to a peak of 6.8 million people, all watching the final being won by Simon Ambrose.


Series 4 (2008)

Candidates applying for the fourth series were invited to do so through the programme's official website, leading to 20,000 applications being submitted for the series, and 16 of them making it through to take part in the show. Its first episode aired on 26 March 2008, with its debut attracting 6.4 million viewers. This climbed to around 8.9 million viewers for the final episode, with an additional 800,000 viewers tuning in for the episode's final 15 minutes, to catch Lee McQueen winning the series. Lee went on to initially work for Sugar's company AMSHOLD, where he phoned in sick on his first day.


Series 5 (2009)

Prior to the start of filming for the series, Adam Freeman, one of the lucky sixteen that had made it onto the fifth series, was forced to pull out; it was stated that his reasons for doing so were due to a "family matters". This meant that when the series began on 25 March 2009, viewers got to see fifteen candidates vying for the prize, with
Margaret Mountford Margaret Rose Mountford (''née'' Swale, born 24 November 1951) is a Northern Irish lawyer, businesswoman and television personality best known for her role in ''The Apprentice''. Biography Mountford is originally from Holywood in County Down, ...
announcing her decision to stand down as a participant of the show during its broadcast, officially confirming it on ''You're Fired''. The series was won by Yasmina Siadatan.


Series 6 (2010)

Following Mountford's departure,
Karren Brady Karren Rita Brady, Baroness Brady, (born 4 April 1969) is a British business executive and television personality. She is a former managing director of Birmingham City F.C. and current vice-chairman of West Ham United F.C., and an aide to Al ...
was officially revealed as her replacement on 30 August 2009, later revealing in a newspaper interview on 28 February 2010 that the contestants would no longer refer to Alan Sugar as 'Sir Alan', but instead must call him 'Lord Sugar', following his elevation to the
House of Lords The House of Lords, also known as the House of Peers, is the Bicameralism, upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Membership is by Life peer, appointment, Hereditary peer, heredity or Lords Spiritual, official function. Like the ...
. Because of the 2010 general election being held in the United Kingdom, the BBC opted to delay the sixth series until after it had been held, as Alan Sugar had ties to the government at the time; although he stated his intention of maintaining his position in the show, the running of ''The Apprentice'' during the general election could have been a "risk to impartiality". Advertising of the series commenced after it was held, throughout the Summer, with the opening episode eventually broadcast on 6 October 2010. This series was the first to feature a two-hour crossover special between the main programme and its spin-off, ''You're Fired'', a format that would be used in the series final of both in subsequent years. The series was won by Stella English, who was placed into Sugar's company
Viglen Viglen Ltd provides IT products and services, including storage systems, servers, workstations and data/voice communications equipment and services. History The company was formed in 1975, by Vigen Boyadjian. During the 1980s, the company s ...
. In May 2011, she requested a new role after saying that she was just a "glorified PA", and retained this for a year before it was decided not to renew her contract. The decision drew considerable media attention, after she attempted to sue Sugar for wrongful dismissal in February 2012, only for the legal action to be ultimately unsuccessful.


Series 7 (2011)

Applications for the seventh series began in April 2010. Between the applicants being processed, to the filming of the first task, Sugar announced that the prize had been changed, and that now participants of the show were competing for an investment from him of £250,000, with Sugar becoming their business partner, owning a 50% share, but also providing guidance and support from himself and a team of experts to help develop the winning candidate's plan. Those applying prior to this announcement, were not aware of the prize change until later on. The change was due to the issue involving English and that Sugar was finding it difficult to find roles for the winners. The sixteen candidates who eventually secured a place on the series were revealed on 3 May 2011, via the official website and in a press launch, with the opening episode aired a week later on 10 May. In a change to format, the final involved the Interviews that candidates undertook, though these included a scrutinising of the candidates' business plans as well. Thomas Pellereau became Sugar's first business partner, whereupon he used his prize to launch a range of manicure products with assistance from Sugar, including a line of curved nail files – the S-file, the S-Buffer and the Emergency File, two curved nail clippers, the S-Clipper and S-Clipper mini and a curved foot exfoliator, and the S-Ped – which were made available with major retailers in the country. While Susan Ma failed to win the series, Sugar said that he liked her plan, later investing into her skincare company Tropic in 2012.


Series 8 (2012)

The eighth series began on 21 March 2012, and was the last to use the format for the task layout as was used in the previous series. The series was won by Ricky Martin, who used his prize to launch his joint venture recruitment company called Hyper Recruitment Solutions (HRS), on 23 October 2012, which was designed to deal with recruitment in the field of science. Ricky was subsequently invited back to appear on the tenth series as an interviewer.


Series 9 (2013)

The ninth series began on 7 May 2013, and saw the format of the task layout reverted to its original approach prior to the seventh series, though with the final task amended to focus on the investment prize, in which the finalists of the process had to conduct a presentation of their business idea to a panel of experts, including branding, an advert, and answering any questions given about their proposal. The series was won by Leah Totton, who used her prize to open her first cosmetic skin clinic on 22 January 2014.


Series 10 (2014)

Because of the
2014 FIFA World Cup The 2014 FIFA World Cup was the 20th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial world championship for men's national football teams organised by FIFA. It took place in Brazil from 12 June to 13 July 2014, after the country was awarded the hosting ri ...
and 2014 Commonwealth Games, the tenth series was postponed until mid-Autumn to avoid clashing with the live coverage of both sporting events. To commemorate the programme's tenth year, the series featured 20 candidates, with two of the tasks dedicated towards the items that had featured within them. The series began on 14 October 2014, was won by Mark Wright, who used his prize to start an SEO business called Climb Online. The series was the last to feature
Nick Hewer Nicholas Radbourn Hewer (born 17 February 1944) is a retired English television presenter, company director (2010) and former public relations consultant. From 2005 to 2014, he appeared as Alan Sugar's adviser in the British television series ...
, who announced his decision to depart from the show during its broadcast, officially confirming it on the series finale, during the ''You're Hired'' half of the episode.


Series 11 (2015)

Due to the 2015 General Election, the show was postponed until mid-Autumn, to avoid clashing with the political event due to Sugar's ties with it at the time. Because of Hewer's departure,
Claude Littner Claude Littner (born 4 May 1949) is an American-born British business executive and the former chairman of Viglen, Powerleague, ASCO and Azzuri Communications. He is also the Deputy Chairman of Blacks Leisure and former chief executive of ...
was confirmed as his replacement prior to the opening episode of the eleventh series on 14 October 2015, though he retained his role as one of the key interviewers of the Interviews stage. The production staff now focused on applicants who were older and more experienced in business, with the number of candidates taking part now increased to 18. The series was won by Joseph Valente, who used Sugar's investment and assistance to help him expand his plumbing business, Impra-Gas. The pair worked together on developing the business model for two years, until Valente announced in early 2017 that he intended to go solo and would be assuming full control. Both men parted ways on good terms, with Valente thankful for the help and opportunity that he had gotten, while Sugar wished him the best of luck and that he would be following the company's progress.


Series 12 (2016)

As before, the BBC postponed the twelfth series to mid-Autumn, so as to avoid clashing with live coverage of
Euro 2016 The 2016 UEFA European Football Championship, commonly referred to as UEFA Euro 2016 (stylised as UEFA EURO 2016) or simply Euro 2016, was the 15th UEFA European Championship, the quadrennial international men's football championship of Europe o ...
, the 2016 UK EU membership referendum and the 2016 Rio Olympics that were to take place during the Summer. The series began on 6 October 2016, and was won by Alana Spencer, who used her investment to kickstart a nationwide bakery business called Ridiculously Rich.


Series 13 (2017)

The thirteenth series of the show was broadcast in late Autumn 2017, maintaining the broadcast schedule set by the previous three series. The series began on 4 October 2017, and was won by both James White and Sarah Lynn, making it the first time in the show's history where two finalists were joint winners. Each would go on to use their individual investment to set up their own business – White would use his to start up an IT recruitment firm called Right Time Recruitment, while Lynn would use her investment to start up an online personalised sweets gift service called Sweets in the city.


Series 14 (2018)

Unlike the last three series of the programme, the fourteenth series, which took place in late Autumn 2018, reverted to involving 16 candidates vying for Sugar's investment offer, and included a number of subtle changes to keep the format fresh such as candidates being sent abroad for the first task. The series began on 3 October 2018, and was won by Sian Gabbidon, who used her investment to launch a luxury swimwear range.


Series 15 (2019)

As with the previous series, the format for the fifteenth incorporated the new changes introduced, including the first task taking place abroad, the number of candidates taking part being at 16, and teams not being named until each consisted of a mix of women and men. The series began airing on 2 October 2019. The series was won by Carina Lepore, who will be using Lord Sugar's investment to fund new stores for her "family-run" baking business across London.


Series 16 (2022)

The sixteenth series was originally planned for filming to begin in Spring 2020, but the onset of the
COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...
at that time forced the
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
to postpone production to a later date. In lieu of a new series for their Autumn broadcast schedule, the broadcaster opted to fill the space with a special compilation series of highlights from previous series. In May 2021, it was announced that filming for the sixteenth series would take place later in the year, with the new series intended for broadcast on 6 January 2022.


Filming


Schedule

Every series of ''The Apprentice'' is pre-recorded before its broadcast – although the show's twelve-week broadcast schedule gives the impressions that each episode was filmed over a period of 12 weeks, in reality, each series' filming schedule is conducted within a two-month period, a few months before the show is to be aired. While the candidates do have a break between tasks to relax within the large rented house or apartment with which they are provided by the production team for the duration of the competition, each task is generally performed with a much closer time-frame than it appears on the programme. Compared to the US series, the British version has a more rigid format that requires the production team to provide enough footage for each series, that is to be then incorporated into twelve separate episodes. Early rules in filming meant that multiple firings were not allowed in the first two series, a fact that was acknowledged as an issue by Sugar when he expressed his desire to fire both Alexa Tilley and Syed Ahmed following a task in the second series, but could only get rid of the former. In subsequent series, this rule was changed after the show increased the number of candidates for the competition, meaning that Sugar could conduct double firings where needed by the film crew as part of the filming schedule.


Locations

Filming for many of the tasks involve locations within London and across the UK in various cities and towns, and on a number of occasions when tasks take the teams abroad, across Europe, Northern Africa, the Middle East, and the United States. For each series, the candidates are provided with accommodation within an upmarket area of London selected by the production team, with every episode's opening and ending scene being filmed at this location, utilising a mixture of exterior and interior shots of scenes; filming is also done on site if the candidates are conducting work on a task within the building. For other outdoor shots used as part of the other scenes in an episode, the locations have varied. Between the first and third series, both the show's opening credits and the post-firing "walk of shame" exit sequences were filmed outside the Amstrad HQ building in Brentwood, but from the fourth series onwards, following Amstrad's sale to BSkyB in 2007, filming of these scenes are done in front of the
Viglen Viglen Ltd provides IT products and services, including storage systems, servers, workstations and data/voice communications equipment and services. History The company was formed in 1975, by Vigen Boyadjian. During the 1980s, the company s ...
HQ building in
St Albans St Albans () is a cathedral city in Hertfordshire, England, east of Hemel Hempstead and west of Hatfield, Hertfordshire, Hatfield, north-west of London, south-west of Welwyn Garden City and south-east of Luton. St Albans was the first major ...
,
Hertfordshire Hertfordshire ( or ; often abbreviated Herts) is one of the home counties in southern England. It borders Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire to the north, Essex to the east, Greater London to the south, and Buckinghamshire to the west. For govern ...
, which until that point had been used a filming location for the interviews stage of the competition, and continued to do so until 2014 when it was decided to change the filming location to the
Leadenhall Building 122 Leadenhall Street, which is also known as the Leadenhall Building, is a skyscraper in central London. It opened in July 2014 and was designed by the Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners; it is known informally as The Cheesegrater because of it ...
. In addition, between the fourth to ninth series, the show's Walk of Shame scene was filmed at night, but the tenth series changed the filming schedule to have this done during the afternoon. For the scenes involving the losing team discussing their loss, the film crew have used two cafes – "The Bridge" in Acton, West London; and "La Cabana 2" in North London – though editing of these scenes is done to make it appear that candidates only enter The Bridge cafe. Although the show uses footage taken by its film crew for most of the episode shown, aerial footage of various buildings in London is used on ''The Apprentice'', mainly to acts as small links between scenes and as part of the show's opening credits, and have included shots of the
Square Mile The square mile (abbreviated as sq mi and sometimes as mi2)Rowlett, Russ (September 1, 2004) University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Retrieved February 22, 2012. is an imperial and US unit of measure for area. One square mile is an are ...
and
Canary Wharf Canary Wharf is an area of London, England, located near the Isle of Dogs in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. Canary Wharf is defined by the Greater London Authority as being part of London's central business district, alongside Central Lo ...
financial districts, as well as the 180-metre
Gherkin A pickled cucumber (commonly known as a pickle in the United States and Canada and a gherkin in Britain, Ireland, South Africa, Australia, and New Zealand) is a usually small or miniature cucumber that has been pickled in a brine, vinegar, or ...
, HSBC Tower,
One Canada Square One Canada Square is a skyscraper in Canary Wharf, London. It was completed in 1991 and is the third tallest building in the United Kingdom at above ground levelAviation charts issued by the Civil Aviation Authority containing 50 storeys. On ...
, the Citigroup Centre, and
the Shard The Shard, also referred to as the Shard of Glass, Shard London Bridge, and formerly London Bridge Tower, is a 72-storey skyscraper, designed by the Italian architect Renzo Piano, in Southwark, London, that forms part of The Shard Quarter dev ...
; such locations are not used for filming unless a task involves visiting the site.


Candidates and tasks

Filming of an episode can usually take a considerable amount of time to be done and as such, each task is usually filmed back-to-back, rather than weekly as it appears in the broadcast schedule for a series. For each episode, four television crews are used to follow the candidates during a task, and often are focused on picking up on mistakes and issues between candidates, than on their overall performance. The final edit of an episode often trims down a task that took 1–3 days to be done, to fit it within approximately about half of what will be televised for that episode, meaning candidates may appear to make minimal contributions when in reality they made more, while others may not feature as much if Sugar or his advisers feel they did well and completed their duties, as emphasis is often put on moments that can be entertaining for audiences. Often the filming of an episode can hamper the efforts of candidates in a task, due to film crews usually having to get filming permission first from the respective owner of a store or establishment, which can often be a time-consuming and cumbersome process as a result, whilst the strict rules of the
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
on product placement and advertising mean candidates have to approach businesses with care when asking them for help. Owing to the need for secrecy during the two months of filming, all candidates are made to sign a confidentiality agreement which prohibits all, but a few confidants nominated by them, to be told of where they will be during that time, which remains active after filming until the series has started broadcast. As part of this agreement, all contact with the outside world is restricted to a high level – each candidate gets a limited phone call once a week, has no access to newspapers, television or internet, and is required to hand in any electronic communication equipment they have (i.e. mobiles) before they begin. In addition, all candidates are made to remain in their accommodation throughout filming except when they must head out for a task, and can only take a day off if they are supervised by a chaperone from the production crew. As a result, the persistent presence of the cameras, the closeness of rivals in the competition and the lack of contact with families and friends, can cause considerable pressure and stress for a candidate between entering the process, to leaving it.


Boardroom, 'Walk of Shame" and Final

Scenes filmed in both the "boardroom" and the reception area that resides next door to the room, are in fact done within a custom-built set at Black Island Studios, with the boardroom receptionist actually being an employee of the production company, Talkback Thames, and not Alan Sugar's real secretary. Filming of each candidates' "walk of shame" exit sequences is mainly done towards the beginning of a new series, which can lead to the fired candidate's clothing and hairstyle being different to that in their final boardroom scene before their dismissal from the competition. The post-firing taxi ride that occurs after their departure does not take the candidate home as it appears in the show, but merely takes them around the block to allow their taxi interview to be filmed, after which they are then taken to a local hotel to stay the night before being finally allowed to leave after packing up their belongings from the house. For the final, multiple endings are filmed for the candidates who make it to the end of the process, although Sugar does not reveal who he will hire until shortly before transmission. This determines which ending is shown as part of the series finale's final edit. Notably, the BBC has released two statements regarding the decision procedure which are considered to be contradictory; while the first states that Sugar makes his decision on the day that the final boardroom sequence is filmed, based on the contestants' performance in the final task, and keeps it secret until just before transmission, the second states that he decides after a six-month trial period. Former candidate,
Saira Khan Saira Khan (born 15 May 1970) is an English television personality. She was a contestant on the first series of ''The Apprentice'' in 2005, in which she finished as the runner-up. From 2012 to 2017, Khan co-presented '' The Martin Lewis Money ...
, notably stated that his final decision "is not based on the programme that people see", but is based on "these two people hohave been working with him for the six months."


Spin-offs


''The Apprentice: You're Fired!'' (2006–present)

Following the decision to commission a second series of the programme, the BBC decided to create a spin-off companion programme to accompany ''The Apprentice'', with its format operating in a similar manner to that of ''
Big Brother's Little Brother This is a complete list of shows about and relating to '' Big Brother UK'' and '' Celebrity Big Brother''. The civilian edition ran from 2000 to 2018 and the celebrity edition ran from 2001 to 2018. ''Big Brother'' ''Big Brother'' was a daily s ...
'' and '' Strictly Come Dancing: It Takes Two''. Originally aired on
BBC Three BBC Three is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It was first launched on 9 February 2003 with programmes targeting 16 to 34-year-olds, covering all genres including animation, comedy, curre ...
, before it was moved to BBC Two alongside the main programme's move to BBC One, the show is broadcast alongside the latest series of the main show, with each episode featuring the host and a group of guest panellists – business people related to the task, presenters of TV/radio programmes, and comedians – performing an in-depth look into the recent task of the programme, while also interviewing the most recently fired candidate(s) and analyzing their performance. The shows are recorded at
Riverside Studios Riverside Studios is an arts centre on the banks of the River Thames in Hammersmith, London, England. The venue plays host to contemporary performance, film, visual art exhibitions and television production. Having closed for redevelopment i ...
, and is hosted by Tom Allen; it has been previously hosted by
Adrian Chiles Adrian Chiles (born 21 March 1967) is a British writer and television and radio presenter. He has co-presented both ''The One Show'' (2007–2010) and '' Daybreak'' (2010–2011) with Christine Lampard. He was also the chief presenter for foo ...
,
Dara Ó Briain Dara Ó Briain ( , ; born 4 February 1972) is an Irish comedian and television presenter based in the United Kingdom. He is noted for performing stand-up comedy shows all over the world and for hosting topical panel shows such as ''Mock the W ...
,
Jack Dee James Andrew Innes Dee (born 24 September 1961), known professionally as Jack Dee, is an English stand-up comedian, actor, presenter and writer known for his sarcasm, irony and deadpan humour. He wrote and starred in the sitcom ''Lead Balloon'' ...
and
Rhod Gilbert Rhodri Paul Gilbert (born 18 October 1968) is a Welsh comedian and television & radio presenter who was nominated in 2005 for the Perrier Best Newcomer Award. In 2008 he was nominated for the main comedy award (as the Edinburgh Comedy Awards w ...
.


''Comic Relief Does The Apprentice'' (2007–2019)

Following the second series of ''The Apprentice'', the BBC announced that, as part of its early-2007 programming schedule, a celebrity version of the programme would be recorded in aid of the charity
Comic Relief Comic relief is the inclusion of a humorous character, scene, or witty dialogue in an otherwise serious work, often to relieve tension. Definition Comic relief usually means a releasing of emotional or other tension resulting from a comic episo ...
. Given the title of ''
Comic Relief Does The Apprentice ''Comic Relief Does The Apprentice'' (also known as ''The Celebrity Apprentice for Comic Relief'') is a special celebrity version of British reality television series ''The Apprentice (British TV series), The Apprentice'', initially produced to ...
'', it functioned differently to the format of the American celebrity edition, ''
The Celebrity Apprentice ''The Celebrity Apprentice'' is an American television reality competition series. It was a variation of ''The Apprentice'' series, hosted by then real estate developer (later 45th president of the United States) Donald Trump from 2008 to 2015, an ...
'' while that was filmed to be a full series when it was broadcast, the Comic Relief special functioned on a simple format, in which it featured ten celebrities split between two teams – a "boys' team" and a "girls' team" – and consisted of two parts covering a single task, with any money raised going to the 2007 Comic Relief fund, though retaining certain key elements from the main programme, such as the boardroom scene and Sugar "firing" one of the celebrities. Filming of this special was conducted on 15 December 2006, with the celebrities that participated being
Piers Morgan Piers Stefan Pughe-Morgan (; né O'Meara; born 30 March 1965) is a British broadcaster, journalist, writer, and television personality. He began his Fleet Street career in 1988 at '' The Sun''. In 1994, aged 29, he was appointed editor of the ...
,
Alastair Campbell Alastair John Campbell (born 25 May 1957) is a British journalist, author, strategist, broadcaster and activist known for his roles during Tony Blair's leadership of the Labour Party. Campbell worked as Blair's spokesman and campaign director ...
,
Cheryl Cole Cheryl Ann Tweedy (born 30 June 1983) is an English singer and television personality. Born and raised in Newcastle upon Tyne, she rose to fame in late 2002 upon winning a place in Girls Aloud, a girl group created through ITV's '' Popstar ...
,
Danny Baker Danny Baker (born 22 June 1957) is an English comedy writer, journalist, radio DJ and screenwriter. Throughout his career he has largely presented for London's regional radio and television. Baker was born in Deptford to a working-class fami ...
,
Jo Brand Josephine Grace Brand (born 23 July 1957) is an English comedian, writer, presenter and actress. Starting her entertainment career with a move from psychiatric nursing to the alternative comedy stand-up scene and early performances on '' Satu ...
,
Karren Brady Karren Rita Brady, Baroness Brady, (born 4 April 1969) is a British business executive and television personality. She is a former managing director of Birmingham City F.C. and current vice-chairman of West Ham United F.C., and an aide to Al ...
,
Maureen Lipman Dame Maureen Diane Lipman (born 10 May 1946) is an English actress, writer and comedian. She trained at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art and her stage work has included appearances with the National Theatre and the Royal Shakesp ...
,
Ross Kemp Ross James Kemp (born 21 July 1964) is an English actor, author, and television presenter. He rose to prominence in the role of Grant Mitchell in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders''. He is also known for his other roles as Graham Lodsworth in ' ...
, and
Trinny Woodall Sarah-Jane Duncanson "Trinny" Woodall (born 8 February 1964) is a British beauty Entrepreneurship, entrepreneur, Businessperson, businesswoman, Fashion journalism, fashion and makeover expert, television presenter and author. Woodall initially ...
; the special also featured
Rupert Everett Rupert James Hector Everett (; born 29 May 1959) is an English actor, director and producer. Everett first came to public attention in 1981 when he was cast in Julian Mitchell's play and subsequent film '' Another Country'' (1984) as a gay pupi ...
, though he was later replaced by Series 1 winner, Timothy Campbell, after he left on the first day of the task. The two part special aired on 15 and 16 March 2007 on
BBC One BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's flagship network and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News television bulletins, p ...
, the second part as a film segment for ''
Red Nose Day 2007 ''Red Nose Day 2007'' was a fund raising event in England organized by Comic Relief, broadcast live on BBC One and BBC Two from the evening of 16 March 2007 to early the following morning. It was part of "The Big One" campaign. Presenters in ...
'', with the celebrities raising over £1 million for charity. A section celebrity edition of the show was made for Comic Relief two-years later in 2009, with the two-part special of ''Comic Relief Does The Apprentice'' airing on 12 and 13 March 2009, with the celebrities that participated being
Alan Carr Alan Graham Carr (born 14 June 1976) is an English comedian, broadcaster and writer. His breakthrough was in 2001, winning the '' City Life'' Best Newcomer of the Year and the BBC New Comedy Awards. In the ensuing years, Carr's career burgeon ...
,
Jack Dee James Andrew Innes Dee (born 24 September 1961), known professionally as Jack Dee, is an English stand-up comedian, actor, presenter and writer known for his sarcasm, irony and deadpan humour. He wrote and starred in the sitcom ''Lead Balloon'' ...
,
Gerald Ratner Gerald Irving Ratner (born 1 November 1949) is a British businessman. He was formerly chief executive officer of the major British jewellery company Ratners Group (now the Signet Group). He achieved notoriety after making a speech in which h ...
,
Jonathan Ross Jonathan Stephen Ross (born 17 November 1960) is an English broadcaster, film critic, comedian, actor, writer, and producer. He presented the BBC One chat show ''Friday Night with Jonathan Ross'' during the 2000s, hosted his own radio show on ...
,
Gok Wan Kowkhyn Wan (; born 9 September 1974), known as Gok Wan, is a British fashion consultant, author, television presenter, actor, DJ, chef and event manager. Initially training in the performing arts at the Central School of Speech and Dram ...
,
Michelle Mone Michelle Georgina Mone, Baroness Mone, (''née'' Allan; born October 1971) is a British businesswoman and Conservative life peer. She has set up several businesses, including MJM International Ltd in 1996 and the lingerie company Ultimo alo ...
,
Patsy Palmer Julie Anne Merkell (''née'' Harris; born 26 May 1972), known professionally as Patsy Palmer, is an English actress and DJ, known for her roles as Natasha in the children's drama series ''Grange Hill'' (1985–1987), and Bianca Jackson in the ...
,
Fiona Phillips Fiona Phillips (born 1 January 1961) is an English journalist, broadcaster and television presenter. She is best known for her presenting roles with the ITV Breakfast programme '' GMTV Today''. Early life Phillips was born in Canterbury Hospi ...
,
Carol Vorderman Carol Jean Vorderman, HonFIET (born 24 December 1960) is a Welsh media personality, best known for appearing on the game show ''Countdown'' for 26 years from 1982 until 2008, as a newspaper columnist and nominal author of educational and diet ...
and
Ruby Wax Ruby Wax (; born 19 April 1953) is an American-British actress, comedian, writer, television personality, and mental health campaigner. A classically-trained actress, Wax was with the Royal Shakespeare Company for five years and co-starred on t ...
. Although Ross had been suspended by the BBC over the prank telephone call row that occurred during the time that the special was being filmed, the broadcaster permitted him to appear in it due to the fact that it would be airing after his suspension had been lifted.


''The Apprenticast'' (2007–2009)

The beginning of the third series saw the launch of a weekly
podcast A podcast is a program made available in digital format for download over the Internet. For example, an episodic series of digital audio or video files that a user can download to a personal device to listen to at a time of their choosing ...
called ''The Apprenticast'', and a radio programme on
BBC Five Live BBC Radio 5 Live is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC that broadcasts mainly news, sport, discussion, interviews and phone-ins. It is the principal BBC radio station covering sport in the United Kingdom, broadcas ...
, both hosted by former '' Blue Peter'' presenter Richard Bacon and running for thirty minutes. Both programmes featured former candidates being questioned by members of the public, comedians, and those who work in business. Some critics have described Bacon's performance as better than that of
Adrian Chiles Adrian Chiles (born 21 March 1967) is a British writer and television and radio presenter. He has co-presented both ''The One Show'' (2007–2010) and '' Daybreak'' (2010–2011) with Christine Lampard. He was also the chief presenter for foo ...
, who presented the similar, but television-based, programme '' The Apprentice: You're Fired!'' For the 2009 series, an independent weekly podcast was also released, hosted by first series contestant
James Max James Max (born 20 May 1970) is a journalist, TV and radio presenter specialising in current affairs and business issues. He presents the Early Breakfast Show from 5am to 6.30am on TalkTV. He is a regular contributor to The Talk on TalkTV, The J ...
, in conjunction with London talk station
LBC LBC (originally the London Broadcasting Company) is a British phone-in and talk radio station owned and operated by Global and based in its headquarters in London. It was the UK's first licensed commercial radio station, and began to broadca ...
(on which Max hosts his own show).


''Sport Relief Does The Apprentice'' (2008)

After the first ''Comic Relief'' celebrity version proved a success, the BBC gave the green light for another edition the following year for Sport Relief 2008. Designed once again as a two-part special called ''Sport Relief Does The Apprentice'', it was aired on 12 and 14 March 2008, and functioned on the same format as the Comic Relief version. For the Sport Relief edition, the celebrities that participated were
Phil Tufnell Philip Clive Roderick Tufnell (born 29 April 1966) is a former English international cricketer and current television and radio personality. A slow left-arm orthodox spin bowler, he played in 42 Test matches and 20 One Day Internationals for ...
,
Nick Hancock Nicholas John Hancock (born 25 October 1962) is an English actor and television presenter. He hosted the sports quiz ''They Think It's All Over'' for 10 years. He also formerly presented ''Room 101'' (1994–1999) on TV, as well as its earlier ...
,
Lembit Öpik Lembit Öpik (, ; born 2 March 1965) is a former British politician. A former member of the Liberal Democrats, he served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for the constituency of Montgomeryshire in Wales from 1997 until he lost his seat at the ...
,
Kelvin MacKenzie Kelvin Calder MacKenzie (born 22 October 1946) is an English media executive and a former newspaper editor. He became editor of '' The Sun'' in 1981, by which time the publication was established as Britain's largest circulation newspaper. Aft ...
,
Hardeep Singh Kohli Hardeep Singh Kohli (born 21 January 1969) is a Scottish presenter of Sikh heritage who has appeared on various radio and television programmes. Background Kohli was born in London and moved to Glasgow, Scotland, when he was four. His parents ...
,
Lisa Snowdon Lisa Snowdon
7 May 2001, ''People''
(born Lisa Snawdon on 23 January 1972) is an English television an ...
,
Jacqueline Gold Jacqueline Summers Gold (born 16 July 1960) is a British businesswoman who is Chief Executive of Gold Group International, Ann Summers and Knickerbox. Gold is estimated to be the 16th richest woman in Great Britain. Gold is worth £470 milli ...
,
Louise Redknapp Louise Elizabeth Redknapp (née Nurding, born 4 November 1974) is an English singer, songwriter and media personality. She was a member of Eternal, an R&B girl group which debuted in 1993 with their quadruple-platinum studio album '' Always & ...
, Clare Balding and
Kirstie Allsopp Kirstie Mary Allsopp (born 31 August 1971) is a British television presenter, best known as co-presenter of Channel 4 property shows including ''Location, Location, Location'', '' Love It or List It UK'', ''Relocation, Relocation'' and ''Locati ...
.


''Young Apprentice'' (2010–2012)

As the main programme began to grow in success, Sugar took notice of the number of young viewers the show was attracting, and went into discussions with the
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
in March 2008 to propose the creation of a junior spin-off of the show, featuring a young age-group of candidates and being aired in an early evening timeslot on
BBC One BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's flagship network and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News television bulletins, p ...
. Despite a lack of interest, Sugar went into negotiations on the idea in early 2009, whereupon the BBC gave the green light for the project after the idea was revised. In May 2009, while the fifth series of ''The Apprentice'' was underway, the broadcaster announced the spin-off's production during an episode of ''The Apprentice: You're Fired!'' with news that it had begun an application process aimed at young candidates aged between sixteen and seventeen. Both the filming schedule and the format of the spin-off differed greatly with the main show, with the most notable differences being that Sugar was gentler with the young candidates when firing them from the spin-off, the candidates faced mainly standard tasks and no interviews, and the winner received a £25,000 investment from Sugar to fund their further education and future prospects. The first series of the programme began on 12 May 2010, under the title of ''Junior Apprentice'', consisted of 10 candidates split evenly between gender, and ran for a total of six episodes. It also marked the debut of Karren Brady as Margaret Mountford's replacement, after she left the main show following the fifth series; Brady would later begin her first appearance on ''The Apprentice'' at the start of its sixth series. The spin-off later led to the BBC commissioning two more series, though with a few changes – the show was renamed as ''Young Apprentice'', with the number of candidates increased to twelve and the number of episodes increased to eight. The second series began airing on 24 October 2011, while the third began on 1 November 2012. The spin-off was eventually cancelled after its third series, after Sugar revealed on his Twitter account in February 2013 that the BBC had decided to not renew ''Young Apprentice'' for another series.


Special programmes


Series

The following is a list of specials that have aired alongside the majority of the series: * ''The Apprentice: The Final Five'' is a documentary special which first aired alongside the third series under the title, ''The Apprentice: Beyond the Boardroom''. The programme focuses on the remaining final five contestants who have made it into the final stages of the competition, in which each candidate is interviewed about their overall performance at that stage, as well as their personal interests and past experiences. Along with interviews with the candidates, the programme also features each candidate's close friends, family members, including parents, children, and partners, and Sugar's advisers, each airing their views and opinions on the candidate currently being talked about. * ''The Apprentice: Why I Fired Them'' is a documentary special which first aired alongside the third series, and focuses on Lord Alan Sugar looking back over the current series, and discussing the merits and shortcomings of the candidates he fired up to the time the programme is aired. Joined by his advisers, he explains in more detail about why he fired each candidate at each stage of the competition, whilst reviewing the performances of the finalists for that series. For the seventh series, the programme was not broadcast, but instead was replaced with documentary special, ''How To Get Hired'', presented by Dara Ó Briain.


Specials

The following is a list of programmes that were one-offs: * ''The Apprentice: Tim in the Firing Line'' was an hour-long documentary that aired on 19 February 2006, prior to the launch of the second series. The programme followed Tim Campbell, the winner of Series One, during the first twelve months of the job that he had won, in which he worked within
Amstrad Amstrad was a British electronics company, founded in 1968 by Alan Sugar at the age of 21. The name is a contraction of Alan Michael Sugar Trading. It was first listed on the London Stock Exchange in April 1980. During the late 1980s, Amstrad ...
's health and beauty division, and was tasked with bringing to market a new anti-wrinkle product, named ''The Integra''. The programme also documented the reaction of Campbell's family, including mother Una Campbell, fiancée Jasmine Johnson, and daughter Kayla Campbell. As a result of his impressive performance, he was offered a permanent position within Amstrad. Sugar later said that Campbell's job would not have been in danger had he failed to make the product a success, and that the project was a "joint responsibility". * ''The Apprentice: The Worst Decisions Ever'' was a one-off special that was screened on BBC Two on 3 April 2008. It focused on Sugar revisiting some of the moments over the past four series at that time, and the decisions that candidates had made that he deemed the worst he seen. * ''The Apprentice: Motor Mouths'' was a one-off special that was screened on BBC Two on 18 April 2008, and featured interviews with celebrity fans and former contenders who remembered candidates, described as "motor mouths", who only just failed to make it to the finals. * ''The Apprentice Best Bits'' was a compilation series that was screened on BBC One on 1 October 2020. The series featured six episodes, focused on highlights from the previous fifteen series of the main programme, and was created as a replacement for a new series in 2020 due to the
coronavirus pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identifie ...
.


Parodies and imitations

The show has been imitated in the
ITV ITV or iTV may refer to: ITV *Independent Television (ITV), a British television network, consisting of: ** ITV (TV network), a free-to-air national commercial television network covering the United Kingdom, the Isle of Man, and the Channel Islan ...
programme ''
Harry Hill's TV Burp ''Harry Hill's TV Burp'' (also known as just ''TV Burp'') is a British television comedy programme broadcast between 2001 and 2012 on ITV. The show was produced by Avalon Television and was written and hosted by comedian Harry Hill. Each ep ...
''. It was also mocked in the BBC impression programme '' Dead Ringers'', in which Sir Alan Sugar turns fired contestants into
frogs A frog is any member of a diverse and largely carnivorous group of short-bodied, tailless amphibians composing the order Anura (ανοὐρά, literally ''without tail'' in Ancient Greek). The oldest fossil "proto-frog" '' Triadobatrachus'' is ...
and the candidates are portrayed as failed applicants of ''
Strictly Come Dancing ''Strictly Come Dancing'' (informally known as ''Strictly'') is a British dance contest show in which celebrities partner with professional dancers to compete in mainly ballroom and Latin dance. Each couple is scored by a panel of usually 4 ...
'' and '' Big Brother'' who are seeking their
15 minutes of fame Fifteen or 15 may refer to: *15 (number), the natural number following 14 and preceding 16 *one of the years 15 BC, AD 15, 1915, 2015 Music *Fifteen (band), a punk rock band Albums * ''15'' (Buckcherry album), 2005 * ''15'' (Ani Lorak alb ...
.
Rory Bremner Roderick Keith Ogilvy "Rory" Bremner,"Rory Bremner". '' Who Do You Think You Are?''. Wall to Wall for BBC One. 2 February 2009. No. 1, series 6. (born 6 April 1961) is a Scottish impressionist and comedian, noted for his work in political sati ...
did an impression of Sir Alan on the show '' Bremner Bird and Fortune''; he was in the boardroom with the main London Mayoral candidates,
Boris Johnson Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson (; born 19 June 1964) is a British politician, writer and journalist who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party from 2019 to 2022. He previously served as F ...
, Ken Livingstone and
Brian Paddick Brian Leonard Paddick, Baron Paddick (born 24 April 1958), is a British politician and retired police officer, currently sitting in the House of Lords as a life peer. He was the Liberal Democrat candidate for the London mayoral elections of 2 ...
, and after each of the candidates failed to get a single vote according to his results, he hired himself for the job claiming he "would make a profit on City Hall". In ''Dead Ringers'' Bremner also impersonated a Sir Alan with magic powers castigating a contestant over an event akin to what occurred to ''
The Sorcerer's Apprentice "The Sorcerer's Apprentice" (german: "Der Zauberlehrling", link=no, italic=no) is a poem by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe written in 1797. The poem is a ballad in 14 stanzas. Story The poem begins as an old sorcerer departs his workshop, leaving ...
''. In early 2007, the show was mocked in the television programme ''Kombat Opera Presents The Applicants''. The series has been lampooned on the Boleg Bros website, where it is shot in
Lego Lego ( , ; stylized as LEGO) is a line of plastic construction toys that are manufactured by The Lego Group, a privately held company based in Billund, Denmark. The company's flagship product, Lego, consists of variously colored interlocking ...
.
Paul Merton Paul James Martin (born 9 July 1957), known under the stage name Paul Merton, is an English writer, actor, comedian and radio and television presenter. Known for his improvisation skill, Merton's humour is rooted in deadpan, surreal and somet ...
and
Ian Hislop Ian David Hislop (born 13 July 1960) is a British journalist, satirist, writer, broadcaster, and editor of the magazine ''Private Eye''. He has appeared on numerous radio and television programmes and has been a team captain on the BBC quiz sho ...
also parodied the show during a promotional
advert Advertising is the practice and techniques employed to bring attention to a product or service. Advertising aims to put a product or service in the spotlight in hopes of drawing it attention from consumers. It is typically used to promote a ...
for the 2007 and 2008 series of '' Have I Got News for You''. In June 2007, shortly after the conclusion of Series Three of ''The Apprentice'', rival UK channel
ITV ITV or iTV may refer to: ITV *Independent Television (ITV), a British television network, consisting of: ** ITV (TV network), a free-to-air national commercial television network covering the United Kingdom, the Isle of Man, and the Channel Islan ...
began airing ''
Tycoon A business magnate, also known as a tycoon, is a person who has achieved immense wealth through the ownership of multiple lines of enterprise. The term characteristically refers to a powerful entrepreneur or investor who controls, through perso ...
'', described in ''The Times'' as "a shameless rip-off of The Apprentice". Mark Thompson, The BBC's director general, accused ITV of "copycatting" and said that ''Tycoon'' was "very like The Apprentice, and there's possibly a bit of Dragons' Den in there". The series followed ''
Dragons' Den ''Dragons' Den'' is a reality television program format in which entrepreneurs pitch their business ideas to a panel of venture capitalists in the hope of securing investment finance from them. The program originated in 2001 in Japan, where it is k ...
'' star Peter Jones' search for a new business tycoon. It proved relatively unsuccessful and was removed from a prime time slot on Tuesdays after achieving fewer than 2 million viewers, over 2.5 million below the channel's average. The final episode attracted just 1.3 million viewers. The programme's winner, Iain Morgan, won a prize of over £200,000. In the fourth series of '' Charlie Brooker's Screenwipe'', Brooker parodied ''The Apprentice'', with Brooker taking on the role of a Sugar-like character dressed in a crown and gown, and replacing the catchphrase, "You're fired" with "You're fucked." Brooker later produced another parody, as part of the ''Aspiration'' episode of
How TV Ruined Your Life ''How TV Ruined Your Life'' is a six-episode BBC Two television series written and presented by Charlie Brooker. Charlie Brooker, whose earlier TV-related programmes include ''How to Watch Television'', '' Charlie Brooker's Screenwipe'' and '' Y ...
entitled ''The Underling.'' In this parody,
Roger Sloman Roger Sloman (born 19 May 1946) is an English actor known for his work in theatre, film, and television. Early life and education He grew up and was educated in South East London. He trained to be a teacher and then went to East 15 acting sch ...
portrays a Sugar-like figure who berates children for their poor attempts to set up a lemonade stand. The children's comedy sketch show "
Horrible Histories ''Horrible Histories'' is an educational entertainment franchise encompassing many media including books, magazines, audio books, stage shows, TV shows, and more. In 2013, Lisa Edwards, UK publishing and commercial director of Scholastic Corpora ...
" features "Historical Apprentice" as a recurring sketch. This directly references "The Apprentice" and Sugar, and features two different teams from different historical periods. Sugar starred in a mock clip of ''The Apprentice'' within the 2012 ''
Doctor Who ''Doctor Who'' is a British science fiction television series broadcast by the BBC since 1963. The series depicts the adventures of a Time Lord called the Doctor, an extraterrestrial being who appears to be human. The Doctor explores the u ...
'' episode, "
The Power of Three In mathematics, a power of three is a number of the form where is an integer – that is, the result of exponentiation with number 3, three as the Base (exponentiation), base and integer  as the exponent. Applications The powers of three ...
". Series have expanded outside television with a number of University student groups recreating local competitions by sticking to the format of tasks. What is known as Student Apprentice competitions have been hosted across the country in a number of Universities, especially in London. Events became so popular competitions joined as Regional Student Apprentice in London and other regions in UK. In 2013, these were joined to form National Student Apprentice, which became a competition bringing together six regions for a national event. In May 2014 Harry & Paul's ''Story of the Twos'' parodied the show, with
Harry Enfield Henry Richard Enfield (born 30 May 1961) is an English comedian, actor, writer and director. He is known in particular for his television work, including '' Harry Enfield's Television Programme'' and ''Harry & Paul'', and for the creation and ...
as Sugar.


Reception


Praise

The programme has been given positive reviews by several newspapers. In the popular press, '' The Sun'' newspaper has called it "The thinking man's reality show", and ''
The Daily Mirror ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the ...
'' described it as "jaw-dropping viewing". Broadsheet newspapers have given the programme a similarly positive reception, with ''
The Daily Telegraph ''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a national British daily broadsheet newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed across the United Kingdom and internationally. It was fo ...
'' calling it "The most addictive show in years", and ''
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
'' saying that it provided "A salutary lesson in aggressive buying and selling, hiring and firing". ''
The Sunday Times ''The Sunday Times'' is a British newspaper whose circulation makes it the largest in Britain's quality press market category. It was founded in 1821 as ''The New Observer''. It is published by Times Newspapers Ltd, a subsidiary of News UK, whi ...
'' said that it was "not just a game show: it's a business school." ''
The Evening Standard The ''Evening Standard'', formerly ''The Standard'' (1827–1904), also known as the ''London Evening Standard'', is a local free daily newspaper in London, England, published Monday to Friday in tabloid format. In October 2009, after bei ...
'' was also favourable, describing the programme as "terribly compelling". According to a report released by Ernst & Young in August 2013, the rise of popular television programmes like The Apprentice, have helped to encourage and foster an entrepreneurial culture across the UK. The report revealed that 71% of entrepreneurs surveyed thought the UK encourages an entrepreneurial spirit.


Criticism

The programme has been criticised in the British media for suggesting that success in the business world requires possession of unsavoury qualities.
Terence Blacker Terence Blacker FRSL (born 5 February 1948, near Hadleigh, Suffolk) is an English songwriter, author and columnist. __TOC__ Biography Blacker is the son of General Sir Cecil Blacker, and the brother of sculptor and former jockey Philip Blacke ...
of ''
The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publis ...
'' newspaper, for example, said that he believed that the programme falsely linked success with being "nasty, disloyal, greedy and selfish". Talk show host
Sir Michael Parkinson Sir Michael Parkinson (born 28 March 1935) is an English broadcaster, journalist and author. He presented his television talk show '' Parkinson'' from 1971 to 1982 and from 1998 to 2007, as well as other talk shows and programmes both in the U ...
has also expressed misgivings about the programme, describing it as being "full of vulgar, loud people who, for all the wrong reasons, are dobbing each other in". The premise of the show itself has been called into question by some members of the business world. Steve Carter, the head of recruitment firm Nigel Lynn, described the "brutality" of the recruitment process as being unrealistic. None of the winners of the first six series of ''The Apprentice'' stayed with Sugar's companies over time, some for only a matter of weeks, leading it to be criticised as "an entertainment show with no real aspect of business to it". In response to these criticisms, a
spokesperson A spokesperson, spokesman, or spokeswoman, is someone engaged or elected to speak on behalf of others. Duties and function In the present media-sensitive world, many organizations are increasingly likely to employ professionals who have receiv ...
for ''The Apprentice'' has been quoted as saying "The show isn't designed as a tool for recruiters... but it does highlight and thoroughly test key business skills such as leadership, teamwork, dedication and strategic thinking – integral skills most recruiters are looking for". Former contestant and runner-up
Saira Khan Saira Khan (born 15 May 1970) is an English television personality. She was a contestant on the first series of ''The Apprentice'' in 2005, in which she finished as the runner-up. From 2012 to 2017, Khan co-presented '' The Martin Lewis Money ...
has criticised the programme because the final two candidates both work with Sir Alan Sugar for a few months before he decides whom he will hire. Khan stated that "Sir Alan Sugar's final decision is not based on the programme that people see, his final decision is based on these two people who have been working with him for the six months." Khan also said that the show is more concerned with giving viewers a
rags-to-riches Rags to riches refers to any situation in which a person rises from poverty to wealth, and in some cases from absolute obscurity to heights of fame, fortune and celebrity—sometimes instantly. This is a common archetype in literature and popul ...
ending than employing the most able candidate, and that the show promotes
bullying Bullying is the use of force, coercion, hurtful teasing or threat, to abuse, aggressively dominate or intimidate. The behavior is often repeated and habitual. One essential prerequisite is the perception (by the bully or by others) of an imba ...
in the workplace. The series has been notably edited afterwards to show the winner in a different light. This has led to some viewers correctly guessing the winner of the series partway through the series. Former contestants Lucinda Ledgerwood and
James Max James Max (born 20 May 1970) is a journalist, TV and radio presenter specialising in current affairs and business issues. He presents the Early Breakfast Show from 5am to 6.30am on TalkTV. He is a regular contributor to The Talk on TalkTV, The J ...
have criticised the tasks on the show as being too heavily sales-focused and designed for entertainment rather than as tests of all-round business skills. A number of people have criticised the show's editing and production methods. Contestants Syed Ahmed and Tre Azam accused the show of dumbing down their appearances for entertainment. Gerri Blackwood said that her boardroom scene was filmed again to make it look better. Alan Sugar himself revealed in his autobiography (but did not criticise) that the boardroom scenes are edited to create tension. Jokes and light hearted encounters are cut out, and Alan is seen "banging the table". Media Watch has voiced concerns over inclusion of company names and products such as
Chrysler Stellantis North America (officially FCA US and formerly Chrysler ()) is one of the " Big Three" automobile manufacturers in the United States, headquartered in Auburn Hills, Michigan. It is the American subsidiary of the multinational automoti ...
in the programme, accusing the producers of breaking BBC policy regarding product placement. Despite these claims,
Talkback Thames Talkback Thames (stylised as talkbackTHAMES) was a British television production company, a division of Fremantle (part of the RTL Group, which in turn is owned by Bertelsmann). It was formed by the merger of Talkback Productions and Thames ...
has denied any suggestion of product placement. The show received criticism from viewers during series six after it was revealed that orders placed in the programme were not genuine. Runner up of the eleventh series, Vana Koutsomitis criticised the living conditions that candidates live in; despite being granted accommodation in a lavish house, Vana claimed that the show bosses impose living conditions similar to Big Brother – with strict rules and zero contact with outsiders. She said: "They just throw you into a house and tell you that you have no phone, no internet and you’ll have no contact with the outside world, You can only talk to your family once a week for 10 minutes and that’s monitored. And we weren’t allowed to go to Boots to grab something. We had to be monitored and guided there." She continued; "I think that element of cabin fever and psychological torture is not necessary for a business competition. I don’t believe that you need to isolate people. I think you can gauge people’s business skills without putting them in that environment. Vana's criticism of the living conditions that candidates live in which they have zero contact with outsiders was also brought up a year later by contestant Aleksandra King, who left the process in the fourth task. Following her departure, she remarked: "I can't tell you in exact detail how much contact I was allowed with my family but, for me, the restricted contact was not good enough. I would have liked to have picked up the phone and just said, "How are you guys? OK, Great." I was not able to do that. I've got a nine-year-old, a seven-year-old and a five-year-old but it's the work-life balance thing because there are other mums in there who have younger kids and it was OK for them. But for me, I started to get slightly irritated because I felt like why is this even a business tip, what has lack of contact with my family got to do with it? It was winding me up and going on in my head.' King later remarked that The Apprentice includes a "blame culture" and the atmosphere "wasn't necessarily great for business".


Viewing figures

Throughout the programme's history, ''The Apprentice'' has received high viewing figures with each series. When its first series was broadcast in 2005 on BBC Two, it attracted an average of 2.5 million viewers per episode, with an audience share of 11% for its timeslot that allowed it to beat popular programmes being aired on rival channels at the time, such as ''
Desperate Housewives ''Desperate Housewives'' is an American comedy-drama soap opera television series created by Marc Cherry and produced by ABC Studios and Marc Cherry, Cherry Productions. It aired for eight seasons on American Broadcasting Company, ABC from Octobe ...
''. By the following year, the second series achieved a far higher average of 4.4 million viewers and an audience share of 27%, surpassing those achieved from the live broadcast of the 2005 UEFA Cup Final and other televised programming, such as the film ''
Pearl Harbor Pearl Harbor is an American lagoon harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, west of Honolulu. It was often visited by the Naval fleet of the United States, before it was acquired from the Hawaiian Kingdom by the U.S. with the signing of the Re ...
''. Viewing figures continued to improve upon the programme being switched to BBC One and a more mainstream audience, with the third series attracting an average of 5.62 million viewers per episode, at an audience share of 27%, surpassing the ratings achieved by programmes, at the time, such as '' City Lights'', '' Grand Designs'' and '' Big Brother''. Notably, opening and finale episodes also attracted favourable ratings – the premiere episode of the fourth series achieved around 6.4 million viewers, with the finale reaching a peak figure of 9.7 million. Even special editions of the programme proved a rating success – ''Comic Relief Does The Apprentice'' attracted 6.72 million viewers when it was broadcast prior to the third series, becoming the fifth most-watched programme on BBC One the week it aired. According to
BARB Barb or the BARBs or ''variation'' may refer to: People * Barb (name), a list of people and fictional characters with the given name or surname * Barb, a term used by fans of Nicki Minaj to refer to themselves * The Barbs, a band Places * Barb, ...
figures, the most viewed series to date is the seventh series – it achieved an average of 8.8 million viewers per episode. For individual episodes, the following table lists the 10 highest rating episodes of ''The Apprentice'', to date, per BARB figures:


Awards

''The Apprentice'' won the
British Academy of Film and Television Arts British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...
(BAFTA) for "Best Feature" during the 2006 awards, beating ''
Top Gear Top Gear may refer to: * "Top gear", the highest gear available in a vehicle's manual transmission Television * ''Top Gear'' (1977 TV series), a British motoring magazine programme * ''Top Gear'' (2002 TV series), a relaunched version of the or ...
'', ''
Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares ''Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares'' is a television programme featuring British celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay first broadcast on Channel 4 in 2004. In each episode, Ramsay visits a failing restaurant and acts as a troubleshooter to help improv ...
'' and ''
Dragons' Den ''Dragons' Den'' is a reality television program format in which entrepreneurs pitch their business ideas to a panel of venture capitalists in the hope of securing investment finance from them. The program originated in 2001 in Japan, where it is k ...
''. It was also nominated for a BAFTA for "Best Feature" at the 2007 awards, but was beaten by ''The Choir''. Other awards that the programme has won include: * 2009 Televisual Bulldog Awards – Best Reality Event * 2009 Televisual Bulldog Awards – Best in Show * 2009
Broadcasting Press Guild The Broadcasting Press Guild (BPG) is a British association of journalists dedicated to the topic of general media issues. History The Guild was established in 1974 as a breakaway of The Critics' Circle. Currently it groups over 100 staff and f ...
– Best Factual Entertainment Programme * 2009
Media Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
Edinburgh International TV Festival – Terrestrial Programme of the Year * 2009
TV Quick ''TV Quick'' was a British weekly television listing magazine published by H Bauer Publishing, the UK subsidiary of family-run German company Bauer Media Group. It featured weekly television listings running from Saturday to Friday, and began pub ...
/TV Choice Awards – Best Reality * 2009
Broadcast Broadcasting is the distribution of audio or video content to a dispersed audience via any electronic mass communications medium, but typically one using the electromagnetic spectrum ( radio waves), in a one-to-many model. Broadcasting began ...
Award – Best Entertainment Programme * 2008
Media Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
Edinburgh International TV Festival – Terrestrial Programme of the Year * 2008
TV Quick ''TV Quick'' was a British weekly television listing magazine published by H Bauer Publishing, the UK subsidiary of family-run German company Bauer Media Group. It featured weekly television listings running from Saturday to Friday, and began pub ...
/TV Choice Awards – Best Reality * 2007 Royal Television Society (RTS) Award – Features and Factual Entertainment * 2007
Broadcast Broadcasting is the distribution of audio or video content to a dispersed audience via any electronic mass communications medium, but typically one using the electromagnetic spectrum ( radio waves), in a one-to-many model. Broadcasting began ...
Award – Best Entertainment Programme * 2006 BAFTA – Pioneer Award (voted for by the public) * 2006
Rose d'Or The Rose d'Or ('Golden Rose') is an international awards festival in entertainment broadcasting and programming. The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) first acquired the Rose d’Or in 1961, when it was created by Swiss Television in the lakes ...
– Reality Show * 2006 Televisual Bulldog Awards – Best Factual Reality Show * 2006
TV Quick ''TV Quick'' was a British weekly television listing magazine published by H Bauer Publishing, the UK subsidiary of family-run German company Bauer Media Group. It featured weekly television listings running from Saturday to Friday, and began pub ...
/TV Choice Awards – Best Reality * 2006 The Guild of TV Cameramen Awards – Camera Team Excellence in Photography * 2006 Banff – Unscripted Entertainment Programme * 2006 Wincott Business Awards – Best TV Show of the Year * 2005 RTS Craft and Design Award – Tape and Film Editing * 2005 RTS Craft and Design Award – Tape and Film Editing, Entertainment and Situation Comedy * 2005 Grierson Awards – Most Entertaining Documentary


Merchandise

On 10 February 2005, Lord Alan Sugar released a book to coincide with the first series, called ''The Apprentice: How to Get Hired Not Fired''. On 16 February 2006, the book was revised with additional information relating to the second series. An official magazine was first released on 23 May 2007. It includes items about
business Business is the practice of making one's living or making money by producing or Trade, buying and selling Product (business), products (such as goods and Service (economics), services). It is also "any activity or enterprise entered into for pr ...
, interviews with candidates from the programme and other ''Apprentice''-related features. ''The Apprentice'' has included various pieces of classical and popular music throughout. Numerous pieces from
film soundtrack A soundtrack is recorded music accompanying and synchronised to the images of a motion picture, drama, book, television program, radio program, or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack o ...
s are used as well as music featured in the BBC TV series
Doctor Who ''Doctor Who'' is a British science fiction television series broadcast by the BBC since 1963. The series depicts the adventures of a Time Lord called the Doctor, an extraterrestrial being who appears to be human. The Doctor explores the u ...
. Examples of the music used include the opening theme (" Dance of the Knights" from ''
Romeo and Juliet ''Romeo and Juliet'' is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare early in his career about the romance between two Italian youths from feuding families. It was among Shakespeare's most popular plays during his lifetim ...
'' by
Prokofiev Sergei Sergeyevich Prokofiev; alternative transliterations of his name include ''Sergey'' or ''Serge'', and ''Prokofief'', ''Prokofieff'', or ''Prokofyev''., group=n (27 April .S. 15 April1891 – 5 March 1953) was a Russian composer, p ...
) and "The Boardroom", "You're Fired" and "Closing Credits" from ''The Apprentice (Original Theme)'' by
Dru Masters Dru Masters (born 29 July 1965) is a British composer, best known for composing television music. He has composed tracks for the British version of ''The Apprentice'' and '' The Unteachables'', amongst others. He has also composed music for the ...
. An official soundtrack was released on 4 June 2007. At the beginning of the first episode of Series 6, the iconic string phrase from the first movement of Gustav Mahler's Sixth Symphony can be heard in, one might surmise, a numerological nod. Further episodes in Series 6, include an extract from a piece by the French composer and pianist, Erik Satie, (from his "Gymnopédies No 1"), music from the Disney-Pixar 2009 film, Up, composed by Michael Giacchino, and a famous extract from Benjamin Britten's opera, Peter Grimes. A number of episodes also featured brief snippets of several tracks from
The Sims ''The Sims'' is a series of life simulation game, life simulation video games developed by Maxis and video game publisher, published by Electronic Arts. The franchise has sold nearly 200 million copies worldwide, and it is one of the best-selling ...
series of games, such as the neighbourhood theme from The Sims 3, was briefly used in the last episode of series 6 and one of the build tracks from Makin' Magic was used in Series 7 episode 8. In 2009, a DVD called ''"The Apprentice: The Best of Series 1–4"'' was released.


References


External links

* *
''The Apprentice'' at Biogs.com


{{DEFAULTSORT:Apprentice Uk 2005 British television series debuts 2000s British reality television series 2010s British reality television series 2020s British reality television series BBC reality television shows BAFTA winners (television series) Television series produced at Pinewood Studios Television series by MGM Television Television series by Fremantle (company) English-language television shows Television shows set in London