Series synopsis
The Apprentice is a British reality television series that premiered on BBC One on February 16, 2005. It was created by Mark Burnett. It stars Samantha Moon, Claude Littner, Michelle Dewberry and Ruth Badger.
British version of the reality competitions series that sees young entrepreneurs compete in several business tasks, attempting to survive the weekly firings in order to become the business partner of one of the most successful businessmen.
Premise
British version of the reality competitions series that sees young entrepreneurs compete in several business tasks, attempting to survive the weekly firings in order to become the business partner of one of the most successful businessmen.
Cast and characters
Leading cast
- Samantha Moon as Frances
- Claude Littner as Self - Lord Sugar's aide
- Michelle Dewberry as Self
- Ruth Badger as Self
- Nick Hewer as Himself - Lord Sugar's Aide
- Karren Brady as Self - Lord Sugar's aide
- Lord Alan Sugar as Self - The Boss
- Thomas Skinner as Self - Candidate
Supporting cast
- Mark Halliley as Self - Narrator (voice)
- Tim Campbell as Self
- Margaret Mountford as Herself - Lord Sugar's Aide
- Adenike Ogundoyin as Self
- Lindsay Bogaard as Self
- Miranda Rose as Self
- Adele Lock as Self
- Matthew Palmer as Self
- Rachel Groves as Self
- Sebastian Schrimpff as Self
- Ben Leary as Self
- Raj Dhonota as Self
Guest cast
- Katherine Jenkins
- Souleyman Bah as Self - Contestant
- Ryan-Mark Parsons as Self - Contestant
- Big Zuu as Self - Guest Judge
Episodes
This series spans 20 seasons with 272 episodes.
| Season | Episodes | First aired | Last aired |
|---|---|---|---|
| Season 0 | 18 | March 15, 2007 | December 30, 2025 |
| Season 1 | 14 | February 16, 2005 | February 19, 2006 |
| Season 2 | 12 | February 22, 2006 | May 10, 2006 |
| Season 3 | 12 | March 28, 2007 | June 13, 2007 |
| Season 4 | 12 | March 26, 2008 | June 11, 2008 |
| Season 5 | 12 | March 25, 2009 | June 7, 2009 |
| Season 6 | 15 | October 6, 2010 | December 19, 2010 |
| Season 7 | 15 | May 10, 2011 | July 17, 2011 |
| Season 8 | 14 | March 21, 2012 | June 3, 2012 |
| Season 9 | 14 | May 7, 2013 | July 17, 2013 |
| Season 10 | 14 | October 14, 2014 | December 21, 2014 |
| Season 11 | 14 | October 14, 2015 | December 20, 2015 |
| Season 12 | 14 | October 6, 2016 | December 18, 2016 |
| Season 13 | 14 | October 4, 2017 | December 17, 2017 |
| Season 14 | 14 | October 3, 2018 | December 16, 2018 |
| Season 15 | 14 | October 2, 2019 | December 18, 2019 |
| Season 16 | 14 | January 6, 2022 | March 24, 2022 |
| Season 17 | 12 | January 5, 2023 | March 23, 2023 |
| Season 18 | 12 | February 1, 2024 | April 18, 2024 |
| Season 19 | 12 | January 30, 2025 | April 17, 2025 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Comic Relief Does The Apprentice (part 1) In this special edition of The Apprentice, Sir Alan Sugar challenges two teams of five celebrities (one male team, one female team) to see which one can raise the most money for Comic Relief. |
March 15, 2007 |
| 2 | Comic Relief Does The Apprentice (part 2) | March 16, 2007 |
| 3 |
Sport Relief Does the Apprentice (part 1) Sir Alan Sugar sets ten celebrities from the world of TV, comedy, sport and politics a gruelling task in this special edition of The Apprentice. |
March 12, 2008 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Wilting Blooms After the men had bought their flowers they left the market to get a cup of tea – without any of the roses they had paid for. Whoever had bought the roses had failed to arrange it and Tim, the project manager, had not noticed either. Luckily Matthew had realised and in a panic they all ran back into the market trying to find the stall they bought the roses from – the problem was that no-one could remember exactly where it was. Eventually they found it and the whole team were relieved. |
February 16, 2005 |
| 2 |
Child's Play In the second episode of The Apprentice the boys didn't tell the girls the phone call had come through and cheekily left them in bed. They had just 20 minutes to leave the house when they finally woke up. The two teams, boys v girls, had two days to research, design, make and present a new children's toy. The girls chose Lindsay as their team leader she was determined to choose a toy she had invented. Secret Signals were cards for children to make semaphore signals. She even imposed it on the rest after both the team and a group of children had voted it down. Raj was chosen as Impact project manager as he had some experince in this field. First Forte wasted a lot of time on another toy, a robot, that may well have won if Lindsay had not enforced her preference on the others. The boys developed an electronic game. Both teams presented their games to senior executives at a games company who recommended the boys' game should win. |
February 23, 2005 |
| 3 |
Shop till you drop Two girls had been fired in the first two weeks. "We're too good for them," boasted Raj. But Sir Alan Sugar had decided to reorganize the teams for the third week. "Matthew, I'm gonna make you the team leader," he boomed. Matthew looked gobsmacked. Adele was also chosen as a Team leader by Sir Alan Matthew, Raj, Paul and James were joined by Saira and Rachel for team Impact.Adele, Miranda and Miriam were joined by Ben, Sebastian and Tim for team First Forte.Their task: to buy a range of products including a diamond, a bottle of champagne, jellied eels, a bowler hat, a Freeview box, a dental check-up - and get back to the boardroom by 5.30pm. Adele gave each team member a job description. Miranda was not pleased to be appointed Adele's PA and ordered to take notes of meetings. James knew exactly where to buy a bottle of Bollinger 96 Grande Ann�e. He took the team off to the expensive Lea and Sandeman wine merchants in the Fulham Road - and paid �49 for a bottle. |
March 2, 2005 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Fruit and Veg Sir Alan Sugar begins a new search for an apprentice for 2006 amongst fourteen new candidates. For their first task, they must purchase produce within a budget of £500, before up-selling their stock for a profit around Hackney. |
February 22, 2006 |
| 2 |
Calendar Club The teams take on the job of raising money for Great Ormond Street Hospital, each designing a themed calendar and pitching it to retailers as a test of their creative and pitching skills. |
March 1, 2006 |
| 3 |
Buying the Tyre Sir Alan has a new shopping list of ten items to be found, testing each team's negotiating skills on sourcing and bargaining for the best deal with each purchase. |
March 8, 2006 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Coffee The Apprentice returns with 16 brand new contestants, who will battle it out week-by-week for the chance to win a six-figure salary as Sir Alan Sugar's new apprentice. |
March 28, 2007 |
| 2 |
Doggy Designs With one candidate fired last week, the remaining 15 are given the task to design products for dogs. These ideas must then be presented to three pet stores. |
April 4, 2007 |
| 3 |
Start-up Service As usual, this week, the candidates need to make as much money as possible. However, in a test of entrepreneurial skills, the candidates are free to do whatever they want from a small starting fund given to them by Sir Alan. |
April 11, 2007 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Fishy Business To start of the new season, Sir Alan sets the task in which two teams, separating into the girls and the boys, have to sell fish out on the streets of London. There was much talk of the boys' team splitting into two factions: the first of these contained Alex, Simon, Lee and Ian while the second consisted of Raef, Michael and Nicholas. Coverage was shown of all members of the boys' team; however, some members of the girls' team (notably Shazia, Lucinda and Jenny) had almost no coverage in this week's episode. |
March 26, 2008 |
| 2 |
A Dirty Job Sir Alan Sugar puts 16 applicants through the job interview from hell. After an exhausting first task, the applicants are challenged to set up an overnight laundry business. They persuade customers to part with their washing (including hundreds of sheets from a hotel chain) then clean into the early hours. The following morning, following Sir Alan's warning not to lose a single sock, they return the clothes. Sir Alan's aides Nick and Margaret watch, and a second applicant will be fired. |
April 2, 2008 |
| 3 |
Cooking with Gas The teams must take over a pub and turn it into a themed restaurant - however, the pub kitchens in which the teams will be based, have never served food before. |
April 9, 2008 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Scrubbing Up The sixteen new candidates meet Sir Alan for the first time and receive their challenge. They have to start cleaning companies and make as much money as possible. At the end of the show the first of the hoepfuls is fired. |
March 25, 2009 |
| 2 |
A Hungry Business After a punishing first task, there is no let-up for the candidates, as Sir Alan challenges them to set up a catering service for busy professionals in the City of London. In tough economic times, the teams must agree a distinctive identity to stand out from the competition and win new customers. |
April 1, 2009 |
| 3 |
Survival of the Fittest This week the two teams have to create a new piece of portable gym equipment and create a poster advertising it. They then have to demonstrate the equipment. At the end of the show one of the candidates from the loosing show is fired by Sir Alan. |
April 8, 2009 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Bangers Lord Sugar meets a fresh batch of candidates in his search for an apprentice, as another series of the business-based reality TV show begins. The first task for the candidates is to produce a range of sausages ready for sale the next morning. They are given a crash-course in crafting the perfect sausage, before hitting the streets at the crack of dawn in the hope of selling their stock, under the watchful eyes of Nick Hewer and Karren Brady. At the end of the day, one candidate will be fired. |
October 6, 2010 |
| 2 |
Beach Accessory Following an early morning call summoning the candidates to Heathrow airport, hopes are high for a sunshine getaway. No such luck for the candidates, though, as Lord Sugar sets the task of designing and creating a brand new beach accessory. The task is centred on creating something completely original for the nation's sun worshipers, along with an eye-catching poster to promote their product. Candidates must then pitch their product to three big retailers in the hopes of securing orders and avoiding a place in the boardroom. A surprise result leads to a fierce boardroom battle, where one more candidate is faced with hearing Lord Sugar's immortal words "You're fired". |
October 13, 2010 |
| 3 |
Bakery The candidates seize the opportunity to impress Lord Sugar as they take over an industrial bakery. The teams are each given a market stall from which they try to tempt hungry customers with their baked goods, and they go head-to-head to pitch for the business of a high-class hotel, a restaurant and a coffee shop. Nick and Karren keep an eye on proceedings as the teams work to keep up with orders, and when the teams face Lord Sugar in the boardroom, one candidate is fired. |
October 20, 2010 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
£250 Business Start Up The stakes are raised higher than ever in this series of The Apprentice, as this time there is no six-figure salary job on offer. Instead, the sixteen candidates are vying for one life changing opportunity: £250,000 investment to start their own company, with Lord Sugar as their business partner. Lord Sugar wastes no time showing the candidates he means business, using the first task to challenge his potential partners' entrepreneurial skills. Each team are given £250 to invest in fresh fruit and vegetables, and Lord Sugar makes it clear that he expects a high return. Packed off to New Covent Garden Market, the teams race to buy the best produce at the cheapest price and set to work adding value to their haul by making juices, fruit salads and soups, and pasta to tempt London's hungry workforce. With the pressure on to exploit both the lucrative breakfast and lunch trade, it's not long before the tension rises and the blame game begins. |
May 10, 2011 |
| 2 |
Mobile Phone Application An early morning delivery sends the candidates into the fast-paced world of technology. Lord Sugar challenges the teams to think big and go global as they must design, launch and promote a new mobile phone application. In the battle for downloads, the teams must create a mobile app and pitch it to three influential technology websites to become 'App of the Day', as well as attempt to convince a huge crowd of bloggers and software experts at a major gaming fair to support the application and increase downloads. With their apps downloadable for 24 hours, a dramatic result leads to a fierce boardroom battle, and one more candidate faces Lord Sugar's immortal words: 'You're fired'. |
May 11, 2011 |
| 3 |
Discount Buying for the Savoy The candidates are called to meet Lord Sugar at London's famous Savoy Hotel to be briefed on their next task. Following a 220 million pound refurbishment, the hotel requires a number of last-minute items prior to its grand reopening. The business hopefuls have nine hours to source ten products, and their powers of negotiation are pushed to the limit as they attempt to track down everything on the hotel's unusual shopping list and purchase them at the lowest possible price. Nick and Karren watch on as the candidates get increasingly desperate in their attempts to find quality items at bargain prices. With the deadline looming, tension reaches fever pitch as last-minute deals are struck. Both teams are faced with a dash to the Savoy to have their purchases inspected by the scrupulous eye of the hotel's general manager. Missing or incorrect items are subject to penalty fines, and this leads to a dramatic result in the boardroom. |
May 18, 2011 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Week 1 - Blank Canvas Sixteen candidates begin their fight for one-life changing opportunity - a quarter of a million pounds to start up a business with Lord Sugar as their partner. In the first task, the boys compete against the girls. Each team must buy blank goods, add value by printing a design onto them and then sell them from stalls on the streets of London. It is a test of the candidates' creativity, marketing and salesmanship. |
March 21, 2012 |
| 2 |
Week 2 - Household Gadget Lord Sugar calls the teams to the Victoria and Albert Museum. Their task is to invent a new household gadget, create a prototype and pitch for orders to some of the country's biggest retailers. |
March 28, 2012 |
| 3 |
Week 3 - Condiments Lord Sugar decides to mix up the teams for the third task, which is to come up with a new condiment; one team goes for a Mediterranean-style ketchup, and the other a chilli chutney. Half of each team head to a condiment factory in Essex to make their product while the others stay in London to design brands and set up sales appointments. |
April 4, 2012 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Week 1: Container Week 1: Container is the first episode of the reality television series The Apprentice (UK) - Season 9. |
May 7, 2013 |
| 2 |
Week 2: Beer Week 2: Beer is the second episode of the reality television series The Apprentice (UK) - Season 9. |
May 8, 2013 |
| 3 |
Flat-Pack The candidates must come up with a unique piece of flat-pack furniture, before producing prototypes and pitching their products to retailers. |
May 15, 2013 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Ten Years of Selling The battle to become Lord Sugar's next business partner begins with a selling task. |
October 14, 2014 |
| 2 |
Wearable Technology The candidates are asked to design a piece of wearable technology. |
October 15, 2014 |
| 3 |
Home Fragrance Each team must create their own range of home fragrance products. |
October 22, 2014 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Fish Food Ambitious entrepreneurs start their fight for a life-changing investment. |
October 14, 2015 |
| 2 |
Advertising - Cactus Shampoo The candidates must create a new shampoo brand and design an advertising campaign for it. |
October 15, 2015 |
| 3 |
Cross-Channel Discount Buying The candidates must find nine items and negotiate the best possible price. |
October 21, 2015 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Collectables A new group of candidates set off on their first task - selling collectables at Wimbledon Car Boot Sale. |
October 6, 2016 |
| 2 | Advertising - Jeans | October 13, 2016 |
| 3 |
Corporate Candy Lords Sugar sets the candidates a task in which they must design and manufacture their own brand of sweets, before heading to Brighton to sell them. |
October 20, 2016 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Burgers Alan Sugar begins another search for a business partner, challenging a new group of candidates to design and manufacture their own burgers to sell to the public in London. Chaos in the kitchen throws one team into disarray, while the other team wastes valuable time deciding how to label their product. Back in the boardroom, tensions rise as the candidates face Lord Sugar for the first time. |
October 4, 2017 |
| 2 |
Hotel Redesign The candidates are summoned to Stoke Park, a five-star hotel in Buckinghamshire, where they learn that this week's challenge will see them working as interior designers. The contestants are tasked with transforming a bedroom at the hotel, before pitching their ideas to the hotel manager and a leading interior designer. However, both teams encounter troublesome DIY issues, and their concepts are picked apart during the daunting pitches. Back in the boardroom, Lord Sugar sends another contestant from the losing team home. |
October 11, 2017 |
| 3 |
Robots This week, Lord Sugar summons the contestants to London's new Design Museum, where the teams find out that they are to create, programme and sell a prototype robot. The boys team create a product targeting the over 60s market, but their patronising approach does not impress the retailers. Meanwhile, the girls opt for the children's market, but an appalling pitch sees their team in melt down. |
October 18, 2017 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Malta The business-based reality show returns, with 16 candidates hoping to scoop a £250,000 investment from Alan Sugar. The multimillionaire sends the fresh batch of hopefuls to Valletta - capital city of Malta - for their first task, with his trusted advisers Karren Brady and Claude Littner following their every move. Their task is to bag nine Maltese items for the lowest possible prices before reuniting back at the airport. One team quickly hits the road, but they are clearly on the wrong scent, while fiery personality clashes over negotiations soon rock the boat on the other team. |
October 3, 2018 |
| 2 |
Comics The candidates are challenged to create a brand-new comic aimed at children, before pitching their ideas to leading industry figures to secure orders. The task balances creative flair with productive pitching and the team that forgets either could face a graphic showdown in the boardroom. On the story teams, while one PM takes an assertive lead, the other's sub team leader seems to lose the plot. When creating their Augmented Reality front covers, the girls run riot, while the boys team struggles to make a move. |
October 10, 2018 |
| 3 |
Doughnuts Lord Sugar summons the candidates to an 18th-century tidal mill in the heart of London's East End. For the third task, the candidates must manufacture and sell upmarket doughnuts to both a corporate client and the public. |
October 17, 2018 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
South Africa Lord Sugar kicks off the new series with a task like no other. Sixteen candidates are sent to South Africa to set up wine and safari tours. |
October 2, 2019 |
| 2 |
Ice Lollies The teams are challenged to create, manufacture and sell their own ranges of ice lollies. |
October 9, 2019 |
| 3 |
Toys The teams are sent back to school as Lord Sugar reveals that for this week’s task they will be creating a toy for 6-8-year-olds. |
October 16, 2019 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Cruise Ship This year's 16 candidates set sail from Portsmouth, their first task being to come up with marketing campaigns for a new cruise liner. |
January 6, 2022 |
| 2 |
Toothbrush The teams must design an electric toothbrush aimed at children aged between six and eight, as well as an accompanying app that encourages them to brush their teeth. |
January 13, 2022 |
| 3 |
Non-Alcoholic Drinks The candidates' next task is creating and branding a new non-alcoholic drink and hosting a launch event where they will be pitching and selling to leading retailers. |
January 20, 2022 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Antigua Tourism Lord Sugar’s search for a new business partner is back, and this year’s 18 candidates kick things off on the magnificent Caribbean island of Antigua. Under the watchful eye of Baroness Karren Brady and Claude Littner, the teams must sell and run bespoke tours. After bickering on the beach and some woeful negotiations, back in the boardroom, one candidate is sent packing. |
January 5, 2023 |
| 2 |
Bao Buns For week two, the candidates are summoned to Hutong at The Shard in Central London. Lord Sugar reveals that they will be manufacturing savoury bao buns to punt to the public and a bespoke sweet bun to sell to a corporate client, with the team who secures the biggest overall profit winning. One team bites off more than they can chew with a Jurassic-themed bun, leading to explosions in the kitchen, while the other team are left in short supply after a maths meltdown. In the boardroom, one member of the losing team is sent packing. |
January 12, 2023 |
| 3 |
Cartoons Week three and the candidates are summoned to London’s Regent Street Cinema for an exclusive screening. Lord Sugar reveals they must create a new preschool cartoon aimed at two-to-four-year-olds to pitch to industry experts. One team showcases incomplete characters, whilst the other presents a sketchy storyline. |
January 19, 2023 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Highlands Corporate Away Day Week One. Lord Sugar’s candidates host a corporate away day in the Scottish Highlands. Back in the boardroom, one candidate is sent packing. |
February 1, 2024 |
| 2 |
Cheesecakes It's week two and the candidates manufacture miniature cheesecakes to sell to the public and corporate clients. But crumbling cakes and maths meltdowns lead to a firing in the boardroom. |
February 8, 2024 |
| 3 |
Virtual Escape Rooms It's week three, and the teams create a new virtual escape room to pitch to industry experts. Boring branding and confusing concepts lead to one candidate being fired. |
February 15, 2024 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Austria Tours For their first task, Lord Sugar’s candidates are sent to Austria to sell and run alpine tours. Poor sales and bullish negotiations mean it’s auf wiedersehen for one candidate. |
January 30, 2025 |
| 2 |
Virtual Pop Star This week, candidates create a new virtual pop star and music video before pitching for sponsorship. Dodgy design and mediocre music leads to one candidate being declared a flop. |
February 6, 2025 |
| 3 |
Discount Buying It's week four, and the candidates are sent to Shakespeare’s birthplace, Stratford-upon-Avon, to secure nine items. After a comedy of errors, tragedy strikes for one candidate. |
February 13, 2025 |
Production
Release
| Original network/platform | BBC One |
|---|---|
| First aired | February 16, 2005 |
| Last aired | April 16, 2026 |
| Runtime | 60 minutes |
| Status | Returning Series |
| Schedule | Thursday at 21:00:00 |