Entertainment
The Apprentice confirmed to return after 2-year hiatus – and it’s airing soon
It’s back! (Picture: PA)
The Apprentice is coming back after two years, with Lord Sugar and his hopeful candidates back on our screens in January.
The hit BBC reality show focuses on a group of entrepreneurs competing in several business tasks and must survive the weekly firings in order to be Lord Sugar’s business partner.
The most recent series of The Apprentice took place in 2019 and was won by Carina Lepore, earning her a cool £250,000 investment in her baking business.
However series 16 and 17 were postponed in the interests of ‘production safety and the wellbeing of everyone involved’ due to the Covid pandemic, and the BBC replaced it with a compilations episode instead.
Now, it’s back, with Karren Brady and Claude Littner set to return alongside the business magnate in the upcoming episodes.
The programme’s official Twitter account shared the good news on Thursday morning.
Carina Lepore won the last series of the hit reality show (Picture: BBC)
The post read: ‘We’re heading back to the boardroom this January. Lord Sugar’s getting his firing finger ready…
‘The Apprentice streaming weekly from 6th January @BBC iPlayer.’
The programme usually sees candidates travel to other countries to take part in various tasks during the competition, but show bosses were unable to let this happen as a result of ongoing travel restrictions.
An insider claimed to The Sun: ‘This is another hurdle the producers have had to jump as Covid-related restrictions are still in place.
‘Although lockdown in Britain is easing, that’s not the case in other countries. It’s a real headache.
The 74-year-old businessman previously said that the forthcoming 16th series will begin filming later this year, and will be set to air at the ‘early part of next year’.
More: BBC
He said: ‘I think you’ll see it in the early part of next year, in fact that’s the plan.
‘If things go well, and there’s no outbreaks or third waves, we’re planning to start recording later this year and it should be just after Christmas that they’ll start it again.’
The Apprentice will return on BBC One in January 2022.
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