The business tycoon admitted that he felt disappointed in this year’s candidates
Lord Alan Sugar revealed that a moment where he “was angry” with this year’s candidates had to be edited out of the BBC show.
The Apprentice first aired on BBC Two back in 2005 following on from the success of the US series which began in 2004 with Donald Trump. The premise of the programme sees contestants fight for a chance to go into business with Lord Alan Sugar.
With the 20th series of the hit show airing soon, the first episode sees the contestants travel to Hong Kong. This was the first time that the London boardroom was swapped out for another location, but it wasn’t a smooth-sailing occasion.
The frantic episode saw the 20 candidates having to buy local items, putting their negotiating and communication skills to the ultimate test. While Lord Sugar is delighted The Apprentice has made it to 20 series, he admitted the latest season features one of the “most disastrous starts” in the show’s history.
But Lord Sugar was furious with the contestants, and branded the task a “missed opportunity”. He added: “Having spent a fortune in flying 20 people out to Hong Kong, and myself, it was very, very disappointing.
“You might have seen me show my displeasure in the boardroom there, mildly – but I can tell you, they got it in real Technicolor in real life.
“It’s not put in the edit, if you know what I mean. I was angry. It hurt because of the waste of money. It was just a shame. Picking a place like Hong Kong, and we kind of missed an opportunity.
However, at 78-years-old Lord Sugar has confirmed that he has no interest in stepping down just yet. Having signed a three-year deal with the BBC, he quipped: “Part of the contract is that the BBC’s got to provide me with an electronic Zimmer frame.”
He continued: “Three years will take me to about 82 by the time I’m finished. But I’ll carry on as long as the BBC want me to.” Lord Sugar admitted he will “know” when the right time is to hang up his finger.
He added: “I will know personally when it’s time for me to hang up my finger. As the footballers say, they hang up their boots and I will hang up my finger. Right now, I’m happy about it.”
Last year, viewers tuned in for the 2025 Celebrity special, where 12 stars were split into two teams ready to create a festive biscuit, as well as an advert and jingle to go with their treat.
Team one featured AJ Odudu, Charlie Hedges, Eddie Kadi, Jake Wood, Kadeena Cox and Rob Rinder, created the biscuit Jolly McTrouble, a gingerbread biscuit with butter toffee, vanilla and Christmas pudding flavoured festive icing.
With the tagline, ‘Be Naughty, Get Nice’, the biscuit is a portrait of Santa’s naughty brother – Jolly McTrouble. Opposite them, Angela Scanlon, JB Gill, Matt Morsia, Sarah Hadland, Shazia Mirza and Tom Skinner created Gary the Penguin. The biscuit combined gingerbread with a blend of lemon, bubble-gum and white pepper.
