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It’s been nearly two decades since The Apprentice first launched on the BBC, introducing viewers to Lord Alan Sugar’s famous firing finger and the terror of the boardroom.
Looking back over the years, the business mogul has revealed to Metro.co.uk that he has one big regret about the programme, which has now returned for series 18 with aides Baroness Karren Brady and Tim Campbell MBE in tow.
When the series premiered in 2005, the big prize was – as the title suggested – for the entrepreneurial hopefuls to be hired as Lord Sugar’s apprentice at the end of the process.
However, this format was changed from the seventh series in 2011, to instead offer the candidates the chance to receive a whopping £250,000 investment to inject into their business.
When asked if he had any regrets or anything he would have done differently in hindsight on The Apprentice, Lord Sugar, 76, answered: ‘The regrets were effectively after series seven, that the giving a person a job was not working out too well.
‘That’s when I said I can’t do that anymore, it’s causing too much embarrassment amongst my workers and I want to change the format to going into business with somebody. And from then on, it’s taken off like a rocket.’
Despite the success of The Apprentice, Lord Sugar admitted that the future of the show isn’t necessarily set in stone, as while a 19th series is definitely on the cards, a 20th isn’t guaranteed at this stage.
Discussing how the programme could celebrate the milestone 20th anniversary, he outlined: ‘We are all thinking. The BBC are all thinking. To do a special gala performance, whatever you want to call it, it’s going to cost more money. We’ve got to look at budgets and things like that.
He continued: ‘And by the way, the BBC have got to agree to do it, because it’s not cast in concrete. The 19th series is, but the 20th hasn’t been discussed yet.’
So would he like to have those discussions soon?
‘I’ve already had the discussion with them, and they’re giving it deep consideration,’ Lord Sugar clarified.
‘I think there will be a 20th series, no question of it, although I can’t promise it. It’ll have to be announced by the BBC.’
The Apprentice is known to feature its fair share of dramatic moments, and fans are no doubt expecting more in the upcoming episodes… but Lord Sugar played coy when questioned on any specifics that he could tease.
‘Could I? Would I ever tell you? Let me put it this way – it’s going to be a great, great series, so watch out. Watch out for some great episodes,’ he promised.
Nonetheless, he did affirm that the new season is ‘going to be a great series’, as the show ‘gets better and better like a matured wine’ in his opinion.
‘It gets better and better as time goes by. The production company are very, very, very good. Because they’ve been on the job for so long, they do a great job,’ he stated.
This year, Tim is back on Lord Sugar’s left-hand-side in the boardroom, while former aide Claude Littner is set to return once again during the interview stage of the process.
Addressing his relationship with longtime colleagues Karren and Tim, the business magnate stressed that they ‘respect each other tremendously’, and even when they disagree, it never gets heated between them.
During a screening of the first episode of the new series, Karren teased that it will feature the ‘greatest win ever in terms of value’. Of course, we had to find out if there was anything more Lord Sugar could reveal about that achievement.
‘All I can say is it’s going to be the greatest win in terms of value,’ he reiterated. Enough said!
The Apprentice returns on Thursday February 1 at 9pm on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.
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