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MUMBAI:
UK pubcaster the BCC has announced that its business-based
reality show The Apprentice is back for a 12-week run
on BBC One at 9 pm on Wednesday 26 March.
No-nonsense,
self-made millionaire Sir Alan Sugar returns to challenge
a new group of 16 aspiring tycoons, who will battle it out
in the toughest challenge of their lives.
The
candidates lined up for the fourth season include
a barrister, a bank manager, a risk manager, an ex-army engineer,
a single mother, an international car trader, an artist, a
former championship show jumper and a business liaison manager
with royal connections.
The
pubcaster adds that the new season raises the business bar,
with more twists and turns than ever before. The weekly challenges
will see the teams sweat it out running rival laundrettes
and competing pubs.
They
will create a new perfume, design a new greeting card, invent
a new ice cream flavour and sell wedding dresses.
There's
a tough international buying task, which sees the candidates
fly to Morocco, in an attempt to barter with the canniest
salesmen in the world. 20,000 CV's were received from applicants
around the UK – more than any other series before. The
competition is stiff, as these ambitious business hopefuls
are all successful in their chosen careers and hungry to reach
the top.
Rivalry
is rampant as all the candidates are desperate to walk away
with the coveted prize of a six-figure salary and the opportunity
to work for one of the most successful business moguls in
the world. With trusted aides Nick Hewer and Margaret Mountford
at his side, from the opening boardroom briefing Sir Alan
makes it clear exactly who is in charge.
He
says, "One of you is going to end up working for me on
a six-figure salary, but I'll tell you what, the money doesn't
mean anything. I've been in business for over 40 years. Your
prize is working with me."
However,
the boss has a trick up his sleeve as he surprises the wannabe
apprentices in the first episode. Thinking they are about
to head off to relax in their new luxurious pad – a 7,000
square foot, multi-million pound, gated converted glass factory
– with a glass of champagne and a glimpse of the high
life, Sir Alan plays the first wild card of the series:
"This
is a business boot camp. Mary Poppins I am not. I'm not going
to hold your hand, I'm not going to tell you what to do. You're
on your own two feet. You might think you're going off now
to settle in. Well, you're not. Business starts now,"
he warns.
In
addition to "You're Fired," four hour-long specials
will air throughout the series, including a candidate profile
show on the finalists and "Why I Fired Them," which
will look back on the previous candidates who were on the
receiving end of Sir Alan's wrath in the boardroom.
As
well as this, two new shows will air. The Apprentice: Worst
Decisions Ever looks back at the most outrageous, embarrassing
and ultimately cringe-inducing decisions made by ex-candidates
in previous series – including Syed Ahmed's "100
chickens" fiasco from series two and Paul Callaghan's
daft decision to sell mass-produced English cheese to the
French. Worst Decisions Ever covers all the cock-ups,
bad moves and mistakes that have had viewers jumping off their
sofa and screaming at the TV.
The
Apprentice: Motor Mouths revisit's the most outspoken,
opinionated personalities from the previous three series and
looks back at their most infamous stand-offs with their fellow
candidates and Sir Alan himself.
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