The Apprentice | |
---|---|
Series 15 | |
Starring | |
No. of episodes | 12 |
Release | |
Original network | BBC One |
Original release | 2 October – 18 December 2019 |
Series chronology |
The fifteenth series of British reality television series The Apprentice (UK) was broadcast in the UK on BBC One, from 2 October to 18 December 2019. [1] As with the previous series, the first task was conducted abroad, with the candidates travelling further afield than had been previously staged in the programme's history of business-related tasks held in other countries. In addition, the sister programme The Apprentice - You're Fired saw a change in the host before the series broadcast, with comedian Tom Allen overseeing interviews with candidates after their final appearance within this series. [2] Alongside the standard twelve episodes, the series was preceded by the mini online episode "Meet the Candidates" on 24 September, with two specials aired alongside the series – "The Final Five" on 10 December, and "Why I Fired Them" on 18 December.
Sixteen candidates took part in the fifteenth series, [3] with Carina Lepore becoming the overall winner. [4] Excluding the specials, the series averaged around 7.17 million viewers during its broadcast.
Applications for the fifteenth series began in late November 2018, towards the end of the fourteenth series, with applicants assessed and interviewed by production staff between January and February 2019. Filming took place during Spring to early Summer that year, once the final line-up of sixteen participants had been finalised, with final editing completed before the programme's premiere episode was broadcast in mid-Autumn. The series maintained the changes to the format introduced in the previous series, though filming for the series involved travelling abroad to South Africa, the most distant place used for a production site in the programme's history. Both teams adopted names in the third task upon each having mixed genders, with the names Empower and Unison used for the rest of the contest. Of those who took part, Carina Lepore would become the eventual winner, going on to use her prize to set up an artisan bakehouse chain of retail units.
Candidate | Background | Age | Result |
---|---|---|---|
Carina Lepore | Artisan Bakery Owner | 30 | Winner |
Scarlett Allen-Horton | Recruitment Company Owner | 32 | Runner-Up |
Pamela Laird | Beauty Brand Owner | 29 | Fired after the interviews stage |
Lewis Ellis | Digital Marketing Project Manager | 28 | |
Lottie Lion | Librarian | 19 | |
Dean Ahmad | Sports Management Agency Owner | 20 | Fired after the tenth task |
Marianne Rawlins | Risk Management Consultancy Owner | 36 | Fired after the ninth task |
Thomas Skinner | Pillow Company Owner | 28 | |
Ryan-Mark Parsons | Luxury Womenswear Consultant | 19 | Fired after the eighth task |
Jemelin Artigas | Network Marketing Consultant | 34 | Fired after the seventh task |
Iasha Masood | Account Manager | 27 | Fired after the sixth task |
Riyonn Farsad | Events Manager | 30 | Fired after the fifth task |
Lubna Farhan | Finance Manager | 33 | Fired after the fourth task |
Souleyman Bah | Paralympic Athlete and Motivational Speaker | 20 | Fired after the third task |
Kenna Ngoma | Ice-Cream Company Owner | 24 | Fired after the second task |
Shahin Hassan | Chartered Engineer | 36 | Fired after the first task |
Candidate | Task Number | |||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | |
Carina | IN | WIN | IN | IN | LOSS | WIN | IN | IN | IN | WIN | IN | HIRED |
Scarlett | WIN | IN | LOSS | LOSS | IN | LOSE | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | RUNNER-UP |
Pamela | IN | IN | WIN | IN | LOSS | IN | LOSS | LOSS | BR | LOSE | FIRED | |
Lewis | LOSE | LOSS | IN | IN | LOSS | IN | IN | LOSS | LOSE | BR | FIRED | |
Lottie | IN | IN | BR | LOSS | IN | BR | IN | WIN | IN | IN | FIRED | |
Dean | BR | BR | IN | IN | IN | BR | WIN | IN | WIN | FIRED | ||
Marianne | IN | IN | LOSS | BR | WIN | LOSS | LOSE | BR | FIRED | |||
Thomas | LOSS | LOSS | LOSS | LOSE | IN | LOSS | LOSS | BR | FIRED | |||
Ryan-Mark | LOSS | BR | IN | IN | BR | IN | BR | PM | ||||
Jemelin | IN | IN | IN | IN | LOSE | IN | FIRED | |||||
Iasha | IN | IN | IN | WIN | IN | FIRED | ||||||
Riyonn | LOSS | LOSS | LOSE | LOSS | FIRED | |||||||
Lubna | IN | IN | LOSS | FIRED | ||||||||
Souleyman | LOSS | LOSS | FIRED | |||||||||
Kenna | LOSS | PM | ||||||||||
Shahin | FIRED |
Key:
No. overall | No. in series | Title | Original air date | UK viewers (millions) [5] | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
197 | 1 | "South Africa" [1] | 2 October 2019 | 7.43 | |
Lord Sugar searches for a new business partner for 2019 amongst sixteen new candidates. In their first task, the teams are sent to Cape Town, South Africa to run bespoke tours at specific locations, making money from commissions against any refunds they have to make. The men focus on a safari tour, yet despite praise for its quality, the team are let down by a problematic member, worthless negotiations, poor time management and low commissions. The women focus on a wine tour, which proves successful due to strong negotiations and earning good commissions for the team, despite the poor quality of the tour and rushed last-minute sales. The men face the boardroom after they make less money on the task. Of the final three, Shahin Hassan becomes the first to be fired for non-existent sales, sabotaging negotiations and his questionable contributions to the task. | |||||
198 | 2 | "Ice Lollies" [6] | 9 October 2019 | 7.21 | |
The candidates find themselves tasked with manufacturing their own ice lollies, selling a unique product for a corporate client, and a different range for the general public. The men opt for lavender ice lollies for the public that sell well, yet their decision for coconut milk and raspberry ice lollies fail to sell, due to their client finding them unappealing, alongside poor negotiations conducted by a problematic member on the client sub-team. The women opt for cherry cola and liquorice ice lollies for the public, and grape, edible flowers and rosemary ice lollies for their client, yet despite the client's product being reduced in quantity and the poor handling of negotiations with them, the team sell well with both lollies. In the boardroom, sales and costs soon show that the women made more profit, leaving the men facing questions on the crucial mistakes with their client's order. Amongst the losing team, Lord Sugar dismisses Kenna Ngoma for his weak leadership, poor decisions, and the flawed design of the corporate lolly. | |||||
199 | 3 | "Toys" [7] | 16 October 2019 | 7.36 | |
The teams are tasked by Lord Sugar to create a new toy for 6–8 year olds, in which they must pitch their concepts, complete with brand name and online viral video promotion, to leading names within the toy industry to secure orders. Empower focus on a unicorn toy with slime under the brand of "Slime Kingdom", which despite some mixed feedback on its over-used concept design and the chosen brand name, is presented with a well made viral video that is well received by one retailer. Unison focus on a talking turtle toy that can be attached to a glove and speak several positive phrases under the brand of "Animal Squad", but fails to secure orders primarily due to the concept targeting the wrong age group. In the boardroom, Empower win by securing orders, leaving Unison to face severe scrutiny over their flawed concept. Amongst the losing team, Souleyman Bah is dismissed for his overall negativity in the task, lack of contributions, and failing to provide solutions to the flaws in the concept. | |||||
200 | 4 | "Electric Bikes" [8] | 23 October 2019 | 7.42 | |
Transportation is the theme of the next task, with teams aiming to create a new type of electric bike to sell to retailers at their own launch event – half of each team will design the product, while the other half decide on an accessory to sell and marketing material for the event. Empower focus on a bike branded "Aphrodite" aimed at female bikers, and selling bike helmets with built-in front and rear LED lights at their launch event, managing good sales despite a difficult project manager and some minor criticism of their concept. Unison focus on a bike branded "E-Fit" aimed at mature riders, and selling bicycle lycra suits at their launch event, yet the design receives negative feedback from market research and event attendees, with sales hampered by a problematic member and the team's choice of accessory. Empower secure the most sales from their product, leaving Unison to face the boardroom over their performance. Of the final three, Lubna Farhan is fired for her lack of contributions within the previous four tasks. Following the firing, Lord Sugar visits the candidates' house, to inform them of the next task. | |||||
201 | 5 | "Oxford and Cambridge Discount Buying" [9] | 30 October 2019 | 7.39 | |
Teams find themselves divided into two groups - one group to Oxford and the other to Cambridge - to seek out nine items that are associated with their respective city and negotiate good discounts on each purchase. Empower manage to secure seven items, but fail to negotiate good prices on most of the items and struggled with a lack of proper decision making and strategy within the team. Unison manage to secure eight items, thanks to strong negotiators, proper identification of items and an efficient strategy to acquire each purchase. In the boardroom, Unison's costs after fines are lower than those of Empower, leaving their rivals facing Lord Sugar's scrutiny in the boardroom. Of the final three, despite notable negative points pointed out for each member, Riyonn Farsad is dismissed for his overall track record and failure to demonstrate proper business skills. | |||||
202 | 6 | "Theme Park" [10] | 6 November 2019 | 7.62 | |
For their next task, the teams are challenged to design and promote a brand new roller-coaster attraction to a group of amusement park experts, complete with branding and 3D video presentation. Empower design a fantasy backwards-sitting ride, with a dream theme, called "Insomnia", providing a fairly well-received design concept and decent presentation, but receiving questions about the branding's logo and underwhelming scare factors in the coaster. Unison design a fast-paced, sci-fi styled ride called "The Final Loop", yet despite some good branding, they faced questions on its overall design and lack of prominent details about the coaster on promotional material. In the boardroom, Empower's design is chosen by the experts for its unique concept, leaving Unison to face serious questions on the flaws of their design. Of the final three, Iasha Masood is fired for her questionable contributions and negative feedback from her teammates. | |||||
203 | 7 | "Finland Advertising" [11] | 13 November 2019 | 7.15 | |
Promoting Finland as a Summer holiday location is the next task, in which teams must pitch their promotional concept to industry experts – half of each team stays in the UK to create the marketing campaign materials, while the other half head abroad to film a TV advert. Empower opt for promoting the country as a hotspot for the LGBT community, but fail to use a storyboard for their TV advert, while their concept faces questions over its misleading and questionable marketing material. Unison opt for promoting the country as an adventure destination, yet despite a lack of leadership, their concept is favoured by the experts from a good pitch and strong marketing campaign, despite some minor details. In the boardroom, Unison is deemed the better concept by Lord Sugar, leaving Empower to face questions over their flawed idea. Amongst the losing team, Jemelin Artigas is ejected from the process for producing a poor TV advert and failing to improve her performance over the last two tasks. | |||||
204 | 8 | "Steam Train" [12] | 20 November 2019 | 6.60 | |
Teams are tested on their organisation and hospitality skills by providing a service on one end of the Belmond British Pullman train, offering corporate customers food, drink and entertainment that is value for money. Empower offer a royalty-themed service, providing good entertainment and refreshments, yet fail to consider customers with allergies during preparations and cause delays in serving meals. Unison offer a circus-themed service, providing good meals, yet offer little entertainment, fail to fulfil promises on drinks, and struggle with a problematic leader. Despite complaints on their service requiring refunds to each team's client, Unison make a marginal win on the profit they achieve, leaving Empower questioned over their performance on the Pullman. Amongst the losing team, Lord Sugar fires Ryan-Mark Parsons for his constant excuses over his performance and declining appeal to be his business partner. | |||||
205 | 9 | "Music Managers" [13] | 27 November 2019 | 6.83 | |
Music is the theme of the next task, as Lord Sugar makes the candidates become music managers, promoting an artist with a new remix track at a showcase event and making sales from attendees along with a corporate client. Empower work with an R&B artist, but produce a remix that makes little sales at their event and is disliked by their client, despite securing a high commission for their sales from the artist. Unison work with an indie band, making reasonable sales at the event and their client, despite questions on their created remix and issues from a problematic member. Based on sales and negotiated commissions with their artist, Unison win from their negotiation skills and leave Empower facing scrutiny in the boardroom over their performance. Amongst the losing team, Thomas Skinner is dismissed for his mistakes and dismal track record in tasks, and Marianne Rawlins is fired for her weak management skills and lack of appeal to be a business partner. | |||||
206 | 10 | "Perfume" [14] | 4 December 2019 | 6.68 | |
Both teams find themselves creating their own fragrance, complete with unique bottle design, promotional material and brand, before pitching their concepts for sale to two major retailers. Empower create a perfume branded "Determined" for the female market, but struggle from a problematic member in presentations and poor decisions, while facing questions on the branding and bottle design. Unison create a perfume branded "Captivation" for the unisex market, which despite providing a good bottle design, faces concerns on the scent and branding. Based on order figures, Unison secure the most from one of the retailers they met, leaving Empower facing questions on their concept securing less from the other. Of the final three, Dean Ahmad is ejected from the process for his poor pitching skills in the task, and his deeply questionable contributions throughout the process. | |||||
207 | SP–1 | "The Final Five" [15] | 10 December 2019 | N/A | |
As this year's series of The Apprentice draws closer to its finale, this special episode takes a look at profiling the true story behind the five remaining candidates. Discussing their backgrounds, experiences, personality, and strengths and weaknesses, are a selection of each candidate's friends, family and colleagues, as well as Lord Sugar's aides, Claude Littner and Karren Brady. | |||||
208 | 11 | "Interviews" [16] | 11 December 2019 | 7.64 | |
After facing ten tasks as teams, the remaining five candidates now compete as individuals in their next task – a series of tough, grueling interviews with four of Lord Sugar's most trusted associates. Each member faces scrutiny over their backgrounds, work experience, track record, and business proposals when questioned by interviewers. Feedback to Lord Sugar, alongside observations by his aides, leads him to firing Lottie Lion for offering an unrealistic and unappealing proposal, Lewis Ellis for lacking the experience and expertise for his proposal, and Pamela Laird for offering a questionable proposal with no unique products. Of the remaining two, Carina Lepore is commended for an appealing plan and credible character, while Scarlett Allen-Horton is considered a gamble, commended for her good reputation but with concerns over her lack of costing information with her plan. | |||||
209 | SP–2 | "Why I Fired Them" [17] | 18 December 2019 | N/A | |
As the final looms, Lord Sugar takes a look back to the tasks he set for this year's series of The Apprentice. From creating a safari tour in South Africa and electric bikes, to running a dining car service and promoting Finland as a Summer holiday destination, he relives all of the mistakes, doomed decisions, and other notable events that occurred during the process, and provides his reasons behind each firing he made amongst the candidates for the process, which ultimately whittle them down to the two finalists for this series. | |||||
210 | 12 | "The Final" [18] | 18 December 2019 | 6.76 | |
After facing a multitude of business tasks and a tough interview, the two finalists, aided by old colleagues, face the task of presenting their business proposal to an audience of business and industry experts, detailing key areas in it – its name, its goals, its target market, and its business structure. Scarlett works to present her plan for an up-scale recruitment firm, receiving praise for a strong USP and business structure, yet faces concerns with the market she is entering. Carina works to present her plan for a chain of artisan bakehouses, receiving praise for her product and potential in her proposal's market, yet faces concerns on the scalability of her proposed business. Based on feedback from these presentations, Lord Sugar deems that Carina Lepore will be his business partner for 2019 for offering a lucrative proposal, leaving Scarlett Allen-Horton to become runner-up due to strong concerns on her proposal. |
"Gandhi" comments
Following the broadcast of the second episode, a WhatsApp group used by the candidates to stay in contact was shut down. The action by producers was claimed by Kenna Ngoma, in an interview with Digital Spy , to be in response to a leaked message from the group made by Lottie Lion, in which she referenced Lubna Farhan as Gandhi. Her message led to several complaints against the programme over racism. However, Lion denied these were true and stated that her words had been "misinterpreted" and "taken out of context". The programme's staff gave no comment to the allegations, [19] but did forward the matter to the BBC, who made clear that the behaviour of candidates who appear on the programme must be appropriate during and after filming, deeming that the comments by Lion on WhatsApp had been "wholly unacceptable" regardless of her excuse. [20] After an investigation into further complaints by other candidates and her actions, both the BBC and the production staff made the decision to not have her appear in the final two episodes of You're Fired, after deciding her comments had been "unacceptable" on WhatsApp. [21]
Official episode viewing figures are from BARB and includes viewers on all devices. [5]
Episode no. | Air date | 7 day viewers (millions) | 28 day viewers (millions) | BBC One weekly ranking |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 2 October 2019 | 6.77 | 7.43 | 4 |
2 | 9 October 2019 | 6.69 | 7.21 | 4 |
3 | 16 October 2019 | 6.88 | 7.36 | 4 |
4 | 23 October 2019 | 6.98 | 7.42 | 4 |
5 | 30 October 2019 | 7.08 | 7.39 | 5 |
6 | 6 November 2019 | 7.30 | 7.62 | 5 |
7 | 13 November 2019 | 6.87 | 7.15 | 6 |
8 | 20 November 2019 | 6.22 | 6.60 | 7 |
9 | 27 November 2019 | 6.46 | 6.83 | 6 |
10 | 4 December 2019 | 6.28 | 6.68 | 6 |
11 | 11 December 2019 | 7.43 | 7.64 | 3 |
12 | 18 December 2019 | 6.54 | 6.76 | 3 |
The Apprentice is a British business-styled reality game show created by Mark Burnett, distributed by Fremantle and broadcast by the BBC since 16 February 2005. Devised after the success of the American original and part of the international franchise of the same name, the programme focuses on a group of businesspeople competing in a series of business-related challenges set by British business magnate Alan Sugar, in order to prove themselves worthy of a prize offered by him. To observe candidates as they undertake these tasks, Sugar is aided by two close business associates who act as observers with little involvement in what is conducted – these roles are currently performed by Karren Brady and Tim Campbell.
The second series of British reality television series The Apprentice (UK) was broadcast in the UK on BBC Two, from 22 February to 10 May 2006. Following the success of the previous series, the BBC commissioned additional episodes of the programme, along with ordering the creation of a new companion discussion programme titled The Apprentice: You're Fired!, which was aimed at being aired on BBC Three alongside the main programme's broadcast schedule. A special titled "Tim in the Firing Line", focusing on Tim Campbell's life after winning the first series, aired on 19 February 2006 and preceded this series' premiere. Alongside the standard twelve episodes of the series, it is the only series to not feature any specials being aired alongside its broadcast.
The first series of British reality television series The Apprentice (UK) was broadcast in the UK on BBC Two, from 16 February to 4 May 2005. After securing the rights to creating a British version of American original, the BBC commissioned a total of twelve episodes, a standard that would be used for consecutive series. It is the only series not to feature a boardroom scene after a candidate quit the programme following a task. Alongside the twelve episodes that were produced, two specials were also created and aired alongside this series – "The Story so Far" on 2 April, aimed at bringing viewers up to speed on the series; and "You're Hired!" on 7 May, aired after the series finale, with a format that would be later adapted for use in The Apprentice: You're Fired when it began the following year.
The third series of British reality television series The Apprentice (UK) was broadcast in the UK on BBC One, from 28 March to 13 June 2007. Following favourable ratings, the BBC moved the programme onto its mainstream channel and thus to a much wider audience, with its companion discussion show The Apprentice: You're Fired! being reallocated to BBC Two as part of the move. For this series, Alan Sugar commented that its production would include "tougher tasks and better people" as a means of making the programme stand out from other shows like Big Brother. Alongside the usual twelve episodes, the series also featured two specials – the first, titled "Beyond the Boardroom", was aired on 3 June prior to the eleventh episode; the second, titled "Why I Fired Them", was aired on 10 June prior to the broadcast of the series finale.
Comic Relief Does The Apprentice is a special celebrity version of British reality television series The Apprentice, initially produced to raise money for Comic Relief. The first edition aired in March 2007. In 2008, the same format was broadcast until the title Sport Relief Does The Apprentice. Each series involves five male and five female celebrities competing in a single Apprentice task.
The fourth series of British reality television series The Apprentice (UK) was broadcast in the UK on BBC One, from 26 March to 11 June 2008. Around over 20,000 applications were made by potential participants seeking to take part on the programme, with the fourth series being the only one to date to feature more than two finalists moving on beyond the Interviews stage. Alongside the standard twelve episodes, four specials were aired alongside the series – "The Worst Decisions Ever" on 3 April; "Motor Mouths" on 18 April; "The Final Five" on 2 June; and "Why I Fired Them" on 8 June.
The Apprentice: You're Fired is a companion discussion programme, aired alongside The Apprentice since 2006, created by Mark Burnett for the BBC. The programme, initially shown on BBC Three before moving to BBC Two in 2007, focuses on interviews between the host and panel of guests, with a prominent candidate from the latest episode of the main programme that had been broadcast, often mixing general discussion, expert opinion and interviews, with highlight clips and small sketches designed for comedic effect. The programme is currently hosted by Tom Allen since 2019; over the course of its broadcast history, it has been hosted by Adrian Chiles, Dara Ó Briain, Jack Dee, and Rhod Gilbert.
The fifth series of British reality television series The Apprentice (UK) was broadcast in the UK on BBC One, from 25 March to 7 June 2009; because of ITV's live coverage of a 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification match involving England, the final episode was broadcast three days earlier to avoid clashing with this. It is the last series to feature Margaret Mountford as one of Alan Sugar's aides, after deciding to leave following the conclusion of the fifth series to focus on her education, although she would retain a place in the programme until the end of the ninth series. Alongside the standard twelve episodes, two specials were aired alongside this series – "The Final Five" on 3 June; and "Why I Fired Them" on 5 June.
The sixth series of British reality television series The Apprentice was broadcast in the UK on BBC One, from 6 October to 19 December 2010; due to the 2010 General Election, which Alan Sugar had political ties with following his appointment as a Lord within the House of Lords, the BBC postponed the series' broadcast until Autumn of that year to avoid a potential conflict of interest from the broadcaster.
Young Apprentice is a British reality television programme and a spin-off of The Apprentice, in which a group of young people compete against each other in a series of business related challenges to win a £25,000 investment from British business magnate Lord Sugar. In addition to Sugar, he was also joined by his adviser Nick Hewer, and new adviser Karren Brady, prior to her debut on the main show, upon Margaret Mountford's departure from the role in 2009.
The seventh series of British reality television series The Apprentice (UK) was broadcast in the UK on BBC One, from 10 May to 17 July 2011; due to a qualifying match for the 2011–12 UEFA Champions League set to be aired live on 20 July, the final episode was given an earlier broadcast date to avoid clashing with this.
The eighth series of British reality television series The Apprentice (UK) was broadcast in the UK on BBC One, from 21 March to 3 June 2012. While only one minor change was made to the format of the first task, the general format of the programme itself remained virtually unchanged for this series. Alongside the standard twelve episodes, two specials were aired alongside this series – "The Final Five" on 29 May, and "Why I Fired Them" on 2 June. Sixteen candidates took part in the eighth series, with Ricky Martin becoming the overall winner. Excluding specials, the series averaged around 7.35 million viewers during its broadcast.
The ninth series of British reality television series The Apprentice (UK) was broadcast in the UK on BBC One, from 7 May to 17 July 2013. This series saw the task format return to its original arrangement prior to the seventh series. The decision to return to this original format layout meant that Alan Sugar could now get more in-depth knowledge of the finalists' business plans, unlike in the past two series, through arranging the final task towards them promoting their idea to both himself and a large selection of industry experts. Alongside the standard twelve episodes, with the first two aired within a day of each other, two specials were aired alongside this series – "The Final Five" on 8 July, and "Why I Fired Them" on 11 July.
The tenth series of British reality television series The Apprentice (UK) was broadcast in the UK on BBC One, from 14 October to 21 December 2014; due to live coverage in Summer of that year for both the FIFA World Cup and the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, the BBC postponed the series' broadcast until Autumn to avoid clashing with these. It is the last series to feature Nick Hewer as Alan Sugar's aide, who left the programme following the series finale, with the tenth series featuring a guest appearance from Ricky Martin, winner of the eighth series, as an interviewer for the Interviews Stage for this series only.
The eleventh series of British reality television series The Apprentice (UK) was broadcast in the UK on BBC One, from 14 October to 20 December 2015; due to the 2015 General Election being held in Spring, which Alan Sugar had ties to, the BBC postponed the series' broadcast until the middle of Autumn. This series saw Claude Littner, an interviewer during the Interviews stage of a series, being announced as Lord Sugar's new aide, after Nick Hewer made his departure from the programme after the last series. Alongside the standard twelve episodes, with the first two aired within a day of each other, the series was preceded by the mini online episode "Meet the Candidates" on 6 October, with two specials aired alongside the series – "The Final Five" on 9 December, and "Why I Fired Them" on 16 December.
The twelfth series of British reality television series The Apprentice (UK) was broadcast in the UK on BBC One, from 6 October to 18 December 2016; due to live coverage of the UK EU membership referendum in late Spring of that year, alongside live coverage of Euro 2016 and the 2016 Rio Olympics during Summer, the BBC postponed the series' broadcast until the middle of Autumn to avoid clashing with these major events.
The thirteenth series of British reality television series The Apprentice (UK) was broadcast in the UK on BBC One, from 4 October to 17 December 2017. Unlike a number of series before which had both their filming and broadcast schedules altered to ensure the programme could aired without clashing with live TV coverage of major sporting and political events, primarily within the UK, it is the first series to focus its broadcast around late Autumn to early Winter, rather than in Spring as had been done when the programme first premiered. Alongside the standard twelve episodes, the series was preceded by the mini online episode "Meet the Candidates" on 26 September, with two specials aired alongside the series – "The Final Five" on 8 December, and "Why I Fired Them" on 14 December.
The fourteenth series of British reality television series The Apprentice (UK) was broadcast in the UK on BBC One, from 3 October to 16 December 2018. This series saw a number of subtle changes being made by the production staff to keep the programme fresh, including the candidates going abroad to conduct their first task, and team names not being created until the start of the third task. Alongside the standard twelve episodes, the series was preceded by the mini online episode "Meet the Candidates" on 25 September, with two specials aired alongside the series – "The Final Five" on 11 December, and "Why I Fired Them" on 13 December.
The sixteenth series of British reality television series The Apprentice (UK) premiered on 6 January 2022 in the UK on BBC One. It is the first series to be broadcast since the COVID-19 pandemic, with filming originally planned to begin in spring 2020, however the pandemic forced the BBC to postpone production until the following year. The BBC instead aired six special compilation episodes featuring highlights from previous series which aired from 1 October to 5 November 2020. The series features sixteen candidates and sees Tim Campbell, the winner of the first series replace Claude Littner as Lord Sugar's aide, after Littner suffered an injury whilst cycling. The candidates for the sixteenth series were revealed on 4 January 2022, two days before the show's premiere.
The seventeenth series of British reality television series The Apprentice (UK) premiered on 5 January 2023 in the UK on BBC One. Karren Brady and Tim Campbell returned as Alan Sugar's aides, the latter of whom joined the show on a permanent basis, after stepping in for Claude Littner in the previous series. Littner also returned to the series but in a "reduced role" and only appeared in two episodes. Eighteen candidates competed in the series, the highest number of candidates since the thirteenth series. The first trailer for the series was released on 20 December 2022. The candidates were revealed on 3 January 2023, two days before the show's premiere.