Lord Alan Sugar has revealed that a 'heated exchange' was cut from the first episode of the new series of The Apprentice. Speaking at a Q&A, the 78-year-old said he expressed 'mild disapproval' on screen but that there was a more intense confrontation that did not make the final edit.
The 20th series begins with a scavenger hunt in Hong Kong, where candidates must find local specialities such as shrimp paste and golden paper pineapples. Lord Sugar expressed disappointment that one team found only two items and the other found three, but got them wrong. He described the task as 'quite shocking'.
This series features 20 candidates, a nod to the show's two decades on air. They will face challenges including creating a children's book for live TV and hosting a corporate away day in Egypt. Among the contestants are a barbershop owner, a mortgage broker inspired by Kim Kardashian, and a loungewear business owner who apologised for filming her nails while driving. Another candidate, Levi Hodgetts-Hague, apologised after resurfaced social media posts containing racist and sexist comments.
The show sees the return of Baroness Karren Brady and Timothy Campbell as Lord Sugar's aides. A notable change is the replacement of Tom Allen's 'You're Fired' with Angela Scanlon's 'Unfinished Business', a visualised podcast on BBC Two.
The Apprentice airs on BBC One and iPlayer from Thursday, January 29 at 9pm.
