Lord Alan Sugar has robustly defended the enduring relevance of The Apprentice, revealing that the BBC has commissioned three more series of the entrepreneurial reality show as it celebrates its 20th anniversary. The 78-year-old businessman, who has fronted the programme since its inception in 2005, insists it continues to captivate a new generation of teenage viewers and inspire them to consider starting their own businesses.
Inspiring Young Entrepreneurs
In an exclusive interview with Radio Times, Lord Sugar reflected on two decades of the show, emphasising its impact on youth awareness of business. "Every single year I get a new generation of youngsters, 13- or 15-year-olds, tuning in," he said. "The 15-year-old of 20 years ago is now 35. If you asked them today, they might say, 'No, it's rubbish. He talks a lot of nonsense. He doesn't know what he's talking about.' But the new 15-year-olds are so in awe of it. The show has created an awareness for business that's done a great service for young people."
Future of the Show
Regarding the programme's future, Lord Sugar confirmed, "It's not down to me, but we have agreed another three years." He acknowledged that a time may come when either he feels "a bit knackered" or viewers complain, comparing it to concerns about ageing leaders like Joe Biden. "The BBC will spend a few grand on market research and ask, 'Should we get rid of Lord Sugar or what?' But, at the moment, I love doing it because it's really about starting a business from scratch with young people."
Critique of Modern Youth Culture
Discussing contemporary attitudes to work and ambition, Lord Sugar expressed concern that modern consumer culture distracts young people from entrepreneurial pursuits. "All the kids are interested in now is the latest Nike shoes, the iPhone 15 and TikTok," he remarked. "I sometimes think the parents are to blame. Get out and get a bloody job. Go and work in McDonald's and scrape the hot plates and all that. But oh, no, 'Not for me. I'm too busy on Saturday.' When I was a millionaire, I sent my kids out to work on Saturday morning. And they made their own children do the same thing."
Historic Triple Firing
The revelation comes just days after a dramatic episode in the current 20th series, where Lord Sugar made show history with a landmark triple sacking. In a task set in Egypt, teams were challenged to organise corporate away days, with one group offering dune buggy rides and the other a lagoon tour. Megan Ruiter's team suffered a loss of $290 after 50% of clients requested refunds due to raw food and eating in wet clothes.
As project manager, Megan brought back Carrington Saunders and Andrea Cooper to the boardroom, leading to all three being fired. Carrington later commented, "No, I don't think I deserved to be fired. I made a mistake. The show isn't based on your cooking skills, it's based on your business skills. That's upsetting, and also because I actually can cook! However, I suppose the refunds were so high, it does make sense to an extent."
Andrea added, "I don't think the reasoning for me being fired was accurate. I'm not a negative person. I feel that a lot of inexperienced people in business see it as being negative when actually it's just about being a business person. Really, it's about profit and loss, trying to save money." Megan reflected, "I think I deserved it in a sense; we did have a loss. I was the PM, there was a lot of fault on me. But I feel like I wasn't necessarily to blame for the refunds. If it wasn't for the refunds, we actually would have won the task."
Looking Ahead
With the BBC's renewal, The Apprentice is on course to approach its 25th anniversary, continuing its format where candidates compete through business tasks for investment from Lord Sugar. The show remains a staple of BBC programming, blending entertainment with entrepreneurial education, and as Lord Sugar asserts, it shows no signs of losing its appeal to the next generation of business-minded viewers.
