All Episodes 2005 - 2024

In this special edition of The Apprentice, Sir Alan Sugar challenges two teams of five celebrities (one male team, one female team) to see which one can raise the most money for Comic Relief.

Sir Alan Sugar sets ten celebrities from the world of TV, comedy, sport and politics a gruelling task in this special edition of The Apprentice.

Sir Alan Sugar sets ten celebrities from the world of TV, comedy, sport and politics a gruelling task in this special edition of The Apprentice. Kirstie Allsop, Louise Redknapp, Lisa Snowden, Clare Balding and boss of Ann Summers, Jacqueline Gold compete against Kelvin McKenzie, Phil Tufnell, Lembit Opik, Nick Hancock and Hardeep Singh Kohli to raise as much money as possible for Sport Relief. This second part was shown as part of Sport Relief night.

Sir Alan Sugar sets ten celebrities his toughest challenge yet in a special edition of the reality series. Stars including Jack Dee, Jonathan Ross, Ruby Wax and Carol Vorderman battle to create a special mystery product for Comic Relief. With just three days to invent, brand and market something original, tempers fray and egos are bruised as the task unravels and one team comes unstuck.

See who Sir Alan fires.

The best of the first 4 series of the BBC series following budding entrepreneurs and business-people as they strive to impress Sir Alan Sugar and become The Apprentice.

The best of the first 4 series of the BBC series following budding entrepreneurs and business-people as they strive to impress Sir Alan Sugar and become The Apprentice.

As the series draws to a close and tension mounts, this programme profiles the remaining five candidates, revealing the true stories behind their super-confident egos.

After the men had bought their flowers they left the market to get a cup of tea – without any of the roses they had paid for. Whoever had bought the roses had failed to arrange it and Tim, the project manager, had not noticed either. Luckily Matthew had realised and in a panic they all ran back into the market trying to find the stall they bought the roses from – the problem was that no-one could remember exactly where it was. Eventually they found it and the whole team were relieved.

In the second episode of The Apprentice the boys didn't tell the girls the phone call had come through and cheekily left them in bed. They had just 20 minutes to leave the house when they finally woke up. The two teams, boys v girls, had two days to research, design, make and present a new children's toy. The girls chose Lindsay as their team leader she was determined to choose a toy she had invented. Secret Signals were cards for children to make semaphore signals. She even imposed it on the rest after both the team and a group of children had voted it down. Raj was chosen as Impact project manager as he had some experince in this field. First Forte wasted a lot of time on another toy, a robot, that may well have won if Lindsay had not enforced her preference on the others. The boys developed an electronic game. Both teams presented their games to senior executives at a games company who recommended the boys' game should win.

Two girls had been fired in the first two weeks. "We're too good for them," boasted Raj. But Sir Alan Sugar had decided to reorganize the teams for the third week. "Matthew, I'm gonna make you the team leader," he boomed. Matthew looked gobsmacked. Adele was also chosen as a Team leader by Sir Alan Matthew, Raj, Paul and James were joined by Saira and Rachel for team Impact.Adele, Miranda and Miriam were joined by Ben, Sebastian and Tim for team First Forte.Their task: to buy a range of products including a diamond, a bottle of champagne, jellied eels, a bowler hat, a Freeview box, a dental check-up - and get back to the boardroom by 5.30pm. Adele gave each team member a job description. Miranda was not pleased to be appointed Adele's PA and ordered to take notes of meetings. James knew exactly where to buy a bottle of Bollinger 96 Grande Ann�e. He took the team off to the expensive Lea and Sandeman wine merchants in the Fulham Road - and paid �49 for a bottle.

Sir Alan had arranged with Mohammed Al-Fayed for the teams to test their retailing skills in Harrods. Both teams were given £600 seed money to spend as they will. Marigay McKee from Harrods told the teams it was very important to smile. Matthew glowered. Tim was leader for First Forte James was Project Manager for Impact this week. Impact started off badly: Matthew tripped up, Paul miscalculated the percentage of Harrods own-brand goods and the sales area was empty. Impact and First Forte had to chose between 2 areas 1 or 2. First Forte tryed to get Impact seed money for return of first choice but First Forte was stupid enough and still got first choice Number 2. First Forte started to hire a Face painter, demonstraters and a panoist in order to attract consumers while Impact had nothing. Then Paul had the idea of dressing up as Rosie the Bear - and he enchanted the kids and the tills started ringing.

Miriam was the last woman standing in First Forte. Four of the original seven women in the team had been fired and two had transferred to Impact. In week five Miriam's team included team leader Sebastian, Ben, Tim and new recruit James. In the undefeated Impact were team leader Rachel, Saira, Paul, Matthew and Raj. This week the teams visited seven modern artists and had to choose which one they would represent selling their work at a gallery one evening. Matthew admitted: ""I wouldn't recognize a Damian Hirst if one fell on me."" James charmed Rob and Nick Carter when he visited them and their light-inspired work. Both Impact and First Forte wanted to represent their work in the gallery. So the Carters had to decide who they wanted to represent them - and they chose First Forte. Impact represented Lucy Bennett, their second choice. Paul went out on the streets to invite guest to the gallery. ""No entendemos nada. Hablamos español,"" said one lady.

All the candiates were called and had to get on the Bus with they side advert saying the ""Apprentice"", they had to go upstairs where they recieved a phone call from Sir Alan Sugar who couldnt be there he described their next task. The teams had to develop a TV and press ads for the Amstrad JB 1000 - a 10 CD changer. Paul was Project Manager for Impact and Miriam was Project Manager for First Forte they are both Project Managers for the first time. Both teams had a quick meeting with Alan Sugar son had a meeting with them. Impact was down to only four contestants: Paul, Raj, Saira and Rachel. Raj didn't think much of Paul's management. ""He's all over the place,"" he told Saira. ""I ain't got a clue what's going on."" Paul directed a TV ad featuring a mum and her spotty kid. The kid couldn't act which lead Paul to spend the majoirty of time delevoping the TV ad neglecting the Press campaign. Paul sent Saira and Rachel off to work on the press campaign.

Sir Alan had been involved in the refurbishment of the Hackney Empire and this week a group of celebrities and the remaining candidates helped raise some money in a celebrity auction. Sir Alan separated Paul and Saira asking them both to select members for the new teams. First Forte were led by James and included Saira, Sebastian and Raj. Impact were led by Ben and included Miriam, Paul and Tim. Each team visited five celebrities and tried to obtain something from each of them which would be auctioned. Ben wisely gave Miriam the task of chatting up Michael Winner who contributed a table for four at The Ivy. Impact were on fire and then managed to get Dermuid Gavin to part with his prized Suzuki bike. First Forte were struggling. Eamonn Holmes charmed the group sitting them on the GMTV studio couch but the most he would offer was a tour of the TV studios and breakfast in the canteen.

The final 4 candidates, Sarah, Tim, Paul and James are interviewed by Sir Alan's top executives. The executives give their opinion on each of the candidiates and Sir Alan takes the advice of the executives and then sacks two candidates. After a final grilling boardroom, James is fired first then Paul is fired, this leaves Sara and Tim for the final.

The final two candidiates are put through their final challenge - to create a themed event on a boat. Both candidiates are given £5000 and some advice from Sir Alan, before they start the task they choose to pick previous candidates to help them on their task. Tim chooses to run a fashion event on the boat while Sara chooses a wine tasting event.

This special one-off programme follows series one winner, Tim, in his first year as the new apprentice for Sir Alan.

Sir Alan Sugar begins a new search for an apprentice for 2006 amongst fourteen new candidates. For their first task, they must purchase produce within a budget of £500, before up-selling their stock for a profit around Hackney.

The teams take on the job of raising money for Great Ormond Street Hospital, each designing a themed calendar and pitching it to retailers as a test of their creative and pitching skills.

Sir Alan has a new shopping list of ten items to be found, testing each team's negotiating skills on sourcing and bargaining for the best deal with each purchase.

Both teams find themselves cooking up a tasty treat for visitors to the Thames Festival, with each seeking to manage costs while ensuring their food attracts reasonable profits.

Sir Alan has developed a new venture for business flights – the Amsair Card – and instructs each team to come up with a promotional campaign for it, including a video and billboard advert, pitching their concept to advertising experts.

This week, the nine remaining candidates are given the task to sell second-hand cars. With only a 10-hour time limit, they need to convince as many customers as possible to part with their hard earned cash.

The eight survivors try to succeed in the world of fashion at Top Shop in Oxford Circus, London.

The seven remaining candidates find themselves looking for an innovative product that could do well, with each team pitching their choices to retailers.

As only six contestants remain, each team must let property. As usual the team that brings back the least amount of money, will lose, and one member, will get fired.

With only 6 people left, Sir Alan will set another challenging task. Brought aboard the Grand Princess as it travels between Istanbul and Naples, each team is tasked with providing a special event for passengers in which success comes from good sales and customer sanctification.

On Week 11, the remaining 4 candidates are going it alone as they go into interview process again with 3 of the best of the people to help Sir Alan to make his decision on which two people to get fired.

The final, one contestant is hired by Sir Alan Sugar.

The Apprentice returns with 16 brand new contestants, who will battle it out week-by-week for the chance to win a six-figure salary as Sir Alan Sugar's new apprentice.

With one candidate fired last week, the remaining 15 are given the task to design products for dogs. These ideas must then be presented to three pet stores.

As usual, this week, the candidates need to make as much money as possible. However, in a test of entrepreneurial skills, the candidates are free to do whatever they want from a small starting fund given to them by Sir Alan.

It's time to see if the teams have a sweet tooth, with this weeks task involving the manufacturing and selling of sweets at London Zoo. The teams must decide which target market to aim for - parents or children - as well as integrating within the zoo and it's main animal attractions.

The candidates get a chance to earn thousands of pounds for Sir Alan by choosing and selling art photographs.

The remaining ten candidates get a special treat from Sir Alan, as they take a trip across the Channel. However, this will be no holiday, as the two teams are set the task to make as large a profit as possible by selling British food to the French.

It's time to see how well the candidates can negotiate, as they have to buy ten items for the lowest amount of money. It may seem to be a relatively simple task, but Sir Alan has asked for one particular item that the teams may have to look extremely hard for.

The candidates have to create their own brand of trainer.

The candidates have to choose from a selection of innovative products which have never been seen before in the UK market. They are then required to sell as many of the three products they have chosen to retailers.

It's time for the candidates to practice their sales technique once more, as they have to sell live on TV to the public. However, this task is not as simple as it may seem, as the teams are also required to choose which specific products they want to sell.

It's time for the five remaining candidates to face the interview process. Three candidates are set to face the chop, as Sir Alan looks to choose the best of the best from the final five.

The final week and only two candidates remain in the compitition. With former colleagues coming back to help, or possibly hinder, the final task of the season is to plan and present ideas of what to do with a £120 million site that Sir Alan has recently bought. This time however, the final boardroom will reveal who has been hired.

To start of the new season, Sir Alan sets the task in which two teams, separating into the girls and the boys, have to sell fish out on the streets of London. There was much talk of the boys' team splitting into two factions: the first of these contained Alex, Simon, Lee and Ian while the second consisted of Raef, Michael and Nicholas. Coverage was shown of all members of the boys' team; however, some members of the girls' team (notably Shazia, Lucinda and Jenny) had almost no coverage in this week's episode.

Sir Alan Sugar puts 16 applicants through the job interview from hell. After an exhausting first task, the applicants are challenged to set up an overnight laundry business. They persuade customers to part with their washing (including hundreds of sheets from a hotel chain) then clean into the early hours. The following morning, following Sir Alan's warning not to lose a single sock, they return the clothes. Sir Alan's aides Nick and Margaret watch, and a second applicant will be fired.

The teams must take over a pub and turn it into a themed restaurant - however, the pub kitchens in which the teams will be based, have never served food before.

Four weeks into his search for an apprentice, Sir Alan challenges the teams to set up their own photography business at a busy shopping centre on the outskirts of London. Charged with taking and selling photos, the teams must work together to rake in the money.

It's down to the farm for our Apprentice wannabes, as the teams take on an ice cream making challenge. Alpha and Renaissance must make three new flavours, and then launch two of those products into the untapped London market. The team which secures the most orders, by value, will win.

This week the two teams have to create a range of greetings cards for a new occasion. Three members of the loosing team end up in the board room with Sir Alan where one of them will be fired.

The candidates set off on a two-day business trip to Marrakesh, where they are challenged to find the best deals possible when buying 10 items in the city's markets. The budding entrepreneurs race against time and tempers flare as the deadline approaches.

It's all about satin and sequins as Sir Alan Sugar sets both teams the challenge of selling wedding dresses at a wedding show at the Birmingham NEC. The candidates have just one day to visit specialist bridal businesses and select gowns that will be popular with brides-to-be at the show. Success in this task will depend on choosing the right products to sell - and with more than 300 exhibitors at the show, the competition is tougher than it's ever been before.

The candidates must design their own brand of tissues, and create both a TV commercial and printed advertisement in order to promote the product.

The candidates must rent out expensive sports cars.

After facing ten tasks as teams, the five remaining candidates now compete as individuals in their next task – a series of tough, gruelling interviews with four of Sir Alan's most trusted associates.

The remaining four candidates are split into two teams to develop and present a new type of fragrance. The teams are joined by former candidates, and with only the winning team able to get the chance to work with Sir Alan, they must overcome this final hurdle in a bid to become the next Apprentice.

The remaining four candidates are split into two teams to develop and present a new type of fragrance. The teams are joined by former candidates, and with only the winning team able to get the chance to work with Sir Alan, they must overcome this final hurdle in a bid to become the next Apprentice.

Having started 12 weeks ago, Sir Alan Sugar's search for his apprentice is over for another year and he is joined by the winner and runner-up to discuss why he made his decision. Sir Alan also looks back over the series and shares his opinions on some of the other candidates which have caught his eye throughout Britain's most gruelling job interview.

The sixteen new candidates meet Sir Alan for the first time and receive their challenge. They have to start cleaning companies and make as much money as possible. At the end of the show the first of the hoepfuls is fired.

After a punishing first task, there is no let-up for the candidates, as Sir Alan challenges them to set up a catering service for busy professionals in the City of London. In tough economic times, the teams must agree a distinctive identity to stand out from the competition and win new customers.

This week the two teams have to create a new piece of portable gym equipment and create a poster advertising it. They then have to demonstrate the equipment. At the end of the show one of the candidates from the loosing show is fired by Sir Alan.

Week four of Sir Alan Sugars search for his apprentice. Sir Alan Sugar challenges the teams to set up their own cosmetics business.

The candidates are given the task of a new breakfast cereal with a brand identity including a name for the cereal, design for the box and film a TV campaign that will appeal both to the parents and the children.

The candidates are tasked with taking a collection of items given to them by Sir Alan Sugar and selling them for the most proffit.

Travelling north for their next challenge, each team must choose two innovative products, and then sell their choices to the right markets within two days.

Alan Sugar sends the candidates to Margate on the Kent coast, where they are challenged to produce an eye-catching series of posters and leaflets designed to attract tourists to the seaside resort.

The teams interview suppliers of baby equipment, select two products, and sell them on to a potential 10,000 customers at the country's biggest baby show.

The teams must select products which they believe will sell the best during an hour of live television. They must then sell these on-screen themselves.

There's no place to hide as the final five candidates face four of Sir Alan's trusted advisors in face-to-face interviews.

After facing a multitude of business tasks and a tough interview, the two finalists now face one more challenge – helped by old friends, each finalist must market a brand new box of chocolates, pitching their concept to a panel of business and chocolate experts.

Lord Sugar meets a fresh batch of candidates in his search for an apprentice, as another series of the business-based reality TV show begins. The first task for the candidates is to produce a range of sausages ready for sale the next morning. They are given a crash-course in crafting the perfect sausage, before hitting the streets at the crack of dawn in the hope of selling their stock, under the watchful eyes of Nick Hewer and Karren Brady. At the end of the day, one candidate will be fired.

Following an early morning call summoning the candidates to Heathrow airport, hopes are high for a sunshine getaway. No such luck for the candidates, though, as Lord Sugar sets the task of designing and creating a brand new beach accessory. The task is centred on creating something completely original for the nation's sun worshipers, along with an eye-catching poster to promote their product. Candidates must then pitch their product to three big retailers in the hopes of securing orders and avoiding a place in the boardroom. A surprise result leads to a fierce boardroom battle, where one more candidate is faced with hearing Lord Sugar's immortal words "You're fired".

The candidates seize the opportunity to impress Lord Sugar as they take over an industrial bakery. The teams are each given a market stall from which they try to tempt hungry customers with their baked goods, and they go head-to-head to pitch for the business of a high-class hotel, a restaurant and a coffee shop. Nick and Karren keep an eye on proceedings as the teams work to keep up with orders, and when the teams face Lord Sugar in the boardroom, one candidate is fired.

The teams are at the Science Museum, where they have to select two innovative new products to sell to trade. One of the members of the team which loses the challenge is failed by Sir Alan at the end of the show.

It is week five, and the candidates boldly enter the world of fashion. Lord Sugar ups the ante when he challenges the teams to open pop-up shops at the Trafford Centre in Manchester - one of Europe's largest shopping centres. The teams must select ranges of clothing from some of London's most up-and-coming designers, and are tasked with charming the fashionistas to allow them to represent their brand at retail. Under the ever-watchful eyes of Nick and Karren, the teams swap their business suits for some cool clobber and use every trick in the book to market and promote their stores. In the boardroom, one candidate on the losing team faces a serious dressing-down from Lord Sugar, who is in an unforgiving mood.

The battle to become Lord Sugar's next apprentice intensifies as the remaining candidates reach the series' half-way mark. After a rude awakening from the boss, the candidates are set to work creating branding and advertising for a new multi-purpose household cleaner. The teams are tasked with producing a spotless TV and radio advertising campaign, and try to clean up when they pitch to ad agency heads and industry experts. As Nick and Karren look on, the campaigns cause raised eyebrows as some of the candidates lose focus. It gets messy in the boardroom, as Lord Sugar wipes the floor with the losing team. Another of this year's prospects discovers it's the end of the road as Lord Sugar sends them packing with the words 'You're Fired'.

The remaining candidates head to Pinewood film studios in Buckinghamshire, where they are challenged to create personal movie experiences that give consumers a chance to star in their own feature films. Both teams stretch their creative muscles and put together car races, rollercoaster rides and encounters with sharks, before visiting Westfield shopping centre in London to promote their creations to the public.

The teams must represent British crisp companies hoping to break into the German market.

Alan Sugar summons the seven remaining candidates in the heart of the City and challenges them to purchase a series of unusual items at bargain prices. The teams are split into boys and girls as Karren Brady and Nick Hewer oversee their efforts to find the best deals.

Alan Sugar challenges the remaining candidates to set up their London tour company and provide open-top bus excursions for tourists. The budding entrepreneurs also have to map out walking routes to show visitors a lesser known side of the capital, and bid for a potentially lucrative deal with a travel agency.

As the series draws to a close and tension mounts, this programme profiles the remaining five candidates, revealing the true stories behind their super-confident egos.

Lord Sugar's search for an apprentice reaches its penultimate week, and the five remaining candidates face a different type of challenge: they each have to face a gruelling interview process on their own. There is nowhere to hide as they are grilled by four of Lord Sugar's trusted business colleagues, one of whom is a very familiar face. These advisors then feed their opinions back to Lord Sugar, and three candidates are fired in the boardroom as he decides who is worthy of a place in the final.

The two remaining candidates are challenged to launch a new high-quality alcoholic beverage in front of an audience of industry experts - before Alan Sugar reveals who he has chosen to work alongside him in a job with a six-figure salary.

The two remaining candidates are challenged to launch a new high-quality alcoholic beverage in front of an audience of industry experts - before Alan Sugar reveals who he has chosen to work alongside him in a job with a six-figure salary.

Lord Sugar looks back on the unsuccessful candidates in the 2010 series. From making sausages and selling clothes to creating a character for a brand new cleaning product, this year's budding businessmen and women have been tested to destruction. Reliving their worst decisions, Lord Sugar reveals how, each week, he decided who would hear his famous phrase: "You're fired".

The stakes are raised higher than ever in this series of The Apprentice, as this time there is no six-figure salary job on offer. Instead, the sixteen candidates are vying for one life changing opportunity: £250,000 investment to start their own company, with Lord Sugar as their business partner. Lord Sugar wastes no time showing the candidates he means business, using the first task to challenge his potential partners' entrepreneurial skills. Each team are given £250 to invest in fresh fruit and vegetables, and Lord Sugar makes it clear that he expects a high return. Packed off to New Covent Garden Market, the teams race to buy the best produce at the cheapest price and set to work adding value to their haul by making juices, fruit salads and soups, and pasta to tempt London's hungry workforce. With the pressure on to exploit both the lucrative breakfast and lunch trade, it's not long before the tension rises and the blame game begins.

An early morning delivery sends the candidates into the fast-paced world of technology. Lord Sugar challenges the teams to think big and go global as they must design, launch and promote a new mobile phone application. In the battle for downloads, the teams must create a mobile app and pitch it to three influential technology websites to become 'App of the Day', as well as attempt to convince a huge crowd of bloggers and software experts at a major gaming fair to support the application and increase downloads. With their apps downloadable for 24 hours, a dramatic result leads to a fierce boardroom battle, and one more candidate faces Lord Sugar's immortal words: 'You're fired'.

The candidates are called to meet Lord Sugar at London's famous Savoy Hotel to be briefed on their next task. Following a 220 million pound refurbishment, the hotel requires a number of last-minute items prior to its grand reopening. The business hopefuls have nine hours to source ten products, and their powers of negotiation are pushed to the limit as they attempt to track down everything on the hotel's unusual shopping list and purchase them at the lowest possible price. Nick and Karren watch on as the candidates get increasingly desperate in their attempts to find quality items at bargain prices. With the deadline looming, tension reaches fever pitch as last-minute deals are struck. Both teams are faced with a dash to the Savoy to have their purchases inspected by the scrupulous eye of the hotel's general manager. Missing or incorrect items are subject to penalty fines, and this leads to a dramatic result in the boardroom.

Lord Sugar gathers the candidates under the statue of Aphrodite at the British Museum, and reveals their next task: to set-up beauty treatment businesses in Birmingham. At the briefing, he re-balances the teams and personally appoints the project managers. The British beauty industry is worth 14 billion pounds annually, with the best margins in hands-on treatments, so Lord Sugar demands both teams offer these and sell cosmetic products off the back of them. After a choice of professional treatments have been offered to the teams, followed by a short wrangle over total body spray tan, the teams choose two treatments each and get down to some hands-on training. But one of the boys feels that touchy-feely beauty challenges his masculinity, and could worry his girlfriend. Under the watchful eye of Nick and Karren, the teams take their choices to Birmingham. One team goes for the city centre, while the other chooses an out-of-town mall.

In a pre-recorded briefing via a giant screen flanked by Karren and Nick, Lord Sugar has called the candidates to an advertising agency. Their task will be to create, brand and pitch a new pet food. But before they start Nick has a message from the boss - once again he picks the team leaders. One team chooses dogs, the other cats. Both teams split - one half to Lincolnshire to create the food, the other half staying at the agency to name and brand the product. Supported by Britain's biggest pet food manufacturer it looks like a breeze, but soon the teams are making some fateful decisions, sweeping aside advice from pet-loving focus groups and inventing product names so leftfield that even teammates can't understand them. Professional packaging for their products restores confidence momentarily, but the next job - to make commercials - plunges the teams into more confusion as they try to get creative.

Alan Sugar calls the candidates to a rubbish dump, and challenges them to form junk-collection businesses. One half of each team has to haul the rubbish themselves while the others offer quotes on big clearances. Profits prove hard to come by with Cockney scrap dealers and quick-witted builders giving them a run for their money, and one project manager is reduced to tears by the grueling work.

The teams are called to gleaming offices in Fleet Street, home to London's oldest newspaper district. Lord Sugar informs the candidates they'll be creating and publishing a free magazine. But first he shuffles the teams, appointing the project managers. Free magazines earn money by selling advertising, but advertisers only buy space in titles with a surefire market. As such, the teams must choose a hit subject, produce appropriate editorial content and convince advertisers they will reach a big audience. As Karren keeps notes, one team is led downmarket by their editor with a low-brow lads' magazine. The other team, accompanied by 67-year old Nick, goes for the oldies market, and on the way comes up with some patronising names (causing raised eyebrows from Nick!). But despite some research with sprightly over-sixties, it soon descends into stereotypes. Karren winces as the lads' mag embraces innuendo and photoshoots get racy.

The venue for the candidates' latest briefing is St Pancras International. With the next Eurostar about to leave, there is just time for Lord Sugar to brief and re-balance the personnel, and then it's off to Paris for half of each team. The others must stay back and choose some new British designs to sell to the French. It is a classic export task, with Lord Sugar on the lookout for proven ability to do business abroad. While the candidates in Paris arrange sales appointments for tomorrow, the London-based groups are treated to quirky products by entrepeneurs wanting a slice of the French market. There's everything from toys to top-end bikes. It is immediately clear that some of Lord Sugar's budding business partners know very little about the French, and even less about what they will buy. To help, he sets them up with a major French retailer, but the teams must fix all the other pitches. Street-based research gets lost in translation.

The candidates are enjoying their day off when Lord Sugar turns up at the door. Suddenly it's down to work after he tells them to make, brand and pitch a new type of upmarket biscuit. Project managers get picked (in one case reluctantly) and then it's time for the teams to split up, with half off to a biscuit development lab in Swansea. The teams have two days to get the baking done and packaging designed. In Wales there are sharp elbows in evidence in one team as two of the candidates vie to get their idea made, whilst the other team goes straight for an after-school treat. The ultra-competitive team's focus group munches its way through lots of crunchy offers without a favourite emerging. No-one likes ideas suggested by fellow team members and in the end the decision is a compromise. On the other team, the branding for kids ends up losing precision and no-one can understand its selling point. Hard work in the development lab produces professional looking biscuits.

Called to a north London wholesale warehouse, the teams are met by a nostalgic Lord Sugar, who tells the teams that it was from places like this that he started out buying low to sell high. He gives both teams a pallet carrying 250 pounds' worth of wholesale goods. They must find out what sells best, then re-invest in those products. It is a simple exercise in following the money and increasing sales. The pallets contain cheap nodding dogs, pricey pressure washers, duvet sets, cut-price sunglasses, brollies, watches and more. The prospects for the task look good, and there are quick volunteers for the team leader roles. They have the whole of London to sell to: street markets, houses door-to-door, offices and maps to help find more. The trick is to match the products to the potential market, but some get it badly wrong, taking tacky stuff to snobby areas, or high-priced goods to East End pound shops. For some selling comes naturally, but for others it's a humiliating struggle.

As this year's series of The Apprentice draws to a close and the tension mounts, this programme profiles the remaining five candidates. Revealing the true stories behind their super-confident egos, we discover what really makes these budding business men and women tick. Family, friends and former bosses, along with Lord Sugar's trusted aides Nick Hewer and Karren Brady, discuss the strengths and weaknesses of the final five personalities as they vie for the prize of a quarter-million pound investment and a partnership with Lord Sugar.

At a shopping mall in the City of London, Lord Sugar points out to the teams the wide range of successful fast-food chains and tells them to invent their own outlet, develop a unique cuisine, open it to the public and pitch the concept to him and experts from the fast-food industry. The teams get two brand new sites in the centre of the West End to turn into protoype fast-food outlets. One team goes for Mexican meals, the other for British pie and mash. Both teams split - one half to cook, the other to make the branding match the concept. The Mexican restaurant gets called Caracas because it sounds like maracas, while the pies get named after historic Britains; except that, once the branding has been done, Nick casts doubt on the British credentials of Christopher Columbus.

After eleven tasks, it's finally time for Lord Sugar to choose his business partner. The four finalists each have to face a gruelling interview process on their own. There is nowhere to hide as each of them is grilled by four of Lord Sugar's trusted business colleagues and advisors. Each candidate will also have their business ideas tested to destruction, as their plans for their business with Lord Sugar are put under the microscope. It's the ultimate test of character, as every aspect of their personal and professional lives is scrutinised and judged by the influential interviewers. After they have made their assessments, Lord Sugar's four advisors feed back their opinions and explain their verdicts to him in the boardroom. As the candidates take their turn to plead their case, three will have their dreams shattered as Lord Sugar delivers his final ruling on who will become his business partner.

Sixteen candidates begin their fight for one-life changing opportunity - a quarter of a million pounds to start up a business with Lord Sugar as their partner. In the first task, the boys compete against the girls. Each team must buy blank goods, add value by printing a design onto them and then sell them from stalls on the streets of London. It is a test of the candidates' creativity, marketing and salesmanship.

Lord Sugar calls the teams to the Victoria and Albert Museum. Their task is to invent a new household gadget, create a prototype and pitch for orders to some of the country's biggest retailers.

Lord Sugar decides to mix up the teams for the third task, which is to come up with a new condiment; one team goes for a Mediterranean-style ketchup, and the other a chilli chutney. Half of each team head to a condiment factory in Essex to make their product while the others stay in London to design brands and set up sales appointments.

Lord Sugar asks the teams to set up second-hand shops in London's fashionable East End, home to a thriving market in retro and refurbished household goods. The teams must source second-hand stock from auctions, junk shops and car boot sales, and resell at a profit during a one-day-sale from their respective shops.

Lord Sugar turns the candidates' attentions towards the highly profitable keep fit industry. The teams have two days to devise and brand a new fitness class that reflects recent popular trends like Zumba or Body Pump, which attract gym members to classes in big numbers. They must then pitch their routines to leading health and fitness chains, who will pay for the rights to run them if they like what they see.

It is week six, and Lord Sugar sends the candidates to Scotland, where they must make gourmet grub and sell it on the streets of Edinburgh. The teams decide on Italian meatballs and Scottish stew, but before heading north there is a spot of market research at one of London's fancy street food fairs. It is clear from what is served up that there is more to this business than dishing up a burger and chips.

The teams are called to a warehouse in Essex; Lord Sugar tells the candidates that this is how he started out, buying wholesale goods and selling them on for a profit. Both teams are given 150 pounds to spend on products of their choice, with Essex as their selling ground. Products are purchased and hopes for big profits are pinned on a collection of mops, MP3 players, fake tan and false eyelashes.

The eighth task starts with an early morning trip to Waterloo Station, but the teams are not going anywhere; underneath the railway arches is a big screen with a message from Lord Sugar. He tells the teams to take a look around; they are surrounded by graffiti, and this is what they will be selling next. The teams have one day to meet and convince up-and-coming urban artists that they are the right team to represent them in a one-off gallery sale.

The longest champagne bar in Europe at St Pancras International is the venue chosen by Lord Sugar to launch the latest task. But he is not buying the teams bubbly; he is setting them the challenge of raising awareness of English sparkling wine, which rivals champagne in quality, but not in market dominance. It is a real issue for the industry - can the teams devise a brand and identity for the British product to compete with cava, prosecco and champagne? Their marketing campaigns will be judged on merit by discerning wine industry experts.

The candidates are called to meet Lord Sugar on a rooftop overlooking the City of London, where countless financial deals are done on a daily basis. For one day only, the teams will be representing an online daily deals website that offers Londoners exclusive deals in hotel stays, beauty treatments, posh dinners and premium products. It is a test in the teams' negotiation skills; they must strike the right deal, get a good discount and deliver their offers to the website by 7pm that evening. Nick and Karren watch on as the teams get increasingly desperate in their attempts to secure quality deals at the right price. Businesses are bemused as candidates try to negotiate offers on everything from candles and teeth whitening to five-star meals and fish pedicures.

The candidates give their assessment of their personal triumphs and failures and the lessons they have learned during the process. Not to mention the bitching, backstabbing and the blame games they have had to overcome to get this far. The programme investigates the five contenders' family backgrounds and reveals more of their characters as friends and family talk about the childhood, upbringing and personality traits that have shaped the final five into who they are today. Nick Hewer and Karren Brady share their thoughts on the candidates' performance thus far and assess the strengths and weaknesses of each individual, explaining what qualities they believe Lord Sugar sees in the final five.

Lord Sugar calls the teams to Burlington Arcade, a luxury shopping centre in London's West End. He spells out that in the current economic climate Britain still has a taste for the finer things in life, but they should come with an affordable price tag. He reveals that the candidates' latest task is to consider affordable luxury retail markets and come up with a new product range.

They knew they had to impress Britain's toughest boss. If they failed, they'd get the chop. 16 hopefuls went into battle for Lord Sugar's £250,000 investment. Now, he explains how some candidates lost the plot completely and others survived by the skin of their teeth.