The
Apprentice
Series Four
Multi-award-winning
series The Apprentice is back for a 12-week run on BBC One
at 9pm on Wednesday 26 March, as 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 series four 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 new
series raises the business bar, with more twists and turns than ever
before.
The demanding
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.
Twenty
thousand 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's in charge:
"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 episode one.
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."
They may
be suited and booted for the boardroom, but Sir Alan wants them to get
stuck in by sending them out on their first task immediately. It's boys
versus girls as each team is given two van loads of fresh fish and told
to flog it all before their boardroom deadline at 7.00pm that evening.
Dressed
head to toe in overalls and rubber boots, not only will the candidates
be responsible for selecting a suitable market and pitch, they will
also have to identify and correctly price the selection of fish.
Both teams
are thrown in at the deep end and are desperate to prove their worth.
They want to avoid a boardroom showdown at all costs to escape hearing
Sir Alan's immortal catch phrase "You're Fired". This is the
job interview from hell.
The
Apprentice: You're Fired! on BBC Two will also be making a welcome
return immediately after the main show and is hosted again by Adrian
Chiles. Each week the fired candidate is interrogated by business experts
and a studio audience of viewers.
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 which 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.
Who can
forget series two's Ruth "The Badger" Badger or cheeky Leeds
lad Paul Tulip? And perhaps the ultimate of all the loud-mouths, Saira
Khan from series one, whose upfront manner often landed her in trouble,
but did eventually win her a place in the final. Love them or hate them,
these candidates won't be forgotten.
The Apprentice
online is back and web users can access exclusive content and features
designed, developed and managed by FremantleMedia's interactive division
to give a truly cross-platform experience.
The site
will provide a full service, delivering fans the opportunity to keep
up and delve deeper into the show with news and images, plus exclusive
behind-the-scenes video clips, delivered both online and on mobile.
Each week
bbc.co.uk/apprentice
will offer breaking news, video interviews, previews, teaser and highlight
clips from the show coupled with the chance to view exclusive behind-the-scenes
content and extended footage that producers couldn't fit into the BBC
One show, keeping fans completely up-to-date.
