BBC Greenlights Full Season of ‘The Celebrity Apprentice’
The BBC has officially confirmed plans to produce a full season of The Celebrity Apprentice, with Lord Alan Sugar set to host the series. This marks the first complete run of the celebrity edition on the network, scheduled for release in 2026. While the BBC has aired several celebrity specials over the years, including those linked to charity events like Comic Relief, this will be the first time audiences can enjoy an entire season dedicated to celebrity contestants facing Sugar’s business challenges.
According to a statement from Lord Alan Sugar, the show will provide a unique opportunity for celebrities, stripping away their usual support systems, including personal assistants and public relations teams. “We’ve had some great celebrity names walk into my boardroom over the years, but they’ve only ever had a small taster of what it’s like to be a candidate,” Sugar remarked. “It’ll be interesting to see how our future celebrities fare across a full series, removing their PAs, PRs, agents and all the other assistance they have in their day-to-day lives to fully immerse themselves into The Apprentice world.”
Production Details and Broadcast Plans
The six-part series will be co-produced by Fremantle, Naked, and MGM Alternative UK. While the full line-up of celebrities is yet to be revealed, anticipation is growing regarding who will take on the formidable challenges set by Sugar. Kalpna Patel-Knight, Head of Entertainment at the BBC, expressed enthusiasm about the new series, stating, “The Apprentice is a much-loved part of the BBC’s entertainment offering and we can’t wait to see how the celebrity candidates rise to the challenge when the series launches later in 2026.”
This announcement follows the airing of two Christmas-themed episodes of The Celebrity Apprentice on BBC One and BBC iPlayer, scheduled for December 29 and 30, 2023. These episodes will precede the launch of the latest season of the regular The Apprentice series, which has been hosted by Sugar for an impressive 19 seasons, beginning in 2004. Originally aired on BBC Two, the show moved to BBC One in 2007 due to its high ratings.
Legacy and Impact of The Apprentice
The format for The Apprentice was created by Mark Burnett for NBC, debuting in 2004. The series gained considerable fame as Donald Trump hosted the first 14 seasons, leveraging it to build his public profile as a television personality and ultimately entering the political arena.
As the BBC prepares for this new venture, it aims to capture the essence of the original format while delivering a fresh perspective through the lens of celebrity competition. The series promises to blend entertainment with the high-stakes environment that has made The Apprentice a staple of reality television.
With executive producers from both Naked and MGM Alternative UK involved in the project, including Paul Broadbent and Dom Bird, viewers can expect a production that adheres to the high standards associated with the brand. As details unfold, the excitement surrounding this new iteration of The Celebrity Apprentice continues to build, setting the stage for what could be a defining moment in British reality television.
