The Apprentice: Everything you need to know about Season 13

Our favourite business-focused show, The Apprentice, is returning to BBC 1 next week and we actually cannot wait.

It really is the show that never gets old.

Every year, we think it’s had its day – this is season THIRTEEN after all - but before we know it, we’re snuggled on the sofa with a cup of tea, humming along to the theme tune, absolutely buzzing as the Treasure Hunt Challenge gets under way week six.

Then there’s the, quite frankly, *stunning *aerial shots of central London’s high-rise buildings, the ridiculously intense background string music, Lord Sugar’s boardroom bants and, not forgetting THE INTERVIEW ROUND.

Eighteen candidates, nine men and nine women will be moving into a swanky London home before being split into two teams of inevitably disastrous team names (remember Decadence, which turned into Team Tenacity, lol).

Over a gruelling twelve weeks, the contestants will have to navigate tasks like creating a range of burgers and running a doggy day care.

They’ll be pushed well beyond their comfort zones, designing dubious products and delivering cringe-worthy pitches to big businesses.

The blame will constantly be shifted and the candidates will generally refuse to listen to each other as they shout down their iPhones in the back of a taxi about who would be best to take care of the branding.

Then, whichever team manages to mess it up the least gets to go on some kind of spa trip, while the others pick apart where they went wrong, before the project manager brings the two people they hold responsible for the team’s failure back into the boardroom.

It’s all in the quest for a £250,000 investment and to have Lord Sugar as their right-hand man.

It’s absolute bedlam and we bloody love it.

So without further ado, here’s everything you need to know about The Apprentice 2017.

Who’s on The Apprentice 2017?

When does The Apprentice 2017 start?

The BBC’s thirteenth series of The Apprentice starts on Wednesday 4th October

What time is The Apprentice 2017 on?

Tune in at 9pm, on BBC 1.

Who are Lord Sugar’s aids this year?

Karren Brady and Claude Littner will be back, pulling the most meme-able faces in history as they watch over the teams.

Will The Apprentice You’re Fired be back?

Comedian Rhod Gilbert will be presenting the BBC 2 after show You’re Fired, which is on directly after the show at 10pm every week.

There’ll also be The Final Five, which uncovers the stories behind each candidate, just before Week 11. And Lord Sugar will go through his decision-making process in Why I Fired Them towards the end of the series.

Tell us more about The Apprentice 2017 line up.

Here they are…

Andrew Brady

Age: 26

Occupation: Project Engineer

Lives: Cheshire

Aerospace project engineer, Andrew inherited his coal miner grandad’s hard graft - he prides himself on his work ethic. Andrew boasts confidence but admits that he tends to struggle to keep quiet. If he thinks someone isn’t doing their fair share of work, he’ll have no trouble naming and shaming.

Anisa Topan

Age: 36

Occupation: Owner, PR Fashion Agency

Lives: Surrey

PR Fashion Agency owner, Anisa is a real doer and gets impatient when people take a little longer to understand things than her. She says she could improve upon her listening skills, but is usually ‘winning’ in her business ventures.

Bushra Shaikh

Age: 34

Occupation: Owner, Clothing Company

Lives: Surrey

Bushra runs her own luxury fashion label that caters for Muslim women and includes Coco Chanel among her inspirational figures. She’s ruthless and likes to get her own way.

Charles Burns

Age: 24

Occupation: Management Consultant

Lives: Manchester

A man with many business ventures on the go at once, Charles juggles a watch trading firm, a comparison website, as well as his day job as a management consultant. Driven and passionate, he is going for the win, but says he’ll be playing fair and sticking to the rules.

Danny Grant

Age: 32

Occupation: Owner, Online Retail Store

Lives: Kent

Danny describes himself as loyal, but says that his trust shouldn’t be taken for granted. His weakness is his tendency to leave things to the last minute. He’s very straight forward, which can get on people’s nerves because, he says, ‘the truth is hard to hear’.

Elizabeth McKenna

Age: 39

Occupation: Owner Florist Chain

Lives: Nottinghamshire

She may describe herself as a ‘slightly bonkers country girl’, but Elizabeth is a decisive and pragmatic business woman and ready to give any job her best shot. She always speaks her mind and has excellent business sense.

Elliot Van Emden

Age: 31

Occupation: Owner Legal Firm

Lives: London

His name’s Elliot, but his friends like to call him ‘Tory boy’ (he worked in David Cameron’s office before he became Prime Minister). He’s plain-speaking and honest. His game plan: getting the right group of the best candidates together early doors before heading to the finishing line with them by his side.

Harrison Jones

Age: 27

Occupation: Sales Executive

Lives: Watford

Another contestant with fingers in multiple business pies, hardworking Harrison is currently dabbling in property development, a healthy eating brand and a luxury streetwear brand, all at the same time. Crikey.

Jade English

Age: 25

Occupation: PR & Marketing Manager

Lives: Manchester

PR and marketing manager, Jade is used to working with people, building her clients’ presence on social media, so she knows what makes people tick. Alongside her creative eye and passion, Jade will be bringing some much-needed emotional intelligence into the boardroom. Phew.

James White

Age: 26

Occupation: Owner, Recruitment Firm

Lives: Birmingham

When he’s not running his IT recruitment business, James enjoys white collar boxing. He prides himself on his drive and good energy, and he seems to know how to get people on his side. James is bold in his ambitions, saying, ‘I want to be bigger and more successful than anyone else.’. Let’s wait and see…

Jeff Wan

Age: 28

Occupation: Business Analyst

Lives: London

Long-time admirer of Lord Sugar, Jeff, has been watching the show since he was a teenager. Nowadays he works as a business analyst, and he’s also a semi-pro hip-hop dancer - he trains regularly and has performed at the O2. He wants to emulate Lord Sugar and build a business legacy, and says he’s confident he’ll be able to stand out among the crowd.

Joanna Jarjue

Age: 23

Occupation: Digital Marketing Manager

Lives: Manchester

Resilient, determined and a good talker, Joanna spends her working day improving other companies’ digital footprint. She’s the youngest of the bunch but she’s making one thing clear: she will not be underestimated or patronised.

Michaela Wain

Age: 33

Occupation: Business Owner, Construction

Lives: Bolton

Michaela, who works at a construction magazine and in the building sector, is used to working in a male-dominated industry. She absolutely hates laziness and being talked down to, but she’s a positive, easy-going individual.

Ross Fretten

Age: 29

Occupation: Digital Product Consultant

Lives: Essex

Ross is a digital product consultant who helps firms launch and improve their online products and services. He says he doesn’t have a role model - he’d much rather follow his own path rather than being inspired by others. He says he’s going to let his fellow candidates ‘dig their own graves’ and then bury them in the boardroom. Ouch.

Sajan Shah

Age: 24

Occupation: Owner Event Company

Lives: London

Entertainment entrepreneur, Sajan has his own business and is head of HR at a health and safety consultancy. He claims that he’s good at sussing people out, but sometimes doesn’t listen. He boasts that he’ll soon be the other contestants’ role model. Bold claims.

Sarah Jayne Clark

Age: 25

Occupation: Owner Clothing Company

Lives: Derbyshire

Fashion shop owner, Sarah says she’s ‘the definition of a girl boss’. She is strong-willed and determined, and includes loyalty as one of her main strengths. Her personal game plan is to be herself and not to let her guard down.

Sarah Lynn

Age: 35

Occupation: Owner Confectionery Company

Lives: London

Sweet gifting business owner, Sarah is a real ‘people person’ and knows exactly how to sell herself. She’s not going to be relying on any tactics, she’s just going to be herself the whole way through the process.

Siobhan Smith

Age: 34

Occupation: Owner, Wedding Company

Lives: London

London-dwelling Siobhan makes couples’ Dubai wedding dreams come true with her wedding company. She says that her direct, honest manner can sometimes be taken the wrong way but juggling motherhood, hobbies like paragliding and blogging, and owning a business, she often gets called ‘superwoman’.

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