For what age: 3+
How many episodes in 10 season: 14 episodes
Alan Sugar begins his 10th search for new business blood - and the fourth since he changed the format from a multi-week job interview to the search for a partner, offering the hopefuls a £250,000 investment in a new start-up company. As usual, the millionaire host sets out his stall with his introductory pep talk, after which the entrepreneurs are divided into teams and it's straight on with the first task - selling the past decade's worth of Apprentice goods in just one day. All the previous selling challenges' merchandise has been combined, and the teams - boys v girls, of course - must think outside the box to increase their margins. As in previous series, Nick Hewer and Karren Brady are Lord Sugar's 'eyes and ears', but the real fun comes in the boardroom, as the challenge is picked apart and the excuses come thick and fast, before the fired candidate takes a taxi ride home.
Alan Sugar summons the candidates to Imperial College London, where they discover their next task - to design a piece of wearable technology. It needs to combine fashion with cutting-edge kit, and after creating their prototypes, they will be pitching their products to retailers. It's boys versus girls again, and while one team comes up with a hi-tech jacket, the others work on a sweatshirt-cum-video camera. However, when sales day arrives, it's touch-and-go whether one group will have a product at all, while a slip of the tongue threatens to ruin a pitch - two errors that surely won't be forgiven in the boardroom.
The remaining candidates pay a visit to the Royal Exchange, home to some of the biggest names in luxury goods. The two teams are informed that hottest trends in retail by creating their own range of home fragrance products. At the end of the show another candidate is fired by Lord Sugar.
The entrepreneurs enter the 21st century when they create online video channels to go live on YouTube. One team opts for light-hearted cookery demonstrations, while the other settles for health and fitness - but will their concept work out? In their clamour for the most clicks, the hopefuls join forces with existing YouTube stars, grill famous cooks and tackle teenage heart-throbs. But it's not just a case of who gets the most hits, as they also have to pitch to a website for promotion - and it's here that one contestant goes a little over the top. As always, the challenge ends in the boardroom, where the teams find out whether either of them went viral - and one or more of the losers faces a firing.
Summit and Tenacity are summoned to a service station on the M25, where Alan Sugar challenges them to organise coach tours. They have two days to persuade punters to part with their cash and take day trips to tourist attractions outside London - and while half of each group sets about selling tickets, the others negotiate knockdown entry prices to their chosen attractions in Oxfordshire and Canterbury. On the day itself, one coach isn't exactly full, and excruciating sing-songs don't go down too well, while a limp lunch leaves customers less than satisfied - errors that surely won't be forgotten in the boardroom.
The candidates are called aboard HMS Belfast to find out about their latest task. Lord Sugar tells them they must design a brand new board game, then sell it to shops across London. The scrabble for ideas begins, with one team conjuring up a globetrotting game for the whole family while the others roll the dice with a dating game for adults. Armed with board games fresh from the factory, both teams hit the streets of the capital in search of sales. With appointments at some of the nation's largest retailers, there are opportunities for sky-high orders. With the pressure on, one candidate drops a clanger which threatens to scupper the whole day's sales and one of the teams finds itself with a controversial product which raises more than a few eyebrows. In the boardroom the fun and games really begin, as Lord Sugar scrutinises the sales figures. One team hits the jackpot, but for someone it's game over as they hear the words 'You're fired!'.
The remaining hopefuls make their way to the American embassy where they are given their biggest challenge so far by Lord Sugar. He wants them to come up with an advertising campaign for a new soft drink and pitch the idea to experts in New York City.
At a country house in West London, Lord Sugar tells the candidates that he wants them to crack the rural market - by picking products to sell at the Royal Bath and West show. While half the teams head for Somerset to pick out sure-fire sellers at the show, the rest stay in London to seek out innovative ideas that could take the countryside by storm. The candidates jostle for the right portfolio of products - from pet trackers and hot tubs to sit-on lawnmowers. A case of mistaken identity scuppers a deal and one candidate's overenthusiasm almost causes a calamity. On sales day, against a background of morris dancers and livestock competitions, the candidates battle for sky-high sales. Before long the mudslinging begins and there are ruffled feathers on both teams. Back in the boardroom, a bumper sales bonanza is revealed, and a shocking secret comes out. There are rows and pleas for clemency, but in the end the axe has to fall on someone as Lord Sugar says the words 'You're fired!'.
At the house, it's an early morning wake-up call for the candidates as Lord Sugar knocks on the door in person to tell them that for their next task he wants to test their negotiation shugs - they have just one day to buy nine items, all of which have featured in tasks over the last ten years, at the best possible prices. The candidates scour all four corners of the capital in search of kosher chickens, nigella seeds and oud oil. A diamond deal turns into a heist and one team, searching for a human skeleton, pin all their hopes on a cunning plan. As time ticks away, it's a race to find all of the items at knockdown prices before a sprint back to the boardroom. The team that spends the least wins, but things aren't that simple after Lord Sugar lays down the law. The recriminations begin as the losing candidates turn on each other before one is singled out to hear the words 'You're fired!'.
The candidates are called to Tate Britain, where Lord Sugar tells them about the week's tasty task - tap into an emerging trend by creating a brand new range of premium puddings, before pitching in order to see them on the shelves of the country's major supermarkets. In the kitchens, one team concocts a cheesecake infused with the nation's favourite drink, while the humble trifle undergoes an exotic makeover. The next day it's off to pitch their desserts to Britain's supermarket giants. One project manager gives strict instructions for the pitches - but will their team stick to the rules? While for one candidate in particular, everything hangs in the balance as the last meeting of the day sees them under extreme pressure. In the boardroom, the orders are revealed. For one team, the sweet smell of success, but there's no sugar-coating for the losing team as Lord Sugar cooks up a storm. And there's a bittersweet twist in the tale before the boardroom once more hears the fateful phrase 'You're fired!'.
Ten weeks ago, twenty candidates arrived at the boardroom in the hope of becoming Lord Sugar's business partner. As the tenth series of The Apprentice draws to a close and the tension mounts, The Apprentice: The Final Five profiles the remaining candidates. Revealing the true stories behind the super-sized egos, we find out what really makes these budding business men and women tick. Featuring interviews from parents, partners and friends, along with Lord Sugar's trusted aides Nick Hewer and Karren Brady, The Final Five delves into the candidates' backgrounds, as well as looking back over their journey in the process so far. Plus we'll hear from their fans back home, as we find out just who are the Final Five.
The battle to become Lord Sugar's business partner is nearing its conclusion. An early-morning phone call informs the candidates that they have 24 hours to brush up on their business plans before being interviewed by four of Lord Sugar's trusted advisers. The next day, business plans in hand, the candidates are off to the newest addition to London's skyline, the Leadenhall Building. Lord Sugar explains that his advisers will be scrutinizing their plans and credentials before feeding back to him. The mind games begin as the final five attempt to unsettle each other before being called in, one by one, to meet Lord Sugar's hand-picked hit squad, including one very familiar face indeed. Armed with CVs and business plans, the advisers launch their attacks - plans are picked apart, characters questioned, and one unhappy candidate gets on the wrong side of Claude Littner. There are tears and triumphs as the candidates are tested to their limits. In the boardroom, dreams come crashing down as Lord Sugar closes in on the candidates who will make the final. For the others it's goodbye to the £250,000 as they hear the words 'You're fired!'.
With the final just days away, and Lord Sugar on the cusp of choosing his new business partner, The Apprentice: Why I Fired Them offers a chance to look back on the candidates who fell before the final hurdle, and the tasks that tested them to the limit. From slip-ups such as calling suppliers the wrong name, to pale products such as the Relationship Guru boardgame, and not forgetting Felipe's flat-pack skeleton, this year's business challenges have had it all. Helped by previously unseen insights from the eagle-eyed Karren Brady and Nick Hewer, Lord Sugar leads us through the best and worst decisions made by this year's bunch of candidates, looks back on the boardroom bust-ups, and explains how he came to his decisions on who would hear the words 'You're fired!'.
With just two candidates left to battle it out for the £250,000 investment, the finalists receive a call summoning them to the Bloomsbury Ballroom. Lord Sugar informs them that their final task is to launch their businesses - creating brands and unveiling their campaigns before an audience of business bigwigs at the venue in a few days' time. Old candidates return and the finalists compete to recruit them to their cause. Then it's straight down to business; one takes a dictatorial approach to management, while the other contender, filming a promotional video, succumbs to stage fright. On launch day, as the finalists step up to present their plans to leading industry experts and Lord Sugar, will nerves continue to get the upper hand? Or will the candidates rise to the occasion and deliver the perfect pitch? In the boardroom, business plans are picked over and launch campaigns assessed, but only one can win. It's heartbreak for one and elation for the other as Lord Sugar finally picks his business partner. Dara O Briain then meets the winner, runner-up and Lord Sugar himself to discuss the the highs, lows and humour of the past 12 weeks. They are joined by all of the candidates, Karren, Nick and a panel including comedian Romesh Ranganathan and entrepreneur Dale Murray.
