For what age: 3+
How many episodes in 2 season: 12 episodes
The contestants' first challenge involves selling fruit and vegetables on the streets of Hackney in London's East End. Their aim is to make the most profit and avoid being fired at the end of the day.
In this episode, the two teams must create and sell a calendar for the Great Ormond Street Children's Hospital. Just rember this hospital doesnt treat cats as one team appears to think is a good idea.
The remaining 12 candidates' flair for negotiation is put to the test when they are challenged to buy goods at the lowest possible prices. It's a race against time for the entrepreneurs, who scramble to find cut-price saffron, cheap lobsters and low-cost dinner jackets. The winning team get a day at the races, while one of the losers inevitably faces being fired.
The remaining 11 candidates prepare to get a roasting in the catering business. They take on the challenge of buying and organising meals to sell in marquees to half a million people at the Thames Festival. The plucky entrepreneurs also have to theme and decorate their tents, a task made all the more difficult when Alan Sugar reshuffles the teams - leading to more than a few frayed tempers.
The remaining 10 candidates face the task of creating a TV ad and billboard poster campaign to promote a product dreamed up by Alan Sugar to make hiring his private planes easier. The entrepreneurs' confidence is sky-high as they film on board his latest jet, but despite having top agency Saatchi and Saatchi on hand for advice, everyone's spirits plummet when the results are screened.
The nine surviving candidates are challenged to sell used vehicles on the forecourt of a car supermarket. Tactics range from the brutal and uncompromising to outright lies as they try their sales patter on wary punters. Despite the audacity of the entrepreneurs, customers start to part with their cash, but inevitably one unlucky business dealer will face the wrath of Alan Sugar.
The surviving eight candidates experience the world of high-street retailing when they are challenged to work at Topshop in Oxford Circus. They must enter the minds of their teenage target group to stand any chance of success. As sparks fly in Europe's busiest fashion store, billionaire owner Philip Green breezes by with Alan Sugar, before the entrepreneurs' fate is sealed in the dreaded boardroom.
Alan Sugar sets the remaining contestants their trickiest challenge yet - selling products to dealers. After the make-or-break decision of what items they are going to market, they are given just 24 hours to open trade accounts. As an extra hindrance to their campaign, they are forbidden to approach customers personally, and the worst performer faces the prospect of being fired.
Alan Sugar challenges the six remaining contestants to let flats when he sends them to estate agencies. The task seems straightforward to the candidates with a background in selling, but the teams soon learn there is more to the job than sales patter - and losing keys and missing appointments won't help them earn the all-important commission.
The five surviving candidates are called to Heathrow at 3.45am ready to embark on a trip to Istanbul, where Alan Sugar has arranged for them to engage in a battle on the high seas. The entrepreneurs have two days to dream up a service they can offer passengers on board the Grand Princess cruise ship. When the boat docks in Naples the results are in - which for one team means a luxury treat in Rome.
The heat is on as the four survivors face a series of gruelling interviews with three of Alan Sugar's toughest colleagues, leaving them with no one to hide behind as they are forced to explain themselves. The question sessions provide a number of fascinating insights into the lives of the candidates - who wait to find out who will win the battle for survival as not one but two of them are fired.
The two finalists are challenged to stage a show at London's Tower Bridge, a task which will test their shugs in creativity, marketing, organisation and leadership. Both contenders must manage a team of former contestants, who return to `help out', before the winner is announced. The programme then shifts to the You're Hired studio, where Adrian Chiles gets the lowdown from the entrepreneurs, friends and family as well as Alan Sugar himself.
