BBCs Celebrity Apprentice line-up in full as twist | UK News

The Celebrity Apprentice forged has been revealed, with TV presenter Gethin Jones, singer Alexandra Burke and Love Island star Toni Laites all set to go head-to-head with Lord Sugar.

In an historic first, the BBC will broadcast the debut full-length collection of the programme — six episodes filmed across six weeks — as the celebrities sort out a collection of weekly business challenges set by the famend entrepreneur.

Vying for the chance to secure a £100,000 donation for a charity of their selection, each contestant will probably be keen to exhibit their business prowess and in the end be topped The Celebrity Apprentice winner.

There is yet another shake-up in store for this glittering collection — the enduring boardroom will transfer to a London City skyscraper, offering a hanging new backdrop for Lord Sugar’s closing verdicts.

The full line-up includes Alexandra Burke, actor Danny Miller, presenter Gethin Jones, dancer and presenter Jordan Banjo, journalist Kay Burley, actress and online persona Maddie Grace Jepson, presenter, podcaster and content creator Max Balegde, Gladiator Sheli McCoy, UK storage legend DJ Spoony, TV and BBC Radio 2 presenter Richie Anderson, comic and author Laura Smyth and Love Island winner Toni Laites.

Lord Sugar said: “We’ve not done anything like this before, and it’ll be entertaining to see these 12 celebrities being put through six weeks of some brilliant business challenges. But just because they’re celebrities, it doesn’t mean they’re going to get an easy ride, especially when there’s £100,000 at stake for their chosen charity.”

Kalpna Patel-Knight, Head of Entertainment Commissioning at the BBC says: “This brand-new full-length series of The Celebrity Apprentice takes everything audiences love about the format and turns the pressure right up. This year’s celebrities arrive with strong reputations – but in the boardroom, status counts for nothing.

“They’ll be examined on management, teamwork and business intuition, and only those who can actually ship will make it through. It’s daring, unpredictable and vastly entertaining – and viewers are in for a sensible trip.”

Broadcast details for The Celebrity Apprentice are yet to be confirmed. The announcement follows Karishma Vijay being crowned the winner of the BBC business programme last week after an all-female final, in which she competed for Lord Sugar’s highly sought-after investment against Pascha Myhill.

Karishma, from Surrey, described the moment Lord Sugar informed her she had triumphed and would be receiving his £250,000 investment, saying: “I used to be so blown away, so shocked – but I saved it very cool. Then, I received in my car and I used to be screaming. It was just insane – I can not consider I’ve gone and performed it after not having watched the show, I really feel like that’s so cheeky.”

Outlining his reasoning on the hugely popular BBC programme, Lord Sugar said: “As always, it was close competitors in the ultimate after two excellent pitches by two sensible younger businesswomen. But Karishma actually impressed me throughout the method and has confirmed why she deserves my investment.

“She’s a proper grafter and she’s got that entrepreneurial spirit that I always look for. The cosmetics industry is one I know a lot about, and I know our partnership will pave the way for a bright future.”