The Apprentice new series 2023 | Start date speculation, cast and news

The Apprentice has been confirmed for another year, with the show set to return to BBC One in 2023.

Whilst an exact start date for season 17 hasn’t been revealed just yet, but The Apprentice will be back in 2023! Series 17 promises to be much bigger than previous years, with more candidates and overseas tasks.

And for the first time since season 13, the show will return with 18 new candidates, all competing to win a life-changing £250,000 investment in their businesses

From the very first episode, the contestants will be thrown in at the deep end, travelling to Antigua where they’re tasked with creating and selling excursions to tourists.

They’ll be hoping to follow in the footsteps of last year’s winner Harpreet Kaur, who managed to secure investment for her dessert company, Oh So Yum!. She beat Kathryn Louise Burn in the finals, as semi-finalists Brittany Carter and Stephanie Affleck fell at the last hurdle in the penultimate episode.

Season 16 saw Tim Campbell take over from Claude Littner as Lord Sugar’s righthand man.

Littner – who suffered from a bike accident prior to the series – made a welcome return, for the gruelling interviews. But, will he be back for season 17 or will Campbell continue as Lord Sugar’s aide?

Read on for everything you need to know about Lord Sugar’s next search for a new business partner, including when the show is likely to start.

The Apprentice 2023 start date speculation

An exact start date for season 17 hasn’t been revealed just yet, but The Apprentice will be back in 2023!

On Thursday, 10th November, the BBC announced the show’s return, teasing the first task.

For the very, first task, the candidates will be heading to Antigua. Candidates who aren’t cast away in the first task will return to the UK to face a host of equally tough challenges for the series ahead.

From creating their own cartoon, to the world of male beauty, from immersive events, to street food, our aspiring titans of industry will once again have to prove that they have what it takes.

While we don’t have the start date, we can make some educated guesses based on previous years.

Season 16 started on BBC One on Thursday 4th January, so it’s likely we could see the new season starting around the same time on Thursday 5th January.

Prior to the show’s two-year hiatus due to the coronavirus pandemic, The Apprentice used to air on BBC One towards the end of the year, with previous winner Carina Lepore bagging Lord Sugar’s investment in December 2019.

We can expect lots more of the BBC show as we head into the future, with Sugar previously revealing that he has no plans to quit anytime soon with hopes to get the show to season 20.

He said: “First of all, I publicly stated that I really wanted to make it to 20 years. So this one is 16 and I’ve got four more to do to achieve that goal.”

Joking that he’ll keep going for as long as he possibly can, he added: “I’ve already worked out the final task in one of the series is to arrange my funeral, to see how well they’d arrange it and what kind of coffin they will get for me.”

He continued: “I’m not going nowhere, and the programme’s going nowhere. Please enjoy this current season, which I’m sure you will, but I can assure you there’s going to be a lot more. While I’ve got health and strength in my body, I will carry on!”

Who are The Apprentice season 17 contestants?

It’s way too early to say, but we do know that the applications have now closed for the 17th season, so some candidates must have been hired.

For the season 17 form, candidates were asked to answer questions about why they should be Lord Sugar’s next business partner. They were also required to upload a video of themselves, be available for 13 weeks of filming, and able to travel overseas if required to.

Who are the advisors to Lord Sugar?

Baroness Karren Brady has been Lord Sugar’s right-hand woman since 2010 when she took over for Margaret Mountford. She returned to the show for season 16, and was joined by the show’s first ever winner Tim Campbell, who filled in for Claude Littner, as he recovered from a bike accident.

While Claude recently revealed that he feels “well enough” to return to the Apprentice, Campbell will be one of Lord Sugar’s main aides for season 17, with Karren returning to the show.

The BBC has confirmed that Claude will make an appearance for two episodes.

Can I apply to be on The Apprentice?

Unfortunately, applications are now closed for the show.

When the applications open again, you can find the form on the The Apprentice’s official site.

What is the prize for winning The Apprentice?

As usual, the show’s winning prize is a £250,000 business investment from Lord Sugar.

As well as the huge cash injection, Lord Sugar will also be on hand to guide the winner along the way and make their business into a real-life success!

Who won The Apprentice 2022?

Season 16 was on by dessert parlour owner Harpreet Kaur. She beat Kathryn Louise Burn in the final and secured £250,000 for her business, which she co-owns with her sister.Following her win, The Apprentice’s Harpreet Kaur revealed her sister isn’t going anywhere, after previously telling Lord Sugar she’d remove her sister from the business if he only wanted to invest in her.

She said: “Obviously Lord Sugar couldn’t see my sister, so it was a difficult decision for him, but at the end of the day, we’ve been running the company for six years and we’ve got it to the point it’s at together.

“He’s getting two for the price of one, so why would you not want that? She ain’t going anywhere! We make an amazing team and we’re going to be a powerhouse with Lord Sugar on board as well.”

The Apprentice new series 2023