By Lidia Molina-Whyte

Published: Tuesday, 04 January 2022 at 12:00 am


The wait is finally over – The Apprentice returns to our screens this week.

The 16th series of the Lord Alan Sugar-led reality will welcome a fresh batch of contestants, all eager to prove their skills and claim the £250,000 investment in their business as well as mentoring by Lord Sugar himself.

One member of The Apprentice 2022 line-up hoping to impress with his killer selling abilities is Akshay Thakrar.

Ahead of the series’ release, here’s everything you need to know about the digital marketing agency founder from London.

Who is Akshay Thakrar?

Age: 28

Job: Digital marketing agency owner

From: London

Instagram: @akshay.thakrar

Londoner Akshay believes sleep is a “waste of time” and can speak seven languages. He owns digital marketing agency Sai Network which, according to its website, is “a performance marketing agency focused on new customer acquisition”.

We’re not quite sure what that means, but we’re certain he’ll clarify when the series airs.

What has Akshay Thakrar said about joining The Apprentice?

It’s early days, but considering Akshay claims his first word was “profit”, it looks like he’s set to give us some truly quotable one-liners if nothing else.

“My friends call me AK47 because I’m a killer salesperson,” he said after joining The Apprentice, before claiming he can sell anything to anyone.

When does The Apprentice start?

Season 16 of The Apprentice begins airing this Thursday (6th January), and will see former champion Tim Campbell take over from Claude Littner as Lord Sugar’s aide while the latter recovers from an operation.

Baroness Karren Brady will also join them to scrutinise Akshay and the rest of the line-up while they prove their skills.

The Apprentice series 16 will begin on 6th January 2022 on BBC One at 9pm. If you’re looking for more to watch, check out our TV Guide.