Lord Sugar says it was “the wrong decision” to cancel Junior Apprentice

The business mogul joked that Junior Apprentice is the show his wife loved the most.

By Katelyn Mensah

Published: Wednesday, 31 January 2024 at 00:01 AM

With a new season of The Apprentice soon to make its debut on screens, many fans will no doubt be feeling nostalgic as the show marks its 18th year on TV.

Over the years, the show has had shake-ups, from the increase in investment, new aides and, as many fans will remember, a spin-off show in its early years.

Young Apprentice saw a group of young people compete against one another in order to win a £25,000 investment from Lord Alan Sugar. The series marked Baroness Karren Brady‘s debut as Lord Sugar’s new aide and it continued for three seasons before it was cancelled.

Speaking to press including RadioTimes.com, the business magnate reflected on the show’s success, noting it was his idea to start the show, but not his decision for it to end.

Lord sugar walking down a hallway and looking up. He is wearing a blue suit, shirt and tie.
Lord Alan Sugar. BBC/Fremantle

“It was my idea to do the Junior Apprentice,” he said. “And yeah, [the] BBC decided that they didn’t want to have two Apprentice programmes in the same year. So that was their decision, I think it was the wrong decision.”

The three seasons were won by Ashleigh Porter-Exley, Arjun Rajyagor and Zara Brownless respectively, and pulled in up to five millions viewers (as per Metro).

Lord Sugar continued: “But anyway, they’re the bosses. They’re the ones that decide, but they weren’t put on.

“Funnily enough, my wife, that’s the one she loved the most. She got very annoyed when they stopped doing it.”

Lord Sugar, Karren Brady and Tim Campbell MBE all return for the 18th season of The Apprentice, which they all believe is down to the show’s authenticity.

When asked why she believes The Apprentice continues to bring in millions of viewers each year, Karren Brady told RadioTimes.com and other press it is because “it’s authentic [and] it’s real”.

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She explained: “First of all, you’ve got one of the world’s most successful entrepreneurs, who’s done it over decades, and literally what you see with Alan is what you get, there’s no script in the show. It’s authentic. It’s real.

“But the most important thing is the life changing reward. At the end of it, you get to live your ambition of opening your own business, you get a quarter of a million pounds from Alan’s pocket, but more importantly, you get his mentoring and guidance.

“And that is incredible. So I think lots of people watch the show to learn what to do in business, what not to do in business.”