Watching their every move is Tim Campbell MBE, who many will remember as the first winner of The Apprentice<\/a> \u2013 banking a \u00a3100,000 a year job working for Lord Sugar in the process \u2013 and he is now on the other side of the boardroom, something he hadn\u2019t dreamt of when he first took part on the show.<\/p>\n \u201cIt wasn\u2019t even a concept because, at that time, my only dream was to get advice and guidance from Lord Sugar,\u201d Tim Campbell told RadioTimes.com<\/a>. \u201cTo go from a Hackney boy selling stuff in markets to being at one point bigger than IBM, that\u2019s a massive thing for me to be able to be supported by.\u201d<\/p>\n It was Campbell\u2019s good relationship with Lord Sugar<\/a> that saw him stand in for Claude Littner<\/a> as the business mogul\u2019s aide in 2022, and he has continued to do so as the show continues to pull in millions of viewers, which the businessman believes is down to the show\u2019s diversity and adaptability for modern audiences.<\/p>\n Campbell previously said The Apprentice was \u201cdoing diversity before it was cool\u201d, and with the wealth of backgrounds in each and every candidate who has stepped into the boardroom, he couldn\u2019t be more correct.<\/p>\n \u201cThe whole reason he [Lord Sugar] embarked in the journey of The Apprentice was to empower more people to start a business,\u201d said Campbell. \u201cHe was running around the country with Gordon Brown, really advocating about startup[s] and encouraging more people to start up businesses in Britain, and now he\u2019s got a television portfolio that\u2019s been running for 18 years doing exactly that.\u201d<\/p>\n In just the first episode of season 18, there are hilarious quips from Lord Sugar and amusing moments between the candidates, which for a show about business, a brand new viewer may not expect \u2013 but that\u2019s what makes The Apprentice so great, according to Campbell.<\/p>\n \u201cWe dispel lots of myths about business,\u201d he explained. \u201cMost people think business is boring, that it\u2019s run by just boring people in offices [who] do some spreadsheets, [and] there are elements of that.<\/p>\n \u201cBut actually, business is fun. It\u2019s engaging. It\u2019s working with people; sometimes people get on, sometimes they won\u2019t. This is why I think the show has lasted so long, because it brings real elements of business to the forefront, as well as some rather interesting elements of business that you experience every day in offices.\u201d<\/p>\n Campbell first stepped onto screens in 2005, and is one of the show\u2019s biggest success stories. After serving as project director of Amstrad\u2019s Health and Beauty division, Campbell co-founded the Bright Ideas Trust, became a social enterprise ambassador for the government and co-founded digital marketing agency Marketing Runners Ltd \u2013 which he still runs today.<\/p>\n While he won the show 18 years ago, The Apprentice has continued to make waves in the industry and on TV since then, and most importantly it has been championing diversity since its inception \u2013 and is showing no signs of slowing down, something Campbell believes is \u201cthe beauty of the show\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cI love the fact that in this year, we have such a diverse range of people, and not just from ethnicity or different socioeconomic backgrounds, but [with] business experience,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ve got dentists, we\u2019ve got doctors, we\u2019ve got pharmacists, we\u2019ve got individuals who are currently in business, running online businesses, running virtual businesses. Maura\u2019s [Rath] got a big old yoga institute, we\u2019ve got Sam [Saadet] over here with us, you\u2019ve got two pie makers \u2013 you can\u2019t make it up.<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s such a diversity of people and experience, but that\u2019s the beauty of the show. Many of them still need to learn that the better they work with their team members, the less likely they want to lose [and] therefore not get fired in the boardroom.\u201d<\/p>\n Due to its unscripted nature, The Apprentice falls under the genre of reality TV, which many people can attach negative connotations to. But does The Apprentice set itself apart from other reality TV shows?<\/p>\n Campbell explained the show portrays \u201ctrue environments\u201d and praised the \u201cbrilliant production team\u201d that puts in all the work to make it the best of the best.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ve had some people who are in the production team that have been there since day one, when I was there,\u201d he continued.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen I walked back [in], it was amazing. That shows much how effort and energy goes into this show, and that just allows people to create the opportunity for these candidates to do the best they can within those environments.<\/p>\n \u201cI think the ever-changing nature of the world of business, whether it be from a technology perspective or who can get involved in it, I think the show really gives a platform to be able to show that difference.\u201d<\/p>\n Read more Big RT Interviews:<\/strong><\/p>\n While it is the people behind and in front of the cameras making The Apprentice go around, ensuring the show can engage modern audiences in an ever-changing world is also key.<\/p>\n As seen in the trailer for season 18, there is an AI task that the candidates will have to take part in, something that many viewers have familiarised themselves with since the growing popularity of various AI systems like ChatGPT.<\/p>\n And asked whether this is what keeps bringing audiences back to The Apprentice, Campbell believes there has got to be modern elements to keep viewers wanting more.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s got to have elements that are new and novel and attractive to audiences,\u201d he told RadioTimes.com<\/strong>. \u201cI think there is a need to bring stuff that\u2019s fresh and new and engaging.<\/p>\n \u201cBut at the same time, the consistency of the format of the show is also its power, because people come back and they know that they\u2019re going to expect.<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s going to be a task where people are going to have to find items and negotiate the cheapest price, there\u2019s going to be a task where they\u2019re taking people on tours, there\u2019s going to be cooking elements [and] there\u2019s going to be bits where they have the interviews.<\/p>\n \u201cSo I think the beauty of dependency can delicately navigate the tightrope of coming up with new and novel stuff, but also keeping the key elements that keep people interested in the format.\u201d<\/p>\n One of the key elements of the show, above all else, is that anyone can win The Apprentice. Over the years, winners have included<\/a> the likes of dessert parlour owner Harpreet Kaur, entrepreneur Mark Wright and businesswoman Carina Lepore \u2013 all of whom are from different sides of the business world.<\/p>\n \u201cIf you come in with a good heart, good work ethic and a good business, you can win The Apprentice \u2013 and that means that lots of people want to have a go.\u201d<\/p>\n![\"Baroness](\"https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/3\/2024\/01\/the-apprentice-2024-0dc3aa3.jpg?quality=90&resize=620%2C413\" "\\"the-apprentice-2024\\"\/")
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