Lord Alan Sugar rejects all-stars series of The Apprentice
Lord Alan Sugar says no to an all-stars season of The Apprentice, in which memorable candidates from series past would return to do the BBC show again.
Lord Alan Sugar has ruled out an all-stars series of The Apprentice.
The BBC show's boss, 78, declared it would be a "gimmick" if the programme followed its reality TV counterparts in bringing back former memorable contestants to do the show again.
BANG Showbiz asked for Lord Sugar's opinion on a possible all-stars season of The Apprentice during a Q+A session, hosted by journalist Emma Cox, for the show's series 20 launch at London's Soho Hotel on January 13.
He responded: "The point is, it's like asking you to sit a Maths exam when you sat it the first time, and you knew the results. They know what to expect.
"To bring back people that have been there before, there's no surprise, really. You say an all-star thing ... No. It would be a gimmick, to be honest with you.
"And you know what, one of the reasons that - and I say this very respectfully - the programme failed in America was because of gimmicks, because every time they wanted a new series, they tried to mess around with the format.
"If it's not broke, don't fix it. That's what I say."
Lord Sugar may not want to change the programme's classic format, in which candidates battle it out in a series of tasks for one to ultimately secure the tycoon's £250,000 investment into their business plan, and his mentorship.
However, Lord Sugar praised the show's crew for making tweaks to the production so that The Apprentice keeps up with new technology and trends.
The media personality said: "In respect to the production, it's the same team that we've had for a very, very long time.
"And the good news is that they invent tasks or suggest tasks to me that keep up with the times and keep up with technology, and keep up with various trends.
"And that's why it's very important because you can see a task where something which has become very fashionable is being used in the task, and that is very, very good."
And the good news keeps coming as The Apprentice will still be on the box for a few more years.
Lord Sugar - who was approached by the BBC in the mid-2000s to create a UK version of The Apprentice, based on the US show originally fronted by 79 year old Donald Trump - said: "We've signed up for another three years.
"So you've got me for another three years."
Series 20 of The Apprentice kicks off on Thursday (29.01.26) at 9pm on BBC One and iPlayer.
