The search for Lord Alan Sugar's next business partner is about to begin, with the BBC confirming the full line-up for The Apprentice's landmark 20th series. In a striking statistic, ten of the twenty ambitious candidates hoping to secure his £250,000 investment call the capital home, highlighting London's enduring status as a hub for entrepreneurship. The new series launches on BBC One and iPlayer from January 29.
Meet the Capital's Contenders
London's diverse hopefuls bring a wide array of business plans and personalities to the boardroom. From Battersea, financial sales manager Harry Clough is quick to address stereotypes, quipping he "may sound posh, but I’ve got no dosh." His venture is a free subscription box for food and drink brands. South London barber Marcus Donkoh, who started cutting hair in his mother's home, now dreams of a global "grooming and lifestyle conglomerate" with outlets in New York, Dubai, and Tokyo.
Other London-based candidates include east London actress and events manager Georgina Newton, who plans a mobile pantomime theatre, and Richmond-based student recruitment owner Dan Miller. Carrington Saunders from south east London runs a social-media-driven loungewear brand, while Enfield's Vanessa Tetteh-Squire balances tech project management with a swimwear line for fuller busts.
The capital is also represented by estate agent Kieran McCartney from east London, Harrow-based cocktail entrepreneur Priyesh Bathia, Islington AI consultant Tanmay Hingorani, and east London student wellbeing advisor and baker Rothna Akhtar.
A Nationwide Field of Rivals
The ten candidates from outside London are equally determined. They include Andrea Cooper, a 46-year-old grandmother and lettings agency owner from Barnsley, and Conor Galvin, who runs a photobooth business in Cork, Northern Ireland. Karishma Vijay from Ashford, Surrey, is continuing her family's business tradition as the first female entrepreneur among them.
Levi Hague, a former RAF gunner from Doncaster, has already attracted headlines for historical social media posts. His business creates personalised pet cremation urns. The youngest candidate is 21-year-old recruitment consultant Pascha Myhill from Reading, who aims to launch a private healthcare recruitment firm.
The remaining hopefuls are PR specialist Lawrence Rosenburg (Watford), fashion designer Megan Ruiter, pharmacist and beauty brand founder Roxanne Hamedi (Aberdeen), media wall specialist Rajan Gill (Medway), and Essex mortgage broker Nikki Jetha, who cites Kim Kardashian as her role model.
Gruelling Tasks and the Final Prize
Over twelve episodes, the candidates will be tested by Lord Sugar and his trusted advisers, Baroness Karren Brady and Tim Campbell. This series' challenges will include creating a children's book, selling live on television, and hosting a corporate away day in El Gouna, Egypt.
The process will whittle the twenty down to one ultimate winner, who will receive Lord Sugar's £250,000 investment and a crucial business partnership. With such a strong London contingent, the question remains whether a local candidate can clinch the title in this milestone series.
