In the Celebrity Apprentice spin-off, back after five years, 10 famous faces will be set tasks by Lord Alan Sugar and hiring for the new series is under way, a source said

Lord Alan Sugar is getting all fired up for his 20th anniversary in the TV boardroom as he brings in a host of stars to boot off his show.

In the Celebrity Apprentice spin-off, back after five years, 10 famous faces will be set tasks by the businessman. But this time they’re in for a festive treat, as Lord Sugar flies them to Finland to meet Father Christmas and make products to sell back in the UK.

A source said: “Lord Sugar will be sending them to Lapland to get a brief from Santa. Hiring for the new series is under way – and there will be the usual firing that we love the show for.”

Lord Sugar will ask celebs to make products to sell in the UK ( 
Image:
NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Insiders say the 20th anniversary special will be aired late next year to coincide with the Beeb’s Comic Relief. The last celebrity show, Comic Relief Does The Apprentice, aired in 2019. The girls’ team won after Loose Women favourite Ayda Field roped in pop star husband Robbie Williams to help.

News of the latest special comes after it was announced last week Lord Sugar, 77, Baroness Karren Brady, 55, and Tim Campbell, 47, will all be back for the regular Apprentice series next year. That show will have another 18 candidates battling it out for Lord Sugar’s £250,000 investment and mentorship. Tasks will include selling tour packages in the Austrian Alps, designing Easter eggs, and creating a virtual pop star.

It comes weeks after Lord Sugar criticised streaming platform ITVX, with the businessman telling fans that he feels “cheated” after having signed up for a subscription. The founder of Amstrad shared a tweet on X, saying: “I feel I have been cheated by ITVX. I paid for a subscription on the basis that there would be no adverts in the programmes.” Lord Sugar added in the tweet: “However, whilst there are no 3rd party adverts, they are constantly advertising their own shows. It’s really frustrating.”

ITVX offers two plans at the moment, including a “free with ads” option. The other, ITVX Premium, is priced at £5.99 a month or £59.99 a year after a 7 day free trial. Its website promises that Premium customers can “watch ad-free,” but a disclaimer warns: “Ad-free applies to our on-demand library only and programmes may contain ITV promotions where contractually required. Live TV plays with ads.” Another page states: “With ITVX Premium, you can watch most shows and movies on demand without the adverts, and download them to watch offline.”