4 April 2024 – As series 18 of The Apprentice heads towards the finish line, the remaining candidates face the scrutiny of Lord Sugar’s most trusted advisors, in the fan favourite Interviews Episode.

The team of business experts are primed and ready to pick apart business proposals and dig deep to find out who’s really got what it takes to become Lord Sugar’s next business partner. Only two candidates can proceed to the final and secure the life-changing £250,000 investment in their business.

Over the years, Lord Sugar has invested close to a staggering £3million into winning pitches, and this year’s ambitious entrepreneurs will be doing their utmost to prove they mean business as they fight it out for the life-changing investment opportunity.

Lord Sugar’s team of gruelling interviewers include Claude Littner, the notoriously tricky questioner and Lord Sugar’s longest serving business colleague, who returns to put the candidates to the test. Joining Claude is businesswoman, Claudine Collins, Chief Client Officer of MediaCom UK and corporate board member at Cancer Research UK; co-founder of Shortlist Media, Mike Soutar, and one of the first women to head a fashion company flotation on the London Stock Market Linda Plant.

We sat down with the team of interviewers to uncover what makes a good business plan, the toughest interview they’ve ever had and what common mistakes the candidates make. They share insider advice for businesses in the cost-of-living crisis as well as their business karaoke song!

Watch The Apprentice on BBC iPlayer and BBC One with new episodes on Thursdays from 9pm.

Meet The Apprentice Interviewers

Claude Littner

What have you been up to since the last round of interviewer’s questions?

I am always busy. Not always as productively as I would wish. Mainly involving financial and business matters, but also as a Trustee of two charities. As well as my work at The Claude Littner Business School at the University of West London and as Chair/Director of some of Lord Sugar’s companies.

What have you learnt from your time working with Lord Sugar?

I have been involved with Lord Sugar for 35 years. He is unique, and a brilliant, innovative entrepreneur. I am still trying to understand what he sees in me.

Describe the ideal candidate using only three words

The ideal candidate on The Apprentice in 3 words: Entrepreneurial, diligent, hard-working. (Many other qualities besides!)

What distinguishes a great business plan from a mediocre one?

The business plan must have: clear objectives, show clarity of thought, and be achievable and realistic with potential for growth and profit. All these factors must be embodied by a candidate who can deliver on the plan. Mediocre plans lack many of these characteristics.

How do you balance being both tough and critical with the candidates in the interview process?

The candidates who reach the interview stage are typically exhausted from having been through the process! But they are also excited to have reached this milestone.

My objective, having spent a considerable period in the week leading up to the interview analysing their plans, is to challenge their business plans. Are they realistic, are they achievable, are they sensible, do the numbers add up, does their chosen industry have growth potential, where will they expand, have they considered the competitive landscape? Have they got the knowledge and ability to make a go of the plan?

What do you think viewers can learn from watching The Apprentice?

Hopefully, the viewers are entertained and form attachments to the candidates and appreciate their commitment to the tasks. In conjunction, viewers might conclude that the tasks are not that easy, and candidates need to work together, allocate responsibilities sensibly and show business acumen throughout, whether it is in negotiations, presentations, timekeeping… etc. Most importantly listening to Lord Sugar’s analysis of the tasks, the failures and the business lessons to be learned from them.

What’s the toughest interview you’ve ever had?

Never had a tough interview. I am always prepared!

If you had to describe Lord Sugar's leadership style in one word, what would it be?

Awesome!

Which of the interviewers, past or present, would you be most nervous to interview you?

None! Never nervous at interviews. I enjoy the process. I’m very confident in my ability and know my weaknesses. Importantly…I’m not looking for a job.

What specific qualities or traits do you look for when grilling the candidates during the interview process?

Bright eyes, intelligence, a good business plan, honest and full answers to my questions, insight and knowledge of the business/industry they are proposing. An ability and desire to succeed and 100% focus.

If you could put Lord Sugar in the hot seat, what would you ask?

How did you get to be so damn smart, entrepreneurial, insightful and clear-thinking?

What's the toughest question you've ever asked a candidate during the interview process, and how did they respond?

I always ask the tough questions and look for honest and straightforward responses. That typically leads to a productive and constructive interview.

What's the most common mistake candidates make when facing the interviewers?

Not taking account of the flaws in their business plans. Numbers not adding up! Overambitious projections, not knowing the market well enough, failure to appreciate the costs/overheads/ risks of starting a new business or growing an existing one.

Without giving too much away, can you recall a particularly memorable moment from this series’ interviews?

Yes, but it would be a ‘spoiler’!

What's the most outrageous lie a candidate has told during an interview, and did they think they could get away with it?

So many outrageous and ridiculous statements! Too many to single out.

If you had to sing a business-themed karaoke song, what would it be and why?

The question is not worthy of a response from me.

Claudine Collins

How does it feel to be back interviewing candidates?

It's great to be back! Unfortunately, due to personal circumstances I couldn't do the interviewers episode last year, so it’s fantastic to be back and get the buzz I always get from looking through the candidate’s business plans.

What’s one thing you wish you had known when you were starting out your career?

That it was all going to be okay and that hard work will get you far. But don't let work become your one and only focus. You only have one life.

Describe the ideal candidate using only three words.

Resilient, likeable, ambitious.

What distinguishes a great business plan from a mediocre one?

One that's visionary, clear, has a good USP and is realistic.

What keeps you coming back to do the interviewer’s questions?

It's one of the top shows in the country and it's the water cooler moment that everyone in the office on Friday morning is talking about, so why wouldn't you want to be part of it?

How do you balance being both tough and critical with the candidates in the interview process?

I think you get the best out of people by being approachable so that they actually open up to you. At the same time, Lord Sugar is giving away £250,000 so you've got to be tough to know that a) they want this for the right reason and they're doing it for the right reasons. And b) that money is going to make money and not go down the drain. But I believe if you are too tough, you're never going to get to know who that person is. They're just going to be frightened. So, you've got to have that balance.

What do you think viewers can learn from watching The Apprentice?

I think in the process it’s important that you work as a team and that you are resilient. That you're decisive and that you make sure that you communicate clearly with your colleagues. I know some people don't work in a team, but you still have to be able to work with people. There are good business and life skills to take in and you can learn from that when you're watching it.

What’s the toughest interview you’ve ever had?

I haven't had that many tough ones because if I'm honest, I've actually been headhunted for my job. So, it was actually the first ever interview that I had for the first job that I went for [that was the toughest]. I remember really researching about the company and I went in there and every question she asked me, I could answer. But the woman that interviewed me was so tough, whatever I answered, never seemed to be good enough for her. When I came out of there, I thought I'd done terribly but they invited me back for a second interview. I didn't go because I just thought, while I am very resilient, I thought; if that's the way they treat people, I don't want to work there. So, I didn't go for the second interview. But that was definitely the toughest interview that I’ve ever had.

If you had to describe Lord Sugar's leadership style in one word, what would it be?

Direct. He’s tough as you'd expect and he says it how it is. There's no fluff there. He’s loyal and supportive because most of his staff have worked with him for many, many years

Which of the interviewers, past or present, would you be most nervous to interview you?

It would be between Claude and Linda. Claude is one of the cleverest people I know. Nothing and I mean, nothing gets past him. He’ll hate me for saying this, despite the fact he's really lovely, he still can be very scary. I would be very nervous going in to see him.

Linda is actually a really good friend of mine, she’s lovely, kind and fabulous. She might be tiny in stature but she has a look that can literally turn you to jelly. I would be thinking about that and petrified going in to see her.

So, between the two of them, they would be the two that I'd least like to be interviewed by.

What specific qualities or traits do you look for when grilling the candidates during the interview process?

Each of us all need to focus on different areas, so that we can collectively build as rounded a picture as possible of the candidates to Lord Sugar. I need to know that they're really in this for the right reasons and not just for the notoriety. Lord Sugar is looking for a business partner and a business that he can invest in. They do need to be personable, ambitious, determined and believe in their business. They need to know the business they're going into and have experience in the industry that they're going into.

Do you have any top tips for entrepreneurs during the cost-of-living crisis?

Try and reduce your costs as much as possible without sacrificing quality. Make sure that you monitor your cash flow and be adaptable. You need to be able to pivot.

If you could put Lord Sugar in the hot seat, what would you ask?

Who do you most regret firing?

What's the toughest question you've ever asked a candidate during the interview process, and how did they respond?

I do remember asking someone to give me an example of a time when they faced a significant challenge in business and how they handled it. But they just sat there and looked at me and said they didn't know. I was giving them prompts but they just said, ‘I don't know’. That was quite mortifying.

What's the most common mistake candidates make when facing the interviewers?

Lack of preparation and not knowing their figures or business well enough. Lying when they think they won't get found out… they will always get found out.

Without giving too much away, can you recall a particularly memorable moment from this series’ interviews?

There's one candidate where all the interviewers gave this person the same advice. If they'd have taken that advice, they may well have been Lord Sugar's next business partner.

What's the most outrageous lie a candidate has told during an interview and did they think they could get away with it?

The one I remember most was someone Mike interviewed. The candidate said to Mike that he had sold a million units on Amazon, but he'd written them himself. He thought he was going to get away with it.

If you had to sing a business-themed karaoke song, what would it be and why?

‘Simply the best’ because my career has simply been the best. I've been very lucky in what I've done and my career.

Linda Plant

Can you share a piece of advice that has stuck with you throughout your career?

Don't be afraid to have a go. Stay focused on your goals. Flexibility and adaptability are the keys to success.

What inspires you about the next generation of businesspeople?

I think there's so much innovation available now to embrace for today's generation. They've got fantastic tools to work with. You can become a global business from a single room. I think there's great innovation which is moving all the time. I think the future is very exciting.

Describe the ideal candidate using only three words?

Shrewd, realistic and hardworking.

What distinguishes a great business plan from a mediocre one?

To have a great business plan, the first thing you need is a clear vision and strategy. You need to show that you've done your market research and analysis, and that your goals are achievable. You've got to show that you have looked at other businesses in that sector and fully understand that sector. If you’ve got all that, you’ve got a business plan. This is a key element that shouldn't be overlooked because some of the candidate’s business plans are 90 pages and full of irrelevant facts. They just blind you with useless information.

What keeps you coming back to do the interviewer’s questions?

Well, I think the simple answer is I really enjoy it. If you're passionate about something, it becomes a source of enjoyment. Hopefully, I'm giving some good advice and constructive criticism on how to improve an idea and how to make their business plan work. I hope I can do a little bit of good and not always be thought of as ‘the Queen of mean’.

How do you balance being both tough and critical with the candidates in the interview process?

I always try to be firm but fair, it's never personal. I try to be honest and I try to give constructive feedback, suggestions on how to improve and constructive criticism. I do acknowledge the good things if there are any.

What do you think viewers can learn from watching The Apprentice?

Watching The Apprentice is really a great opportunity. A great mock class for business and strategy, watching how the candidates perform under pressure, how they handled negotiation, marketing, communication. It offers real life challenges and highlights the difficulties of being an entrepreneur. A viewer can gain a lot of insight into the world of business. Plus, it's very entertaining.

If you had to describe Lord Sugar's leadership style in one word, what would it be?

Authentic.

Which of the interviewers, past or present, would you be most nervous to interview you?

Well, Paul Kemsley. I used to watch him on The Apprentice because Lord Sugar sent me his tape when I went to audition. Paul has a similar strategy to me: no nonsense, get to the point, cut out the bullsh*t. So, I would be quite worried if he interviewed me.

I do have to say Mike Soutar, when a candidate’s business is a drink or a cake, he actually makes it or bakes it and then you have to drink it or eat it. I wouldn’t like to taste one of those from Mike.

What specific qualities or traits do you look for when grilling the candidates during the interview process?

Common sense. That's always a good one. Leadership skills, which become apparent in the tasks. Problem solving because problems need solutions. You've got to communicate; communication is the key in a lot of things in life. Resilience, you’ve got to be resilient in business. And teamwork, because in a lot of cases to grow a business you've got to build a team.

Do you have any top tips for entrepreneurs during the cost-of-living crisis?

You've always got to cut your cloth. You’ve got to evaluate your expenses, renegotiate deals, if possible, try to come up with more effective marketing strategies, strengthen your relationships, and carefully evaluate the deals that come along because they must make good financial sense.

If you could put Lord Sugar in the hot seat, what would you ask?

I'd ask him what he thought was the key ingredient in the success of his business and how he stays so young looking and fit.

What's the toughest question you've ever asked a candidate during the interview process, and how did they respond?

What's your USP is a tough question. They very rarely have an answer and that's quite key.

When I started my knitwear business, I knew I wanted to have very pretty feminine knitwear that was going to be my USP. And in a lot of businesses, you need a hook. So, that's a question that is quite difficult for a lot of the candidates to answer.

What's the most common mistake candidates make when facing the interviewers?

Well, lack of preparation or research. I mean, the lack of research is just unbelievable. They come in being overconfident, they might have a poor idea, but I usually grill them on how to back up what they've written. And a lot of them just don't have the answers because they really haven't done the prep work.

Without giving too much away, can you recall a particularly memorable moment from this series’ interviews?

I was very impressed by one candidate. And I gave this person a lot of compliments and praise about their achievements. Prior to presenting me with their business plan, I was quite impressed with this candidate.

What's the most outrageous lie a candidate has told during an interview, and did they think they could get away with it?

Many lies, so many years. How can I recall? One candidate told me that he was going to be a global entertainer. I said, ‘you're not a global entertainer. You've just got a mobile discotheque, haven't you?’ A lot of them cave under pressure.

Loads of lies, loads of fibs. They all think they can pull the wool over my eyes but actually they can't. It's not happening in my interview. When you get to the final five, you've gone through 10, gruelling weeks of tasks and it's not easy. I think people would be disappointed if I sat there and said how nice you were. In fact, I've looked at my episode this year. I think I'm quite nice this year.

If you had to sing a business-themed karaoke song, what would it be and why?

‘Money (That’s What I Want)’ by The Beatles.

Mike Soutar

What have you been up to since the last round of interviewer’s questions?

On a professional level, I've joined the board of Scottish rugby. It's a sport I've been passionate about since I was 11 years old. On a personal level, my wife and I have had the enormous pleasure of seeing both of our sons get married to wonderful women.

Do you have any advice for young entrepreneurs looking to break into the media industry?

Media is a great sector to be involved in and you learn so many transferable skills. If I was starting a business in media now, I'd be thinking about specific customer niches and how I could satisfy them as deeply as possible. I come from a magazine publishing background, magazines are not what they were even five or 10 years ago, their power is very much waned but there are all sorts of sectors which magazines used to serve really well. Things like homes, wine, equestrian, health, you name it, that are not as well served digitally. I'd probably go there as a starting point. build communities, create amazing content and you can build a really interesting business off the back of being the number one digital wine brand in the world or the number one digital homes brand.

What inspires you about the next generation of businesspeople?

I think COVID has quite a lot to do with this new generation. What I find, is that people understand how their lives, their businesses and their plans can be so badly interrupted by factors without their control. My sense is you have a new generation of entrepreneurs and enterprising people who are in a hurry to define themselves, define their businesses and get things established just in case something happens. I think this leads to a really dynamic entrepreneurial ecosystem.

Describe the ideal candidate using only three words.

100% Ricky Martin. Ricky, Ricky and Ricky. Ricky, I think was the all-time best candidate.

What distinguishes a great business plan from a mediocre one?

Great business plans tell you why a new product or service is different to and better than anything else available. A good business plan should be able to summarize in two or three sentences, what it is that they do, what their purpose is, why they're different, why they're better. Bad business plans are the ones where it's obvious that the entrepreneur has not really thought deeply enough about their purpose.

What keeps you coming back to do the interviewer’s questions

It's an immense honour, personally, to be involved in The Apprentice. It's as simple as that. And for me, I love the challenge of researching different business sectors. You never know what each year is going to throw up in terms of the business sectors that the final five candidates want investment in. I've got a limited amount of time before the interviews happen. I need to really understand the sectors they're launching into, what the dynamics are within there, what the margins typically are, what the challenges are, because I need to be able to take candidates to task on their understanding of those marketplaces.

How do you balance being both tough and critical with the candidates in the interview process?

I guess tough and critical aren't that far removed in a way. I think it's more difficult to be robust, and also keep an open mind. Personally, I'm always waiting in every interview for a light bulb moment when I think, ‘that's it they've just said something that has convinced me that they've managed to nail all the big challenges in their business and the solutions to them’. Often, candidates are so wrapped up in the tension of the interview in the room that they fail to really explain the simple fundamentals of their plan. I'm put them under constructive pressure.

I really want them to be able to explain clearly what they do. I love that moment where they're able to express quite complex ideas in really simple terms.

What do you think viewers can learn from watching The Apprentice?

A few things. Number one, that it's important to tell as many people about your business and let them criticize it so you can make it as strong as possible. Sometimes in interviews, I can tell I'm pretty much the first person to ever really ask a candidate about their business plan because they've been too embarrassed or afraid of criticism to reveal it to anyone before. The big lesson there is you've got to be unafraid of criticism. If you have a great idea talk about it. If it's a great idea, then it will survive that scrutiny that other people give it.

The second thing is that pitching for investment takes careful preparation and absolute honesty. If you are pitching for an investor's money, never exaggerate, never make things up. Even when it gets difficult and they ask you a tough question that you don't really have the answer to. You will be found out in real life just as you are on The Apprentice if you try and make things up.

The third thing is a business plan should be a story. It's the simplest way to look at a business plan. It's a narrative that ties together your motivations and a business opportunity or a market opportunity in a compelling way. If you can link all those three things yourself: what drives, you and why there's such a brilliant opportunity for the business that you want to launch. You will have a good business plan.

What’s the toughest interview you’ve ever had?

God, I hate being the interviewee. Many many years ago, I was interviewed to be the boss of a really big newspaper group. I was woefully unqualified I thought, but I was asked to apply. So, I thought ‘okay, why not? This is a couple of steps up really from my capabilities and my experience’. The interview itself was okay but at the end of the interview, they asked me to go into another room and do a psychometric test that unfortunately proved that I was embarrassingly unsuited to the role. That's probably the worst interview experience I've ever had.

If you had to describe Lord Sugar's leadership style in one word, what would it be?

Uncompromising.

Which of the interviewers, past or present, would you be most nervous to interview you?

It would have to be Claude. Now, I've spent a lot of time with Claude socially and he is the nicest man, the kindest and most generous of hosts. He has a great sense of humour. Really lovely. But I still always feel like I have to up my game when I see Claude, as not to let him down. Before I meet him even socially, I think what will we talk about, what will we do here? I do my prep even though I would count him as a friend in real life. I think he would put me most on my metal, definitely.

What specific qualities or traits do you look for when grilling the candidates during the interview process?

I'm looking for defiant justification. A lot of the time I am deliberately leaning in and deliberately putting candidates under constructive pressure because I want to see how they are going to respond to difficult challenges. I always try and be respectful because I admire anybody who is willing to put themselves under that level of scrutiny. I mean, personally, I don't think I would make it past task three if I was a candidate. I like them to meet fire with fire, to stand up for the business idea, to take my questions which are always constructive and to properly address them and to properly answer them.

Do you have any top tips for entrepreneurs during the cost-of-living crisis?

The cost-of-living crisis is awful for so many people and I feel really bad for those who are already struggling to make ends meet before inflation started to rocket. You know, the reality that mums go hungry to feed their kids or that families have to choose between heating and eating. It makes me both sad and really angry. Having said that, tough economic times can create opportunities for enterprising people to launch new products and services. So, if a new company can survive a downturn and difficult economic times, then when the economy improves, they can really fly. It is a really difficult time but there are real opportunities that can come.

If you could put Lord Sugar in the hot seat, what would you ask?

I would ask, ‘You've been so successful for decades, Lord Sugar, what still drives you to work?’

He’s somebody who you know has nothing to prove and has been successful in pretty much everything that he's ever done. You know, he's somebody who has extraordinary motivation and perhaps many others in his position would say ‘I've done enough I've got nothing to prove’. The fact that he's still engaged in business and the fact that he's still the driving force behind The Apprentice, I'd be fascinated about what his motivations are.

What's the toughest question you've ever asked a candidate during the interview process, and how did they respond?

I think probably the toughest question I asked was to a candidate a few years ago; ‘Why did you say that you've sold over a million units of your product on your Amazon page when your business plan says you actually only sold 40,000?’. The candidate, bless him, tried to pretend he hadn't written it. But eventually admitted that yes, of course he had. He was a one-man business so who else could it have been? I find that the toughest questions can sometimes be the simplest.

What's the most common mistake candidates make when facing the interviewers?

It's when they don't know their business plans as well as I do. I spend several days in advance researching their businesses. I do that because I want to have absorbed everything that they say, all the claims that they make and exactly where they make them as well. Under pressure some of them will try to wriggle out of a difficult place by pretending that they didn't really assert something in their business plan. I think that's the most common mistake is just either not knowing their business plans or thinking that I don't know their business plans as well as they do. Because I do.

Without giving too much away, can you recall a particularly memorable moment from this series’ interviews?

I got one of the candidates to do an impromptu advert for the proposed new business. I filmed it on my mobile and I still have it on my camera roll.

Without giving too much away, this year one of the candidates wanted to market an energy shot. So, I had it made up for them. I tasted it. I have to say I've never tasted anything more disgusting. But I did make them down the whole thing. Just to see what their reaction would be.

What's the most outrageous lie a candidate has told during an interview and did they think they could get away with it?

I mean, you know, we could take things back to the guy who said that he could do a Rubik's Cube in under 30 seconds and two minutes later he was still doing it. I mean, why didn't he think I would bring a Rubik's cube up from underneath the desk?

Or I had a candidate that told two outrageous lies. One was the one that he told on Amazon, and the other one was outrageously trying to pretend that it wasn't him that had written it.

If you had to sing a business-themed karaoke song, what would it be and why?

The Pet Shop Boys’ first ever single released back in the 1980s was called Opportunities (Let's Make Lots of Money). It wasn’t a hit at the time, but it did chart when they released it after their first big hit 'West End Girls’. It's really a song about how greedy businesspeople are, but it's really catchy. And it's mostly spoken lyrics, which is good news for me and anybody else in the karaoke bar since I can't sing.