The Apprentice (British series 17)

The seventeenth series of British reality television series The Apprentice (UK) premiered on 5 January 2023 in the UK on BBC One.[1] Karren Brady and Tim Campbell returned as Alan Sugar's aides, the latter of whom joined the show on a permanent basis, after stepping in for Claude Littner in the previous series. Littner also returned to the series but in a "reduced role" and only appeared in two episodes.[2] Eighteen candidates competed in the series, the highest number of candidates since the thirteenth series.[3] The first trailer for the series was released on 20 December 2022.[4] The candidates were revealed on 3 January 2023, two days before the show's premiere.[5]

The Apprentice
Series 17
Starring
Country of originUnited Kingdom
No. of episodes12
Release
Original networkBBC One
Original release5 January (2023-01-05) –
23 March 2023 (2023-03-23)
Series chronology

The series is the first to feature two candidates leaving the competition of their own accord. Shannon Martin resigned in Episode 2, while Reece Donnelly left at some point during Episode 6. This is the second consecutive series with only women present at the interviews stage, and the fourth consecutive series with two women in the final.

The series concluded on 23 March 2023, and it was announced that Marnie Swindells was the winner of Series 17, with Rochelle Anthony as the runner-up.

Series overview

Candidates
Candidate Background Age Result
Marnie Swindells Court advocate 28 Winner
Rochelle Raye Anthony Hair salon and academy owner 35 Runner-up
Megan Hornby Sweet shop and café owner 25 Fired in the interviews stage
Dani Donovan Hair salon owner 25
Victoria Goulbourne Online sweet business owner 28
Simba Rwambiwa Senior sales representative 26 Fired in the tenth task
Avi Sharma Bank Operations 24 Fired in the ninth task
Bradley Johnson Construction company director 28
Mark Moseley Pest control company owner 39 Fired in the eighth task
Sohail Chowdhary Martial arts school owner 27 Fired in the seventh task
Joseph Phillips South Africa safari guide 26 Fired in the sixth task
Reece Donnelly Theatre school owner 25 Withdrew during the sixth task
Shazia Hussain Technology recruiter 40 Fired in the fifth task
Denisha Kaur Bharj Financial controller 29 Fired in the fourth task
Gregory Ebbs Online antiques marketplace owner 26 Fired in the third task
Kevin D'Arcy Accountant 32 Fired in the second task
Shannon Martin Bridal boutique owner 34 Withdrew after the second task
Emma Browne Senior account executive 26 Fired in the first task

Performance chart
Task Number
Candidate123456789101112
Marnie BR IN IN IN WIN IN BR IN BR IN IN HIRED
Rochelle IN IN IN IN IN LOSE IN IN BR IN IN RUNNER-UP
Megan IN WIN IN IN IN IN IN IN IN LOSE FIRED
Dani IN IN IN IN IN IN WIN BR WIN BR FIRED
Victoria LOSE IN IN IN IN WIN IN BR IN WIN FIRED
Simba IN IN IN WIN IN BR IN IN IN FIRED
Avi IN BR WIN IN BR IN IN WIN FIRED
Bradley IN LOSE IN IN LOSE IN BR IN FIRED
Mark IN IN IN BR IN IN IN FIRED
Sohail IN IN IN IN IN IN FIRED
Joseph WIN IN IN IN IN FIRED
Reece IN IN LOSE BR IN LEFT
Shazia IN IN IN IN FIRED
Denisha IN IN BR FIRED
Gregory IN IN FIRED
Kevin IN FIRED
Shannon IN LEFT
Emma FIRED
  The candidate won this series of The Apprentice.
  The candidate was the runner-up.
  The candidate won as project manager on his/her team, for this task.
  The candidate lost as project manager on his/her team, for this task.
  The candidate was on the winning team for this task / they passed the Interviews stage.
  The candidate was on the losing team for this task.
  The candidate was brought to the final boardroom for this task.
  The candidate was fired in this task.
  The candidate lost as project manager for this task and was fired.
  The candidate left the process.

Episodes
No.
overall		No. in
series		TitleOriginal air dateUK viewers
(millions) [6]
1971"Antigua Tourism"[7]5 January 2023 (2023-01-05)7.37
Alan Sugar's search for a new business partner is back and this year's candidates kick things off on the Caribbean island of Antigua. Under the watchful eye of Karren Brady and Claude Littner, the teams must sell and run bespoke tours. The men choose to run a historical and cultural tour of the island, selling out the tour, offering a high-quality tour and making good commission money despite some issues with pricing and negotiations. Karren left filming early to watch West Ham United play in the semi final of the Europa League. The women offer a catamaran experience yet struggle to find customers due to poor location and team in-fighting. In the boardroom, the men are revealed to have made a larger profit leaving the women to face questions over their mistakes. Of the final three, Emma Browne is the first to be fired by Sugar for her lack of co-operation with the rest of the team.
1982"Bao Buns"[8]12 January 2023 (2023-01-12)7.59

The candidates are summoned to Hutong at the Shard in Central London. Lord Sugar reveals that they will be manufacturing savory bao buns to punt to the public and a bespoke sweet bun to sell to a corporate client, with the team who secures the biggest overall profit winning. The women sell fish savory buns to the public, and a chocolate meringue sweet one to their corporate client, along with upselling garnishes with their savory buns, achieving good sales of the former despite issues with ordering ingredients, and receiving a lower price for their corporate order. The men sell chicken buns to the public, and created a fruit and marshmallow sweet bun for their corporate customer, but suffered issues in manufacturing, not selling all their stock, and a failure to upsell the garnishes along with a questionable pricing policy. In the boardroom, the women are revealed to have made a bigger profit - although they are left surprised when Shannon Martin chooses to leave the process before the results are announced owing to her concerns over the environment, leaving the men to be grilled over their errors. Of the final three, Kevin D'Arcy is dismissed over his mismanagement of the sub-team, being Irish and coming up with a flawed pricing strategy for the savory buns.

Note: Beginning with this task, Tim Campbell would be stepping in for Claude for the remainder of the process due to health concerns.
1993"Cartoons"[9]19 January 2023 (2023-01-19)6.84

The candidates are summoned to London's Regent Street Cinema, where Lord Sugar reveals that they will be producing a new preschool cartoon aimed at two-to-four-year-olds to pitch to industry experts. Affinity create a cartoon about a nervous giraffe who uses her height to help in unique situations, but face concerns about the giraffe’s name and design. Apex produce a cartoon about the relationship between a boy and a girl who uses a wheelchair, but face concerns over its message and incomplete design. Ultimately, the experts pick Affinity’s cartoon over Apex’s, leaving the latter facing questions over their concept. Out of the final three, Lord Sugar fires Gregory Ebbs for making no contributions to the task, despite performing well previously. Following the firing, Lord Sugar visited the candidates' house, to inform them of the next task.

Note: As it was created to tie in with the BBC’s centenary, this episode features a cartoon with the voices of Craig Revel Horwood, Motsi Mabuse, Jessie Wallace and David Jason.
2004"Brighton Discount Buying"[10]26 January 2023 (2023-01-26)6.96
Lord Sugar sends the teams to Brighton and Hove to purchase nine items associated with the city for the lowest prices. Between incorrect identification of items, poor strategy and misunderstandings in negotiations, Affinity correctly secure six items while Apex correctly secure five. In the end, Affinity’s costs after fines are lower than Apex’s, leaving the latter facing scrutiny over their failure. Out of the final three, Denisha Kaur Bharj is dismissed for demonstrating poor logistic and leadership skills.
2015"Electric Motorbike Advertising"[11]2 February 2023 (2023-02-02)6.58
The teams are summoned to Imperial College, where they are asked to brand a new electric motorcycle - they must create a name, a logo, a television advertisement and a digital billboard, before pitching their ideas to industry experts. Affinity market their bike towards younger bikers, but the original ideas for the concept are ignored and they face criticism for their brand name, logo and campaign. Apex market their bike towards owners of conventional petrol powered motorcycles, but face issues with the content of their advert, their message and their logo. After feedback from the experts, Lord Sugar selects Apex as the winners, leaving Affinity facing questions over their flawed design. Of the final three, Shazia Hussain is fired for making a variety of mistakes, including a failure to use her alleged skills in media design to her advantage and being instrumental in the creation of the poor branding.
2026"Dubai Corporate Hospitality"[12]9 February 2023 (2023-02-09)6.73
The teams fly out to Dubai from Heathrow to run corporate away days with a teambuilding activity, although Reece Donnelly does not take part and ultimately leaves the process. Affinity focus on a camel tour with coffee making as the teambuilding exercise, attempting to making as much profit as possible, but face issues with dietary requirements, quality of service and are criticised for limiting the amount of liquid that their clientele can consume. Apex focus on the marina with jetskiing, a yacht ride and a DJ masterclass as the teambuilding course, but face issues with food delays, a sick team member and the amount of time the DJ is available. When the profits are revealed afterwards, it is announced that Affinity received smaller overall profits and a larger refund compared to Apex's, resulting in them facing questions over their strategy. Out of the final three, Joseph Philips is ejected from the process for providing poor food service and playing a role in the decision to limit the amount of drinks available to the clientele.
2037"Children's Lunchbox and App"[13]16 February 2023 (2023-02-16)6.27
The candidates find themselves designing a new children's lunchbox for six-to-eight-year-olds, along with an accompanying app intended to encourage healthy eating, before pitching it to retailers. Affinity design a pirate-themed, treasure chest-shaped lunchbox and app with an animated pirate mascot, but face issues with an incomplete app design, a bland box colour and a poorly-chosen brand name, which along with constant talk of changes in the pitches leads to the retailers issuing no orders. Apex design a leaf-shaped lunchbox and app with a caterpillar mascot, securing some orders despite concerns that the branding is potentially targeting the wrong age group and that the lunchbox's shape and size makes it impractical. After the results are revealed, Lord Sugar puts Affinity to task for their failure. Out of the final three, Sohail Chowdhary is fired for mismanaging his team and standing by a failed product.
2048"Immersive Event"[14]23 February 2023 (2023-02-23)6.01
Running immersive experiences in Shropshire with food and entertainment is the theme of this task. Affinity run a Victorian experience in Blists Hill, serving fidget pie and presenting a contortionist, providing a memorable experience despite serving the wrong pie to a customer. Apex run an experience at Shrewsbury Prison involving the guests being placed in the role of prisoners, serving gourmet burgers and presenting a magician, but face issues with costs and fail to sell tickets to the public, while those who do get tickets do not know about the immersive element of the experience, leading to confusion. Afterwards, Apex's profit is revealed to be lower than Affinity's, leading to them facing questions over their experience. Out of the final three, Mark Moseley is dismissed over the team's failure to control their costs and his own failure to sell the immersive experience properly.
2059"Male Beauty"[15]2 March 2023 (2023-03-02)6.22
The candidates become cosmetic designers for this task, where they must create a male skincare brand and host a launch event for it where they must sell it to industry buyers. Affinity attempt to create an exfoliant with a snake-themed bottle for the 30's-40's market, but their creation is seen as slimy and the branding is dubbed childish, while potential buyers are put off by the fact that the product stains the skin of the user. Apex create a moisturising cream for older males, which is seen as unoriginal and comes with a star-shaped box that draws comparisons to scented candles. Apex win over Affinity by securing orders, leading to Bradley Johnson being fired immediately for being instrumental in creating a poor branding, for touting changes to the product too many times in the pitches and for losing three times as project manager. Out of the remainder of Affinity, Avi Sharma is dismissed for his contribution to the failed formula and his questionable track record.
20610"Dog Food"[16]9 March 2023 (2023-03-09)5.93
The candidates are asked to create a new brand of dog food with a signature dish, before pitching it to major retailers. Affinity create a gourmet brand with lamb as the signature flavour, but face issues with the food's protein content, name, tagline and packaging. Apex create an insect-based brand with a signature dish that is based on a 'dog's dinner of a Sunday roast', but the food's protein content is thought to be too low, it is found to have no texture, and it does not go down well with a focus group. One of the retailers places an order for Affinity's food. With no orders for their food, Apex are made to face questions over their failure. In the end, Simba Rwambiwa is ejected from the process for contributing to the poor branding, having a questionable track record, and being perceived as not being someone who listens to others.
20711"Interviews"16 March 2023 (2023-03-16)6.28
The final five face a series of interviews with some of Lord Sugar’s closest associates: Karren Brady, Claude Littner, Mike Soutar and Linda Plant. Feedback from his associates leads to him firing Victoria Goulbourne over having a business plan without a unique selling point, Dani Donovan for offering a poor business plan and Megan Hornby for a lack of business experience. Marnie Swindells and Rochelle Raye Anthony are left as the final two, owing to their capabilities as candidates and businesspeople.
20812"Finals"23 March 2023 (2023-03-23)5.73
The two finalists, Marnie Swindells and Rochelle Raye Anthony, must create new brands for their proposed businesses, as well as a television advertisement, a digital billboard and a metaverse, before pitching their ideas to Lord Sugar at a gala event attended by industry experts. Marnie’s proposal is for a boxing gym in the centre of London; her ambition is noted as positive despite the fact she is planning to enter a crowded market. Rochelle’s plan is to open new locations for her hair salon and hairdressing academy; she faces scaleability concerns. They then have to convince Lord Sugar to part with £250,000 in investing in their businesses. In the end, Lord Sugar deems Marnie to be his new business partner, with her determination, track record and his own risk-taking being deciding factors despite her lack of experience in running a business, leaving Rochelle as runner-up.

Controversies

Accusations of bullying by candidates

Candidate Shazia Hussain allegedly made a complaint to the BBC claiming that fellow candidate Mark Moseley racially abused her.[17] It was claimed that the incident was caught on camera with the contestants wearing microphones but the BBC chose not to include it in the final broadcast of the programme.[18] A BBC spokesperson said that after Hussain had made a complaint, "an investigation was conducted and she received in-person support from senior members of the production team".[19]

Interviews stage bullying allegations

The interviews stage, where the final five candidates are grilled on their business plans, was accused by viewers of going beyond grilling into bullying and belittlement.[20] Karren Brady's interviews with candidates Victoria Goulbourne and Dani Donovan brought both of them to tears.[21] Brady called Victoria Goulbourne's business plan for her online sweet business as "crazy as it comes" and had "no depth or substance".[22] Sarah Carson, culture editor at iNews, wrote on Twitter that "it is deeply unpleasant to watch Karren Brady bully or sneer her way through" the interviews such as "treat[ing] all the contestants with disgust".[23][24] In an opinion piece for iNews, Emily Baker wrote that in contrast to previous years "this year's interviews felt different: more cruel, less substantial and, crucially, less fun than ever". She gave the examples of Linda Plant who recommended that Victoria Goulbourne return to her previous job as an airline stewardess and how Plant questioned Dani Donovan's use of mermaid branding in her hair extensions brand Mermane because mermaids do not actually exist.[25]

Lord Sugar agreed with the allegations, calling the interview process for this season as 'hard to watch', and promised to tone it down in the next season. He has spoken to his advisors and the subsequent interview episodes will not be a repeat of the performance in this season.[26]

References
  1. "The Apprentice 2023: Start date, cast and latest news". Radio Times. 17 December 2022. Archived from the original on 29 December 2022. Retrieved 26 December 2022.
  2. "The Apprentice returns in 2023 with Claude Littner in reduced role". Radio Times. Archived from the original on 1 January 2023. Retrieved 26 December 2022.
  3. "The Apprentice 2023 start date and first look trailer revealed". TellyMix. 16 December 2022. Archived from the original on 1 January 2023. Retrieved 26 December 2022.
  4. "Trailer: The Apprentice (series 17)". BBC. 20 December 2022. Archived from the original on 20 December 2022. Retrieved 26 December 2022.
  5. "The Apprentice 2023 - Meet the candidates of series 17". BBC. 3 January 2023. Archived from the original on 3 January 2023. Retrieved 4 January 2023.
  6. "Weekly top 50 shows". BARB. Archived from the original on 18 October 2021. Retrieved 1 January 2023.
  7. "Antigua Tourism, Series 17, The Apprentice – BBC One". BBC. Archived from the original on 1 January 2023. Retrieved 1 January 2023.
  8. "Bao Buns, Series 17, The Apprentice – BBC One". BBC. Archived from the original on 1 January 2023. Retrieved 1 January 2023.
  9. "Cartoons, Series 17, The Apprentice – BBC One". BBC. Archived from the original on 19 January 2023. Retrieved 19 January 2023.
  10. "Brighton Discount Buying, Series 17, The Apprentice – BBC One". BBC. Archived from the original on 19 January 2023. Retrieved 19 January 2023.
  11. "Electric Motorbike Advertising, Series 17, The Apprentice – BBC One". BBC. Archived from the original on 19 January 2023. Retrieved 19 January 2023.
  12. "Dubai Corporate Hospitality, Series 17, The Apprentice – BBC One". BBC. Archived from the original on 26 January 2023. Retrieved 26 January 2023.
  13. "Children's Lunchbox and App, Series 17, The Apprentice – BBC One". BBC. Archived from the original on 2 February 2023. Retrieved 2 February 2023.
  14. "Immersive Event, Series 17, The Apprentice – BBC One". BBC. Archived from the original on 9 February 2023. Retrieved 9 February 2023.
  15. "Male Beauty, Series 17, The Apprentice – BBC One". BBC. Archived from the original on 16 February 2023. Retrieved 16 February 2023.
  16. "Dog Food, Series 17, The Apprentice – BBC One". BBC. Archived from the original on 23 February 2023. Retrieved 23 February 2023.
  17. Barr, Sabrina (1 February 2023). "The Apprentice star Shazia Hussain 'made complaint over co-star Mark Moseley allegedly racially abusing her'". Metro. Retrieved 7 April 2023.
  18. Cook, Rebecca (24 February 2023). "The Apprentice's Mark Moseley fired by Lord Sugar following tense contest". The Mirror. Retrieved 7 April 2023.
  19. Soen, Hayley (2 February 2023). "The Apprentice candidate accused co-star Mark of 'racial abuse' in bullying scandal". The Tab. Retrieved 7 April 2023.
  20. Stolworthy, Jacob (17 March 2023). "The Apprentice viewers accuse series of 'bullying' candidates in 'nasty' interviews episode". The Independent. Retrieved 7 April 2023.
  21. Thompson, Sophie (17 March 2023). "Baroness Brady brutally rips into The Apprentice candidate who called her 'Karren'". Indy100. Retrieved 7 April 2023.
  22. McIntyre, Charlotte (17 March 2023). "The Apprentice viewers 'switch-off' as show flooded with complaints over 'bullying'". The Mirror. Retrieved 7 April 2023.
  23. Sarah Carson [@carsonsarah] (16 March 2023). "I watch The Apprentice every week but it is deeply unpleasant to watch Karren Brady bully or sneer her way through it. Like ok we are all laughing at them and they're astoundingly moronic but why is Brady on this show just to treat all the contestants with disgust. rank imo!!" (Tweet). Retrieved 7 April 2023 – via Twitter.
  24. Gibson, Matt (16 March 2023). "BBC The Apprentice viewers upset with 'bully' Karren Brady after two contestants left in tears". WalesOnline. Retrieved 7 April 2023.
  25. Baker, Emily (16 March 2023). "The Apprentice interviews expose the show for the joke it has become". iNews. Retrieved 7 April 2023.
  26. https://www.mirror.co.uk/tv/tv-news/apprentice-bosses-set-make-changes-29996907
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