When Does The Apprentice 2026 Conclude? Key Dates for Series 20 of the BBC Hit!

LORD Alan Sugar’s yearly quest to find a brilliant business partner to invest £250,000 of his hard-earned cash in is back.

Here’s everything you need to know about , so you won’t miss a minute of the action.

Lord Alan Sugar and the candidates for series 20 of The ApprenticeCredit: PA

began with hoping dazzle Lord Alan Sugar with their business brilliance.

The competition got off to a dramatic start in week one with a .

Project manager Georgina Newton was the first to hear utter the dreaded words “You’re fired” after her team failed to impress during the opening task.

He said: “Georgina, I think you’re your own worst enemy. You come in here, you bring two people in and you say they shouldn’t be here.

“And so you leave me with nowhere to go, so Georgina, regretfully you’re fired.”

Mortgage broker was also sent home after turning up late and struggling to secure items for the team.

said: “Yes you put yourself forward as the project manager, very brave, but you were two hours late and you only got one item, and you were the overall project manager… And so it is with regret that you’re fired.”

Week two saw barber Marcus Donkoh leave the process after failing to lead his team to victory as project manager.

Marcus said: “Putting myself forward as PM, I thought it would be appreciated in the sense of I’m taking a risk, but it is what it is. Onwards and upwards.”

AI product consultant Tanmay Hingorani became the fourth candidate fired in the third week.

A disappointing negotiation during the task left Lord Sugar unconvinced by his performance.

Tanmay said: “I am disappointed for it to end this way. When we went into the negotiation, i was looking forward to it, I see negotiation as an art form, but that negotiation didn’t become a very nice piece of art.”

Reality TV star and pharmacist Roxanne Hamedi was next to exit in week four after being held responsible for her team’s defeat.

Roxanne said: “It didn’t feel good to be fired, just because I didn’t think that I deserved to be.

“There was a lot going on that day and I feel like other people lacked accountability. So yeah, it wasn’t a nice feeling.”

Week five saw tech project manager Vanessa Tetteh-Squire booted off the show after serving as project manager on a task that resulted in a significant loss and criticism over poor leadership.

She said: “I was really gutted that my risk of putting myself up for a task, that I knew nothing about, wasn’t seen as me being a risk taker, or willing to do whatever it took to get the result. It was taken as though I decided to do something I knew nothing about.”

The most dramatic episode so far came in week six, when Lord Sugar made the rare decision to following a disastrous corporate away-day task in Egypt.

Project manager Megan Ruiter was first to go after leading the team to a loss.

She said: When I got fired, I was absolutely gutted and especially to be fired on a task that, on paper, is my most ideal task.”

Carrington Saunders followed after her team’s food service drew complaints.

She said: “I can say it didn’t hurt as much because it wasn’t just me getting fired. So, it was more of a ‘wow’ moment opposed to something that was entirely sad. It wasn’t until a few days later in when the sadness kicked in.”

Andrea Cooper was also fired after being back in the boardroom amid clashes with teammates.

She said: “I’m not saying I was surprised because by my calculations, it could have possibly been a triple firing that week.

“But if there were only going to be one or two fired, I didn’t think that it should have been me.”

When did The Apprentice 2026 begin?

Series 20 of premiered at 9pm on Thursday, January 29.

Every week hosted by follows the show, starting at 10.05pm.

Nikki Jetha and Georgina Newton were the first to be fired in week one of the showCredit: BBC

Following her appearance, Angela was a stand-out star in the show’s Christmas special.

Angela said: “I can’t wait to get suited and booted and sit down with candidates and celeb fans each week to unpack the drama, make sense of the madness and hopefully walk away with some business advice while I’m at it!”

airs on BBC One, while Apprentice: Unfinished Business is broadcast on BBC Two.

You can also watch both on BBC iPlayer.

Who is on The Apprentice 2026?

There were who started the process hoping to become ’s business partner.

As of March 12, the candidates still in the process are:

• Conor Galvin, photo booth business owner from Cork, Ireland – wants Lord Sugar to believe in his plan for a photo booth with a storytelling twist, saying: “I’m capable, determined and always give my all.”
• Karishma Vijay, beauty brand owner from Ashford, Surrey – looking for investment in her skincare brand, Karishma reckons she’s “the only candidate in The Apprentice history that isn’t a committed viewer”.
• Dan Miller, recruitment company owner from Richmond, London – having made his first million by 25, he wants Lord Sugar to take him to the next level, saying: “I started from nothing but [my business] has grown into one of the UK’s largest student networks.”
• Priyeshi Bhatia, global account manager from Harrow, London – hoping to turn his mobile cocktail-bar firm into a national brand, Priyeshi says: “I’m known for speaking my mind.”
• , public relations specialist from Watford – confident and funny, he jokes: “I don’t need Lord Sugar, Lord Sugar needs me. I’m obviously kidding – I’m not going to be that guy.”
• Kieran McCartney, estate agent from East London – his mission is to make people trust estate agents more, saying: “By combining my industry expertise with Lord Sugar’s guidance and resources, we can set a new standard for trust.”
• Harry Clough, financial sales manager from Battersea, London – skint from investing and repeatedly failing, he says: “I may sound posh, but I’ve got no dosh and that’s why I’m here to make it.”
• Pascha Myhill, recruitment consultant from Reading – with dreams of launching a recruitment company, she says: “Being young gives me an advantage – I’m adaptable, ambitious and ready to do things differently.”
• Rothna Akhtar, student wellbeing adviser from East London – with a business plan involving wellbeing workshops and bespoke occasion cakes, she says: “I guess you could say when it comes to getting the job done, I’m the icing on the cake.”
• , HGV driver and former RAF gunner from Doncaster – looking to build a personalised pet-cremation urns business, he says: “People say I’m a man who’s lived a thousand lives.”
• Rajan Gill, pharmaceutical sales specialist from Medway, Kent – seeking investment in his bespoke-media walls and TV business, he says: “I don’t believe in luck, you create your own luck in life. I create my own outcomes, and throughout this show I’ll prove it.”

Week six of the competition saw the candidates fly out to Egypt to throw corporate away days for paying clientsCredit: PA

And the are:

• Nikki Jetha (fired Week 1), mortgage broker from Hornchurch, Essex – drawing inspiration from Kim Kardashian, she says: “Kim proved that you can be glamorous, family-orientated and a complete boss.”
• Georgia Newton (fired Week 1), events manager and actress from East London – believes in teamwork over treachery, explaining: “I always lead with kindness and I truly don’t think anyone like me has ever been a part of the process.”
• Marcus Donkoh (fired Week 2), barber from South London – he’s come a long way from cutting hair in his mum’s house, but doesn’t take everything too seriously, saying: “I also love a bit of banter. All work and no play will ruin Marcus’s day!”
• Tanmay Hingorani (fired Week 3), AI product consultant from Islington, London – thinks he and Lord Sugar are two peas in a pod, saying: “Our skills would complement each other – his business experience with my product expertise.”
• Roxanne Hamedi (fired Week 4), reality TV star, entrepreneur and pharmacist from Aberdeen, Scotland – the former Geordie Shore star says: “My friends call me a fiery, sassy chilli-pepper pocket rocket.”
• Vanessa Tetteh-Squire (fired Week 5), tech project manager from Enfield, London – wanting to make a splash with her swim and resort-wear brand, she says: “My designs will defy gravity – blending style and function in ways that empower, give confidence and bring comfort.”
• Megan Ruiter (fired Week 6), online clothing brand owner from Merseyside – the fashion entrepreneur says: “I don’t know what a nine-to-five job is because my work life is 24/7. I have no ‘off’ button, it’s always go, go, go.”
• Carrington Saunders (fired Week 6), online loungewear business owner from Southeast London – with her socials savvy, she says: “I am a unique candidate because my business vastly relies on social media, and Lord Sugar hasn’t had a business partner who is enveloped so heavily in social media.”
• Andrea Cooper (fired Week 6), lettings agency owner from Barnsley – as this year’s oldest contestant, she says: “I have years of life experience behind me, which most other candidates lack.”

When does The Apprentice 2026 finish?

As of January 29, the is yet to confirm an official end-date for the new series.

However, the broadcaster has confirmed will air weekly on Thursday nights and the season runs for 12 episodes.

So by conventional logic, the series will end in mid-April, but we’ll need to wait for an announcement from the Beeb to be sure.