The Apprentice...concludes! Still going strong after nearly twenty years, the reality competition is set for its series 18 final, with only 2 candidates now vying to be the one to receive the business tycoon’s £250,000 investment.
Free stream: watch on BBC iPlayer for FREEat 9pm BST on Thursday, April 18
Watch anywhere: NordVPN 100% risk-free
Assisting Lord Sugar in his decision are Karen Brady and Tim Campbell, who have had a classic series of note taking and face pulling, as this years crop of candidates took on increasingly tenuously corporate challenges. There's been all the usual blunders and painful one-liners on the way to the final, and plenty of intense boardroom drama.
Our finalists are Phil Turner, owner of a small chain of pie shops in Bognor Regis and Rachel Woolford, a boutique fitness studio owner from Leeds. Phil has had a spotty record over the past twelve weeks, even losing as PM in the Chessecake task, but his 'salt of the earth' personality won Lord Sugar over. Rachel, meanwhile, enjoyed success early on, with her solid business plan in the Interviews earning her a place in the final.
Challenge wise, this year has had some corkers including the return of old favourites such as corporate hospitality and discount buying, alongside new unique tasks like creating virtual escape rooms and creating children's cereal. We've also seen the classic tourism task and the ever popular shopping channel.
The season 18 final will see the remaining two candidates tasked with launching their businesses, with either Phil or Rachel becoming Lord Sugar's new business partner. Read on for how to watch The Apprentice 2024 online for FREE in the UK or from anywhere.
How to watch The Apprentice final online FREE in the UK
How to watch The Apprentice final online from outside your country
Three simple steps to using a VPN to watch The Apprentice when overseas:
1. Download and install a VPN - we recommend NordVPN.
2. Connect to the relevant server location - launch the VPN app, click on 'choose location' and select the right location (i.e. a UK server for iPlayer)
3. Head to the chosen broadcaster's live stream - in this case, head to BBC iPlayer.
The Apprentice 2024 candidates
- Amina Khan, Pharmacist and Business Owner FIRED
- Dr. Asif Munaf, Owner, Wellness Brand FIRED
- Flo Edwards, Recruitment Consultant FIRED
- Foluso Falade, Project Manager FIRED
- Jack Davies, Recruitment Director FIRED
- Maura Rath, Owner, Yoga Company FIRED
- Noor Bouziane, Owner, Jewellery Company FIRED
- Oliver Medforth, Sales Executive FIRED
- Onyeka Nweze, Chartered Company Secretary FIRED
- Paul Bowen, Director, Pie Company FIRED
- Dr. Paul Midha, Owner, Dental Group FIRED
- Phil Turner, Owner, Pie Company FINALIST
- Rachel Woolford, Boutique Fitness Studio Owner FINALIST
- Raj Chohan, Mortgage Broker FIRED
- Sam Saadet, Pre and Post Natal Fitness Coach FIRED
- Steve Darken, Management Consultant FIRED
- Tre Lowe, Music & Wellness Entrepreneur FIRED
- Virdi Singh Mazaria, Music Producer FIRED
The Apprentice UK 2024 episode guide & air dates
Episode 1 – Highlands Corporate Away Day (Aired: February 1 2024)
Episode 2 – Cheesecakes (Aired: February 8 2024)
Episode 3 – Virtual Escape Room (Aired: February 15 2024)
Episode 4 – Discount Buying (Aired: February 22 2024)
Episode 5 – Formula E (Aired: February 29 2025)
Episode 6 – Children's Cereal (Aired: March 7 2024)
Episode 7 – Tour Guides (Aired: March 14 2024)
Episode 8 – E-Vehicle Advertising (Aired: March 21 2024)
Episode 9 – Shopping Channel (Aired: March 28 2024)
Episode 10 – Vegan Cheese Alternative (Aired: April 4 2024)
Episode 11 – Interviews (Aired: April 11 2024 )
Episode 12 – Final (Airs: April 18 2024)
How to watch The Apprentice: You're Fired
Comedian Tom Allen is back on hosting duties for spin-off The Apprentice: You're Fired.
You're Fired follows each episode of main show, airing at 10pm GMT every Thursday on BBC Two. Remember, you can also watch the half-hour show FREE on BBC iPlayer, either live or on-demand.
Tom Allen and various special guests chat with each week's fired candidate, who'll be sure to be the brunt of Allen's sardonic wit.
The spin-off show is usually packed with unseen footage, bloopers and testimonials from other candidates, proving an unmissable extra slice for Apprentice fans.
The Apprentice 2024 trailer
What's the latest from The Apprentice 2024?
The Apprentice 2024 has reached its conclusion. Season 18 has been everything we love about the reality competition, from epic blunders in the challenges to tense drama in the boardroom.
Week 11 saw the interviews take place with Tre, Paul, Flo, Rachel and Phil heading for a series of grillings. On the interview panel were the usual faces of Claude Littner, Claudine Collins, Linda Plant and Mike Soutar.
There were tears, sweating the numbers, testing product and for Paul, a complete change of business proposal. Ultimatley though, it was Rachel and Phil that Lord Sugar decided to carry in to the final, with the two presenting the most intriguing business ideas to the boss.
This week is the big final. Who will secure Lord Sugar's £250,000 investment? Find out on The Apprentice, available for FREE on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.
The Apprentice 2024 finalists Q&A?
Rachel Woolford
What was your favourite week and why?
My favourite week was Formula E. You could probably tell in my face how much I was enjoying it. For me, speaking to people and trying to sell things will always be my thing. I’m not as interested in the branding side or being in the kitchen. That will never be my strong point and I know that, I much prefer talking to people and telling a story and trying to sell something.
If you could re-do a task, which would it be and why?
Even though my team lost the task, I absolutely loved Budapest. It’s such a shame that we didn’t sell the tickets at a high enough price because had we had done that, I think we would have won. The customers on the tour all had such a good time and we had great tips at the end and sadly we didn’t sell enough tickets.
What did you learn about yourself during filming?
I learnt I’m a lot tougher than I initially thought and more capable. I’ve always had a little bit of imposter syndrome and going into The Apprentice I didn’t have a choice but to show up and do my best. It made me realise that my capabilities are a lot higher than I believed they were. It took me out of my comfort zone because I’m really close with my family and I’m in my business every day, so taking myself away from those two big things was the hardest thing I’ve ever done in my entire life, but it showed me what I’m capable of.
Phil Turner
What was your favourite week and why?
My favourite task was week two, even though I was the project manager and we lost, the cheesecake task was so fun. There were so many attributes, there was public selling, there was negotiating and there was food production. I like being in charge and being the boss so that was quite nice for me. It was just so fun and to be honest I was happy I stayed in but I didn’t really care that we lost because we just had so much fun on the task.
If you could re-do a task, which would it be and why?
If I could re-do a task, it would definitely be week one in Scotland, because in the brainstorm I told Virdi to get back at two o’clock. But if I was to do that task again, I would have rung him at half one told him to be here in half an hour, because we’d fail the task otherwise. But no, I don’t have any regrets in any of the tasks. It’s a really tricky process and we had a lot of fun, but I would definitely like to re-do task one and try and get a win for the boys.
What did you learn about yourself during filming?
The main thing I learned about myself is how tough I am mentally. I saw other candidates’ reactions and responses to losing tasks, being in the café, being in the final boardroom and I saw it really knocked their confidence. Having lost nine tasks on the trot, I really came out of the process knowing that I am mentally tough, and I think Lord Sugar could see that regardless of how many times I lost. I was bouncing back with the same enthusiasm, and I was never hiding. I learnt exactly how much adversity I could actually face and that’s something I am extremely proud of.
What should we know about The Apprentice 2024?
Lord Sugar: "Well, I'm very pleased with this series because the quality of the candidates that we have attracted this year is superb, I have to say. This year, we've got a lot to work with...This year, we had more business focused tasks early in the audition process so that my team and the production company could filter out and find serious potential businesspeople."
Tim Campbell MBE: "I know everyone's going to say it, but I truly believe we've got an amazing group of people who have really come forward. We've got existing business owners doing multimillions, we've got people who have come from all different spheres. I'm really, really excited about the caliber of candidates we've pulled together for this one."
What should we know about The Apprentice 2024 candidates?
Baroness Karen Brady: "I think it's probably the most highly qualified set of candidates we've ever had. Pharmacist, dentist, some already successful business owners. I think from that point of view, the standard is really very high, but with high standard and high achievers comes high ego! They think they're really, really, really, really good. And like most entrepreneurs and highly successful people, they often think they're the best in the room, and working as a team can prove very challenging for some people. Entrepreneurs are used to being in charge, making the decision, doing things quickly, the way they want, how they want, when they want. And suddenly when you're surrounded by ten other people, it becomes a lot more difficult to do that. All of them think they should be the boss, all of them think they should have the final say. It just becomes more and more difficult. It’s a high level of candidates this year."
Why does the show appeal so much to the younger demographic?
Lord Sugar: "First of all, what you need to understand is, and I don't wish to be disrespectful to any other host of business programmes, but I have done everything. I've literally done everything. When I'm questioning the candidates, I question them from a position of absolute experience of knowing every single facet of starting a business from scratch right the way up to becoming a multi-billion-pound turnover business. I think what happens is the interrogation or the questioning, put it that way, of the candidates, is what attracts the youngsters. If I’m walking down the street, it is that age group of people who come up to me to ask for a signature or a photograph or something like that."
Baroness Karen Brady: "I think young people want to get ahead. I think we are a great country of entrepreneurs and freethinkers. I think at that age you have the aspiration to run your own business, be an entrepreneur, be successful, earn money, do great things, do something different, show what you can do. I think they like to watch it because they like to learn something, they like to be inspired, they like to see how it's done, they like to see how it's not done. I get so many young people come up to me and say they watch it religiously. And if you think about how long it's been going, if you started watching it at 16, you're now in your thirties, so you've sort of grown up with it."
