The Apprentice’s Claude Littner has commented on the latest series of the hit BBC show after he was replaced in his role as one of Lord Sugar’s aides by Tim Campbell.
The BBC competition returned to screens in January as Lord Alan Sugar put 16 new candidates through their paces for a chance to secure a £250,000 investment in their business.
Lord Sugar has been accompanied in the boardroom by trusted aide Baroness Karren Brady, 52, the vice-chairman of West Ham United - but former co-star Claude, 72, was forced to take a series break after a bike accident.
The business executive, who first appeared as an aide in 2015, was replaced by entrepreneur and winner of the first series Tim, 44, who Claude said has done a “sterling job”, before admitting he is “disappointed” he couldn’t appear on the series.
The 72-year-old said: “It looks a pretty easy gig when you’re just watching from the comfort of your home or from behind the sofa! But it really is quite tough, and I think Tim has coped with all the challenges very well.”
Claude confirmed he has been watching the series air along with The Apprentice fans and joked that it has been “disappointing” to see how far superior the women have been in the competition compared to the men.
He said: “From a personal point of view, I’ve got to say it’s disappointing how well the girls are doing against the boys! Karren is obviously delighted!
“But in all seriousness, it really is very engaging and captivating and that’s credit to the production team, the crew; everybody who is involved. They’ve made a great series in such challenging circumstances and it’s good to see such a positive reaction from viewers to the show being back.”
He continued: “I’ve enjoyed it so far and the candidates have been a mix of outrageous with very little chance of getting investment, to the few who emerge over time and viewers can start to see investable qualities. It’s certainly well-proven and a number of good candidates do emerge and blossom.”
This comes as Claude has confirmed he will make a highly-anticipated return to the BBC show after he was forced to pull out as one of Lord Sugar's trusted aides.
He said he is “raring to go” ahead of a return to screens for the interview stage of the process next week.
Claude also said he’s been behind Lord Sugar’s firing decisions this series, stressing the difficulty of whittling down the candidates in the boardroom when occasionally “all three are culpable”.
He said: “Very often all three have the potential to go. But, the format is that you whittle the candidates down week by week and one will go – occasionally you might get a double firing.
“I have watched on and in some situations thought, ‘All three of them are culpable for the failure of the task!’ but eventually Alan does weed out the weaker ones and we always emerge with these final few, good candidates.
“During the course of the process, Alan maintains the tension and jeopardy. Viewers are invested in the tasks and candidates; they enjoy the entertainment and words of wisdom from Alan.”
Claude will return for the penultimate episode of The Apprentice on Thursday 17th March, 9pm on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.
