The Celebrity Apprentice, produced by Fremantle indie Naked, is making a return to BBC One and iPlayer this Christmas, ahead of the milestone 20th series of The Apprentice in 2026.
For the first time , Lord Sugar will be partnering with Pudsey for BBC Children in Need to bring viewers two, one-hour episodes set in the snowy setting of Lapland.
Produced by Naked, a Fremantle label, 12 celebrity candidates will head to Lapland, where they will face the challenge of creating a magical festive biscuit. The celebrities will then have to pitch their Christmas gingerbread biscuits to the biggest UK retailers, who will then, for the first time in the show’s history, sell the biscuits in stores across the UK – with a percentage of profits going to BBC Children in Need. The celebrities’ biscuits will hit the supermarket shelves in time for Christmas.
Lord Sugar’s trusted advisors areBaroness Brady and Mike Soutar, filling in for Tim Campbell who was unable to attend the filming dates. The celebrities will do all they can to secure their spot on Lord Sugar’s ‘nice list’. But for those who fall short, Lord Sugar’s infamous boardroom awaits.
As part of the special episodes, the celebrity candidates visited the BBC Children in Need-funded project Chickenshed Theatre Trust to share their adverts and offer the children a taste of their biscuits – where they received some honest, no-nonsense feedback. Chickenshed receives funding from BBC Children in Need to support disabled children and those with additional needs to enable them to take part in positive activities that develop their confidence, learning and create opportunities.
Paul Broadbent, Director of Programmes at Naked, adds: “We are delighted to announce The Celebrity Apprentice: Christmas Specials. Not only will the two special episodes be immensely entertaining, but the biscuits made and sold in the lead up to the show airing will be raising vital funds for BBC Children in Need – it’s a win win. The Apprentice has always been the ultimate test of business acumen and resilience. Now, with well-known faces stepping up to the challenge, we can’t wait to see how they fare under pressure.”
Kalpna Patel-Knight, Head of Entertainment Commissioning at the BBC says: “Viewers can look forward to the celebrity candidates facing the ultimate festive challenge of creating their own biscuits in aid of BBC Children in Need with plenty of seasonal surprises along the way too before they face Lord Sugar in the boardroom who will decide who has been naughty and who has been nice!”
Tommy Nagra, Director of Content at BBC Children in Need says: “This is the first time we have partnered with The Celebrity Apprentice. The spirit of Christmas embodies kindness, generosity and giving, so it’s especially exciting that – for the first time ever- the product created during the show will be available in stores, with proceeds going directly to BBC Children in Need. Right now, we’re only able to fund one in six organisations that ask us for support, so every pound raised will help us reach children across the UK who are most in need, during these most challenging of times for young people.”
The Celebrity Apprentice: Christmas Specials (2 x 60’) have been commissioned by Kalpna Patel-Knight, Head of Entertainment at the BBC. The series is a co-production with Naked (a Fremantle label) and MGM Alternative UK for BBC One and BBC iPlayer. Paul Broadbent and Naomi Banat are the Executive Producers; Francesca Maudslay is Consultant Executive Producer and Rachael Hankinson is Production Executive. For MGM Alternative UK, Dom Bird is Executive Producer; Sarah Clay is Commissioning Editor for the BBC. It is produced and distributed pursuant to a licence from Amazon MGM Studios Distribution.
The Celebrity Apprentice: Christmas Specials will air later this year on BBC One and iPlayer.
Pippa Considine
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