How to watch The Celebrity Apprentice

Rumours have been rife for months that BBC bosses were going to bring back the celebrity edition of The Apprentice, and now it has finally landed, with reports also suggesting it will return for a full series in 2026.

The news was announced on Wednesday 15th October, with bosses confirming Lord Alan Sugar will watch on as 12 famous faces take part in a biscuit making task, with both episodes out now.

When was it on TV?

The series aired across two episodes in December.

Episode one: 9pm on Monday 29th December

Episode two: 9pm on Tuesday 30th December

How can I watch it?

Both episodes are now available on BBC iPlayer.

What was the task?

Dubbed as a 'Christmas treat' ahead of the 20th series in 2026, The Celebrity Apprentice saw a bunch of celebs head to Lapland to take part in a task, in turn helping to raise money for Children in Need.

The BBC say of the special: '12 celebrity candidates will head to reindeer-filled Lapland, where they will face the biggest business challenge yet – to create 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.

'Packed with festive cheer and celebrity sparkle, the show promises unforgettable moments as the celebrity candidates go on a heartwarming mission, with viewers able to get involved for the first time, through purchasing real life products to help raise money for a great cause.'

Watch the trailer below:

Which celebs took part?

12 celebs were unveiled on Wednesday 5th November, including Big Brother host AJ Odudu, former Apprentice star Thomas Skinner, and JLS singer JB Gill.

See the full line-up below:

AJ Odudu - TV presenter

Angela Scanlon - Broadcaster & Podcaster

Charlie Hedges - Radio DJ

Eddie Kadi - Comedian

Jake Wood - Actor

JB Gill - Singer & TV presenter

Kadeena Cox - Paralympic athlete

Matt Morsia - Gladiators star

Rob Rinder - Barrister & TV presenter

Sarah Hadland - Actress

Shazia Mirza - Comedian

Tom Skinner - Businessman & TV personality

On Tuesday 9th December, the BBC then shared some first look photos from the two-part special, showing the teams in action, and in the scary boardroom!

Check out the first look images below:

Was Lord Sugar on the show?

He was! As ever, Lord Alan Sugar kept a watchful eye on the candidates, whilst his advisors Baroness Brady and Mike Soutar headed over to Lapland. Mike filled in for usual advisor Tim Campbell, who was unable to attend the filming dates for the celebrity special.

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.”

How many episodes?

The celebrity special was made up of two episodes.

What channel was it on?

It aired on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.

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!”

Will there be another series in 2026?

Yes! As well as the Christmas special in 2025, BBC bosses have now confirmed a full length series of Celebrity Apprentice will air in 2026.

Lord Sugar says: “We’ve had some great celebrity names walk into my boardroom over the years, but they’ve only ever had a small taster of what it’s like to be a candidate. It’ll be interesting to see how our future celebrities fare across a full series, removing their PAs, PRs, agents and all the other assistance they have in their day-to-day lives to fully immerse themselves into The Apprentice world.”

Kalpna Patel-Knight, Head of Entertainment at the BBC says: “The Apprentice is a much-loved part of the BBC’s entertainment offering and we can’t wait to see how the celebrity candidates rise to the challenge when the series launches later in 2026.”

No start date or names have been announced just yet.

Now read:

Applications for The Apprentice have been extended

Lord Sugar reveals the future of The Apprentice

Your ultimate recap for The Apprentice series 19

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