The Celebrity Apprentice is finally making its hugely-anticipated comeback with a festive two-part special for this year’s Children in Need.

In the Christmas-themed showbiz spin-off of the wildly popular BBC reality-business competition, Lord Alan Sugar will be heading to Lapland with 12 hapless celebrity candidates.

The new mini-series comes nearly six years after the Celebrity Apprentice first aired.

Of course, with money being raised for such a worthy cause, you’d think everyone is a winner. However, like the classic series, the losing team will have to return to the boardroom.

Amongst the unsuccessful celebrities that face Lord Sugar’s wrath, one of them will be fired…and we can’t wait! Here’s everything we know about The Celebrity Apprentice, including its start date, line-up and the task the candidates have to do.

The Celebrity Apprentice for Children in Need: Line-up

While the BBC have confirmed that 12 celebrities will be hoping to raise some festive cheer for a worthy cause, the full cast-list is yet to be made public. The Beeb has said it will be revealing the dozen famous faces closer to the time.

But Lord Alan Sugar has had his own reshuffle with his advisors for the festive charity special.

As always, Baroness Karren Brady will be on hand to offer her stern critique over the celebrity candidates. It will be full circle for Karren, who actually won the first series of The Celebrity Apprentice in 2007.

However, Tim Campbell – former winner of The Apprentice and current advisor on the show – will not appear. He is believed to have had a schedule clash, meaning he couldn’t film the special.

Instead, portfolio director and publishing high-flyer Mike Soutar, who Apprentist loyalists will recognise from the interview stages of the competition, will be filling in.

What is the Celebrity Apprentice task?

You can’t get more Christmassy than Lapland, so this task is just perfect for the Celebrity Apprentice candidates.

The 12 celebrities’ business acumen will be tested in the unique task. The teams will be required to make and market a Christmas gingerbread biscuit. This will actually be sold in shops in the UK for the public to buy, for the first time in Apprentice history.

As well as making the biscuit, teams will also have to make an advertisement with promotes their treats. They will then pitch to a series of retailers, who will decide whether the biscuit and marketing campaign is good enough to stock in their stores.

Viewers will be able to play their part, too. A proportion of the profits from each biscuit sold will go towards Children in Need. The BBC will reveal the retails chosen to take part nearer the time.

Celebrity Apprentice: Chickenshed Theatre Trust

Of course, the real stars of the BBC show are the children the celebrities are vowing to help out. The Celebrity Apprentice candidates will visit the BBC Children in Need-funded project, Chickenshed Theatre Trust.

Here, they share their TV adverts and offer the children a taste of their biscuits.

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.

Tommy Nagra, Director of Content at BBC Children in Need, said of the special: “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.”

Previous stars on the Celebrity Apprentice

The first iteration of the Celebrity Apprentice aired in 2007 to raise money for Comic Relief. Pop star Cheryl Tweedy, as well as comedian Jo Brand and broadcaster Piers Morgan all participated.

Karren Brady – who won the 2007 charity special – impressed Lord Sugar so much that it eventually led to her current job on the BBC show.

A follow-up season occurred in 2009, with current Celebrity Traitors stars Alan Carr and Jonathan Ross among the line-up. The show was revived again in 2019, featuring famous faces such as Rylan Clark and Amanda Holden.

When does The Celebrity Apprentice start?

The Celebrity Apprentice will be a mini-series, comprising of two hour-long episodes. The episodes will air on BBC One and BBC iPlayer to tie in with the channel’s Children in Need 2025 coverage.

The start date and time is still to be announced but, given its Christmas theme, we are expecting December.

Children in Need’s three-hour telethon will air on BBC One and BBC iPlayer. Popular comedians Paddy McGuinness and Vernon Kay will be fronting the TV marathon on Friday November 14, 2025.

Read more: Paddy McGuinness to host BBC’s Children in Need 2025 alongside Vernon Kay

Children in Need 2025 will air on Friday 14 November 2025. The Celebrity Apprentice