Lord Alan Sugar has confirmed 'The Apprentice' won't return until 2022.
Lord Alan Sugar
The 74-year-old businessman has revealed there are plans to start filming the 16th series of the BBC business show later this year, with a view to airing the programme in the "early part of next year".
He said: "I think you’ll see it in the early part of next year, in fact that’s the plan.
"If things go well, and there’s no outbreaks or third waves, we’re planning to start recording later this year and it should be just after Christmas that they’ll start it again."
Lord Sugar admitted some of his 'Apprentice' investments have "benefited tremendously" because of the coronavirus pandemic lockdown due to them being online, but 2019 winner Carina Lepore's bakery has "suffered".
Speaking to the Cambridge Union, he added: "Some of them have benefited tremendously because the online business has gone up.
"The bakery has suffered, as you can imagine. [Winners] have been told, if you fail, if you use up all the money, that’s it, it’s over."
In September last year, Lord Sugar hinted he will quit 'The Apprentice' when he reaches 20 years of the show.
He said: "I said last year that I wanted to do 20 years. We would have been doing series 16 this year and I was happy to do four more.
"But of course, it is the BBC who will decide if they wish to do it. I fully understand they are in charge but if they wanted to do it, I think 20 years is a nice round figure."
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