Lord Alan Sugar thinks the BBC made the "wrong decision" by cancelling 'Junior Apprentice'.
Lord Alan Sugar disagreed with BBC's decision to axe Junior Apprentice
The 76-year-old businessman - who has fronted the Beeb's reality show for budding entrepreneurs since 2005 - was delighted to launch the spin-off for youngsters aged 16 and 17, which ran for three series from 2010 until 2012.
He told RadioTimes.com: "It was my idea to do the 'Junior Apprentice'.
"And yeah, [the] BBC decided that they didn't want to have two 'Apprentice' programmes in the same year.
"So that was their decision, I think it was the wrong decision."
'Junior Apprentice' - which was renamed 'Young Apprentice for the second and third series - saw Baroness Karren Brady make her debut as Lord Sugar's new aide.
The three seasons were won by Ashleigh Porter-Exley, Arjun Rajyagor and Zara Brownless respectively, and the programme pulled in between three and five million viewers for each run.
Although BBC bosses may not have been impressed, Lord Sugar admitted his wife was "very annoyed" by the decision to scrap the spin-off show.
He added: "But anyway, they're the bosses. They're the ones that decide, but they weren't put on.
"Funnily enough, my wife, that's the one she loved the most. She got very annoyed when they stopped doing it."
The main show is still going strong and will return on Thursday (01.02.24) for its 18th season.
Asked about its longevity and enduring popularity, Karen said: "First of all, you've got one of the world's most successful entrepreneurs, who's done it over decades, and literally what you see with Alan is what you get, there's no script in the show.
"It's authentic. It's real. But the most important thing is the life changing reward.
"At the end of it, you get to live your ambition of opening your own business, you get a quarter of a million pounds from Alan's pocket, but more importantly, you get his mentoring and guidance."
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