The Apprentice: Claude Littner reveals ‘Lord Alan Sugar stormed out of

Lord Sugar’s advisor has insisted there are “loads” of fiery personalities among this year’s batch of 18 contestants battling it out to win the show – which released its trailer earlier this week. I’m not trying to tell them what to do. Hugh Hefner is one of his role models.

“They did consider me”, Sugar explained at today’s launch of the UK’s 11th series. She’s a self-confessed Victoria Beckham fan as she believes that the singer-turned-businesswoman reflects her own ideals about professional success.

David Stevenson, a 25-year-old businessman who runs his own sports marketing firm in the city said that his greatest achievement was promoting a high profile women’s football match at what was a sold-out Wembley Stadium.

Claude Littner, the terrifying interviewer who has shattered many contestants’ dreams in the past, takes over from Nick Hewer as Lord Sugar’s aide this series, but refused to confirm whether he would still appear in the interview stage of the process.

The first episode of The Apprentice airs on BBC One next Wednesday, October 14 followed by a second episode on Thursday 15, October at 9pm with every other episode coming on Wednesday evenings.

Mergim Butaja, meanwhile, was Kosovan-born but fled from the war-torn country to the United Kingdom with his parents and siblings when he was seven years old. Everyone he’s met probably sucks up to him.

Lord Sugar says of the new series and the success of his past years on the show: “I’ve invested £1million in all four winners and all four of those people are doing fantastically well and I’m expecting the victor of this particular process to carry on that trend”.

He says: ‘I’m an interesting mix between happy-go-lucky and adventurous, and then quite logical and sensible.

“Lord Sugar might think I’m a bit gushing, he might find me over-zealous, but I think he’ll think I’m great.” Like Woods, he calls Virgin founder, Richard Branson his biggest business inspiration, but not necessarily for the same reasons.

Easy on the eye Scott is obsessed with making his first million – but is happy to strip off for tasks. It’s a odd combination. He cites Jeff Bezos of Amazon as one of his business inspirations.

The Hertfordshire sales account manager is confident he’ll stand out from the crowd, promising: ‘People do say… they’ve never met anyone like me’.

She owns her own Dubai-based events company and is keen to be project manager straight away.

Top quote: “I am strong-minded; I do like to be the leader”. She incorporates her performing arts background with the circus into numerous events that her company hosts.

After growing up in New York, 27-year-old Koutsomitis now lives in Barcelona and is a social media entrepreneur.

He says: ‘I’m just a generally all round quite entertaining person, I think.