When will Celebrity Apprentice 2026 start? Everything we know about the first full-length series

If you loved the Celebrity Apprentice Christmas special – which saw 12 famous faces head to Lapland for a festive biscuit challenge – you’re in luck. The Celebrity Apprentice is officially returning in 2026, this time with a full-length series (and yes, we’re very ready).

Following the success of the charity specials, the BBC has given a green light to brand-new line-up of celebrities, who’ll battle it out in Lord Sugar’s boardroom to avoid being fired and ultimately be crowned The Celebrity Apprentice winner.

“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,” Lord Sugar said.

“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.”

So, when does it start? And what can viewers expect?

Here’s everything you need to know.

When does The Celebrity Apprentice start?

The BBC hasn’t confirmed an exact start date yet for The Celebrity Apprentice, but we do know that the six-part series will air in late 2026.

Kalpna Patel-Knight, Head of Entertainment at the BBC said: “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.”

We’ll update you right here with an exact release date once we know more.

BBC

How to watch The Celebrity Apprentice

The Celebrity Apprentice will air on BBC One and BBC iPlayer. It’s expected to air in the channel’s prime 9pm slot.

Who is in The Celebrity Apprentice cast?

It’s still too early to know who will make up this year’s line-up, though it’s likely the Christmas special cast can be ruled out – unless someone impresses Lord Sugar enough to earn a return, as Thomas Skinner once did.

That said, viewers can expect around 12 celebrities from a mix of industries – including music, television and sport – to step into Lord Sugar’s boardroom.

Paul Broadbent, executive producer, said: “The celebrities will need to leave their ego at the boardroom door and prepare to roll their sleeves up for some very challenging – and hugely entertaining – tasks.”