BBC has announced the lineup for The Celebrity Apprentice 2025!!
The television show is back with two celebrity Christmas specials, where several well-known faces will step into Lord Sugar’s boardroom to raise funds for “BBC Children in Need.”
Fans can look forward to Lord Sugar teaming up with Santa Claus for this festive challenge. The celebrities will be divided into two teams. They will be sent to Lapland, Santa’s home, where they’ll create their own unique gingerbread biscuits.
In addition to this, each team will have to plan how to market and sell their biscuits. They’ll produce a creative advert and a catchy jingle before pitching their treats to retailers in an effort to secure the crucial sales.
The first team consists of AJ Odudu, Charlie Hedges, comedian Eddie Kadi, actor Jake Wood, Kadeena Cox and Rob Rinder. They will create the gingerbread biscuit with butter toffee, vanilla and Christmas pudding flavoured festive icing, in the shape of Santa’s naughty brother, named Jolly McTrouble, with the tagline “Be Naughty, Get Nice.”
Meanwhile, the second team comprises Tom Skinner, Angela Scanlon, JB Gill, Matt Morsia, Miranda actor Sarah Hadland, and Shazia Mirza. They will be making a gingerbread biscuit in the shape of a penguin, called Gary the Penguin, with lemon, bubblegum, and white pepper. Their tagline will be “A Cheeky Treat for Your Little Rebel.”
As the teams work on their tasks, Mike Soutar and Baroness Karren Brady will be keeping a close eye on their progress. Soutar will be taking Tim Campbell’s place this time. Normally, Soutar is seen in the regular Apprentice series during the tough interview round.
Starting on November 14th, Friday, people all over the UK can buy the biscuits made by the celebrities. They will be available at Ocado Retail, Amazon Online, Amazon Fresh stores (London), Asda, Tesco, Boots, Debenhams, Lola’s Cupcakes, Wenzel’s The Bakers Greenhalgh’s bakeries, Knoops, Haven Holidays, and One Stop.
The celebrity edition, returning after 2019, will let viewers buy biscuits created by the stars of the show for the first time.
In this regard, Lord Sugar said, “It’s the first ever time on The Celebrity Apprentice that the public can buy products that were created by the celebrity candidates. It’s added some real pressure to the process.”
He continued, “I think the celebs thought they were in for an easy ride, but they were wrong! Raising money for BBC Children in Need is serious business, so the candidates really need to deliver if they want to avoid ending up on my naughty list.”
BBC’s Head of Entertainment Commissioning, Kalpna Patel-Knight, remarked, “The celebrity candidates will be giving viewers a tasty treat or two this Christmas that viewers can literally sink their teeth into, all while supporting the incredible work of BBC Children in Need. Are viewers going to be Team Gary the Penguin or Team Jolly McTrouble? Let the festive boardroom battle begin!”
The Celebrity Apprentice Christmas special episodes are set to premiere this year on BBC One and BBC iPlayer, with the confirmed official release dates: 29 and 30 December 2025.
