The best characters to ever appear on The Apprentice as show turns 20

The first episode of The Apprentice premiered 20 years ago, and since then, the introductory sequences, which feature Sir Alan Sugar looking for a new business partner, have become a yearly staple on British television. The series, which has introduced many memorable characters and moments over the years, is currently airing season 19. From Tim Campbell to Michael Sophocles, here are some of the best characters to come out of the show.

Ruth Badger, who once claimed “I'm The Apprentice. End of”, lost out to Michelle Dewberry in season two. In addition to being a strong candidate, she was also an excellent television personality. She was tough, astute, and, in our opinion, the series' obvious winner. Ms Badger currently has her own consultancy firm, Ruth Badger Consultancy Ltd, with offices in Salford Quays, Salford, and also runs North West Money, a company which provides finance for homeowners.

Ricky Martin kicked off season eight with such a terrible first interview that you most likely thought his five minutes of fame would end before they began. But he later redeemed himself, winning in 2012 with strong ideas and clever business strategies. If you didn't watch his season, this quote might help visualise the type of character he was on the show: “When it comes to business, I’m like a shark. I’m right at the top of the food chain. I truly am the reflection of perfection.”.

From the same year, The Apprentice has another brilliant candidate called Michael Sophocles. Some people might remember him as the candidate who put “nice Jewish boy” on his CV, although it subsequently came out he is half Catholic and half-Jewish. In week seven, he made a mistake by confusing halal with kosher. As a result, Sophocles received a severe reprimand from Jewish Lord Sugar, but he was able to stay on until week 10, when his dreadfully bad performance led to his termination.

Later, Lord Sugar acknowledged that he should have fired Mr Sophocles much sooner. Loveable rogue Tom Skinner was an overnight hit on the show when he featured on season 15. Romford-born Skinner only made it to episode nine of the series, after only three wins in the proceeding weeks. But his legacy has lasted much longer, and he has since amassed a loyal set of fans, with over 660,000 fans on Instagram alone.

His cheeky confidence resonated with everyone, including Lord Sugar, who Skinner has said he stayed in touch with and has described as a “top bloke” and “proper billionaire”. Tim Campbell, who now sits at Lord Sugar’s boardroom tables as an advisor on the show, won the first series. He beat off fierce competition, including former Loose Women panellist Saira Khan, who came second. “I hated being on TV and all the media that came with it when I was a contestant on the show,” he said.

“Once it had ended, I'd buried myself in business and run away from that world, so when Lord Sugar rang me and asked me to step in, I really had to think about it.”. After finishing second in the ninth season of The Apprentice in 2013, Luisa Zissman went on to compete on Celebrity Big Brother the following year, receiving a six-figure salary. She was always headed for something bigger than The Apprentice. Although she isn’t remember positively on the show, she did give us one of the most memorable moments, when Nick Hewer scolded her for treating the project manager on a dating task, Jason, badly, saying she displayed a "disgraceful display of manners".

The 37-year-old later became a presenter and regular panellist on Big Brother's Bit on the Side. Stuart Baggs is easily one of the most memorable contestants the show has ever seen, appearing on the show in 2010 at the age of 21, where he called himself ‘The Brand’. He had Nick Hewer “trembling with irritation” due to his management style. Mr Baggs is also remembered well for his lengthy metaphors about ponies, and his sales prowess: “Everything I touch turns to sold.”.

Sadly, the former contestant died aged 27 from an asthma attack in 2015. Akshay Thakrar was dubbed “a cat with nine lives” when he appeared on series 16 of the show. He received this title after he managed to stay on the show for a long time despite failing the majority of the tasks. While he may not have been great at the tasks, he knew how to talk well, and that’s probably what kept him on the show.

“I stuck to the facts, kept it very clear and always kept it relevant to business. I think that’s why I survived so much, to be honest with you. I kept it to the point, I didn’t make it personal at any time, I highlighted what went wrong and Lord Sugar saw that.”. He didn’t win the show but he did win the heart of that season’s winner, Harpreet Kaur. The pair tied the knot in 2024. Despite not lasting until the end of the show, Avi Sharma definitely left an impression on viewers in 2023.