The Apprentice star Claude Littner will make return to BBC series after serious cycling accident
Claude Littner will make a limited return to The Apprentice in 2025, appearing only for the interview stage of the BBC business competition.
The 75-year-old businessman will not resume his full-time role as Lord Alan Sugar’s adviser, with Tim Campbell continuing alongside Baroness Karren Brady in the boardroom.
A source told The Sun: “The team really miss having Claude and his expertise around full time but Tim has been a perfect replacement”.
Littner was forced to step back from the show in 2021 following a serious cycling accident near his London home.
The incident resulted in nine operations and nearly cost him his leg.
Speaking on Good Morning Britain, Littner said: “I am very grateful to the ambulance crew for looking after me and of course the surgeons at St Mary’s who put me back together”.
He described it as a “freak accident” and revealed he had been “lucky to have the ambulance driving behind me.”
Despite his reduced role, Littner will maintain a connection to the show through his appearance in the crucial interview stage.
The interviews, which take place in the eleventh episode, see the five remaining candidates and their business proposals scrutinised by industry experts.
“He still remains very much apart of the show and just like last year, will feature later in the new series for the interviews with the candidates,” the source told The Sun.
Tim Campbell, who won the first series of The Apprentice, initially thought Lord Sugar’s offer to replace Littner was a prank.
“I thought people were going to burst in with cameras and say, ‘Got you!’,” Campbell told Radio Times magazine.
Earlier this year, Littner had hinted at a possible full-time return to the show, responding to a disappointed fan on social media with: “Maybe next year. ‘Nil disperandum'”.
Lord Sugar explained Campbell’s appointment, saying: “Unfortunately, Claude suffered some medical issues and so I was asked to think of someone else”.
The interviews are a fan-favourite element of the long-running BBC series.
During this stage, the remaining candidates face intense scrutiny of their business proposals from industry experts and entrepreneurs.
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The 19th series of The Apprentice is set to air in February, with Lord Sugar joined by advisors Karren Brady and Tim Campbell.
Applications for the landmark 20th series are now open, marking two decades of the business reality show.
