The Apprentice 2023: Who are the interviewers for the candidates?

Making up the penultimate episode of the series the remaining five candidates will be grilled on their business plans by some of Lord Sugar’s best experts.

Only two will get through to this process to duke it out in the final, and this segment has been notorious for its brutal takedowns of the candidate’s plans.

Here’s who remains in the show and who they will have to face questions from in the Interviews episode.

Congratulations to the final five candidates of The Apprentice ✨#TheApprentice #iPlayer pic.twitter.com/TBMFojsb5g

— The Apprentice (@bbcapprentice) March 10, 2023

Which candidates remain in The Apprentice

The candidates that are left in The Apprentice at the moment include:

• Dani Donovan, a hair salon owner from Hertfordshire
• Marnie Swindells, a court advocate from London
• Megan Hornby, an owner of a sweet shop and cafe from East Yorkshire
• Rochelle Anthony, a hair salon owner from Bedfordshire
• Victoria Goulbourne, owner of an online sweet business from Merseyside

Who are the interviewers on The Apprentice 2023?

Claude Littner

Claude Littner is back interviewing candidates (Image: BBC Media Centre)

Claude Littner is a familiar face for those who watch the show regularly, having been an interviewer on the show in every series.

He replaced Nick Hewer as one of Lord Sugar’s aides in 2015 before taking a hiatus for its 16th series due to injuries sustained from a cycling accident in 2021.

Littner returned to the show for the first episode of the 2023 series, but wasn’t well enough to continue.

He is known for his direct and confrontational style of job interviewing, and similar should be expected for tonight’s episode.

Karren Brady

Karen Brady will be back interviewing candidates (Image: BBC Media Centre)

Karren Brady is another recognisable face who has been a consistent aide to Lord Sugar on the show since 2009.

Like Littner she started off doing the interviewing, and she is the current Vice-Chairman of West Ham United.

Speaking to the BBC on what she expected in a candidate she said: “I am looking for a very strong candidate who has done their due diligence and who turns up on the day with a watertight business plan. Someone I can feel incredibly confident in putting to Lord Sugar as a potential investment opportunity.

“I am not looking for someone to spout nonsensical ambitions for the future of their business without the figures and evidence to back this up. That is a waste of everybody’s time.”

Mike Soutar

.@MikeSoutar‘s interviews throughout the years have been brutal! 😳 #TheApprentice #TheInterviews #iPlayer pic.twitter.com/qCmQxfY3gJ

— The Apprentice (@bbcapprentice) March 16, 2023

Mike Soutar is known for co-founding Shortlist Media, which includes publications such as Stylist. 

He also used to work as the CEO of the Evening Standard before stepping down during the Covid-19 pandemic. 

Soutar is another consistent interviewer on The Apprentice, having been doing it since 2011.

When asked by the BBC on if he saw himself as a tough interviewer he said: “I don’t think I’m particularly hard as a person, but I do ask tough questions and I am relentless in seeking the answers.

“My job is to make sure that Lord Sugar invests his money in the right person and the right idea, so I want to weed out those business plans that don’t stand up to scrutiny.”

Linda Plant

Linda Plant will be one of the interviewers (Image: BBC Media Centre)

Linda Plant is a businesswoman who started interviewing on The Apprentice back in 2015.

As reported by Metro her expertise lies in fashion, and she created knitwear brand Honeysuckle at the age of 15, leaving school at aged 16.

She sold the company for millions at aged 29 before later taking control of it some years later again. 

The international fashion brand made her one of the first women to head a fashion company flotation on the London Stock Market. 

When asked by the BBC on whether she considered herself a tough interviewer, she replied: “I see myself as firm, but fair. It’s never personal, but if they give me a business plan that is wreckable…I’ll wreck it!

“Obviously, nobody comes up with a perfect plan right away and you can see the ones that have potential, and you can see the ones that just don’t know what they’re talking about or their perception of growth within a business is just not relative to success.” 

The Apprentice will continue at 9 pm on BBC One and can also be watched on BBC iPlayer