The Apprentice 2020 series cancelled as coronavirus pandemic halts filming

Lord Alan Sugar's hit show will not be on our screens this year 
Off-air: The Apprentice is the latest in a long line of shows affected by the covid-19 outbreak
BBC / Boundless / Ray Burmiston
Rachel McGrath24 June 2020

The Apprentice will not be returning to our screens this autumn as the ongoing pandemic has halted filming.

The BBC series sees budding entrepreneurs move into a luxury London pad, where they live while completing a series of tasks and challenges in the hope of securing an investment from Lord Alan Sugar.

The show, which would now be in its 16th year, usually begins airing in September but the ongoing global pandemic has made filming impossible.

Following tabloid reports claiming the series will not air this year, a spokesperson for the BBC said: “Sadly we have decided to postpone The Apprentice for 2020.

The Apprentice 2019 Contestants - In pictures

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“Production safety and the wellbeing of everyone involved in the show is our number one priority.”

A source told The Sun that bosses decided to call the series off as the show would be difficult to film with social distancing while overseas challenges would most likely need to be cancelled.

The news brings the future of shows including Strictly Come Dancing and I’m A Celebrity…. Get Me Out Of Here! into question.

Strictly is expected to return this summer but bosses have a huge task on their hands when it comes to figuring out how the show - which relies on physical contact between pairings and a huge studio audience - will go ahead.

ITV is yet to address the future of I’m A Celebrity in light of Australia’s plans to keep its international borders closed until early 2021.

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