‘Nonsense!’ The Apprentice 2026 star Tim Campbell denies he’s ‘softer’ than Karren Brady
As The Apprentice 2026 arrives to screens this Thursday, viewers will no doubt be on the lookout for more of Baroness Karren Brady’s formidable eyebrow raises as she follows contestants getting evermore confused on their tasks.
By comparison to Baroness Brady Lord Sugar’s other aid, the businessman and former contestant Tim Campbell MBE, is viewed by some fans as softer and more approachable, although this isn’t a characterisation Campbell identifies with.
“Nonsense!” Campbell said to City PM when we asked whether he agreed that he was softer and more approachable than Brady. “Absolute nonsense.
“We are there to observe the candidates and be quiet actually. Our role is not to be smiley, happy, sad, our role is simply to assess the candidates and feed back the information to Lord Sugar. I don’t think we should be judged at all on whether we’re happy or smiley.
“Often we can’t hide our actual feelings around our candidates, our facial expressions will share exactly what everybody watching is feeling. Whether its the raising of an eyebrow, shaking of our head or our heads in our heads, you definitely get the feel that we are invested in our candidates.”
The Apprentice returns to the BBC this Thursday 29 January with many of the classic tasks pitting two groups of budding entrepreneurs against each other, as the teams compete to try to make a profit.
Contestants have created books, newspapers, lunch, holidays and cleaning products in an attempt to impress Lord Sugar and hopefully win the show, going into business with the billionaire, who invests £250,000 into the winning contestants’ idea.
As the show celebrates its 20th anniversary this January, Tim Campbell MBE also told City PM about the new task he’d most like to add.
Speaking ahead of the show launch about the new task he’d add, Campbell said: “If there was something I specifically would lean towards, I think working and supporting the charitable sector, a brand and marketing campaign focused on a charitable sector, could be really interesting, when we think about the strain and stress that particular sector is under in the marketplace.
“And also maybe an intervention with regards to social care, another big strain on our economic prosperity at the moment. There is an ageing population, there are more people who will need care at the end of their lives than we have babies. So I think some of the economic changes – AI, global working – could be compounded with some of the social changes we’re seeing, to see if the candidates could come up with innovative business ideas focused on those two sectors.”
The Apprentice 2026: when is it on?
The Apprentice 2026 arrives to screens this Thursday 29 January on BBC One and iPlayer.
The show has remained a ratings hit despite many of its other terrestrial TV formats struggling to compete with the newer streaming services like Netflix and Disney+. The 19th season saw an average audience of 6.7million per episode.
The first trailer for the new series features contestants gathered around Lord Sugar’s boardroom, temporarily relocated to Hong Kong, and completing tasks in the shadow of some iconic Asian cultural landmarks like a Big Buddha. Contestants are also seen riding dune buggies and going into combat with robots in virtual reality.
The new series follows a Christmas special of The Apprentice in which celebrities competed to become business people in order to raise money for charity. Benedict Cumberbatch, Olivia Colman and Robbie Williams got involved when contestants including Rob Rinder, AJ Odudu, Jake Wood called on their phone books of A-List contacts to help them get ahead.
Lord Sugar invests half a million pounds in the winner of the series’ business idea, going into a business partnership with them. Last year former Apprentice runner-up Scarlett Allen-Horton’s Lord Sugar-backed recruitment firm Harper Fox Partners entered the red during its latest financial year. Allen-Horton was a finalist in the 15th season of the show.
Speaking about the potential of the show to bolster the UK economy, Campbell said: “We find viable businesses that are successful and individuals that go on to create employment for the UK, jobs, tax revenue and innovation.”
The Apprentice 2026 arrives on BBC One and iPlayer from Thursday 29 January