The Apprentice - Season 12

Having invested £1.25 million in five successful start-up companies, Lord Sugar is on the hunt for his next investment. Punishing tasks and testing challenges, all under the watchful eyes of Baroness Brady and Claude Littner make this the toughest Apprentice yet.

The candidates are summoned to the Istituto Marangoni, where Lord Sugar tells them that for their next task they must create an advertising campaign for jeans made from Japanese denim. Teams need to design packaging, film a TV advert and create an attention-grabbing bus shelter advert, all before pitching the whole campaign to a panel of leading industry experts.

Lords Sugar sets the candidates a task in which they must design and manufacture their own brand of sweets, before heading to Brighton to sell them.

The candidates are summoned to Drapers' Hall, where they learn that for their next task they will be taking over part of the world-famous department store Liberty of London. The teams have to introduce a new product line to promote and sell in the store, and they must also run a personal-shopping service for some of London's most discerning shoppers. It is boom or bust as the teams have two days to fight it out and see who can turn premium stock into a pretty penny.

Lord Sugar sets the candidates the task of helping two entrepreneurs launch their new cycling product and getting the public to invest through crowdfunding. The teams must organise a PR stunt, create a campaign video and then pitch to a group of cycling retailers to try to secure orders.

The candidates are enjoying a well-deserved day of rest and relaxation when the peace is shattered by the shrill ring of the house phone. With only 20 minutes to get ready, it's off with their comfy casuals and into their business suits. Lord Sugar wants to meet them at the View on the 69th floor of the Shard.

Surrounded by panoramic views of the sunset, Lord Sugar reveals that he is sending the candidates out to work the night shift. They have to stay awake, find nine items, negotiate the best possible price and be back at the Shard by 6.00am. The team that spends the least amount of money will win the task.

One team quickly zooms off into the darkening streets of London, confident they will be finished quickly and home for an early night. But the other struggles to get off the starting block as one candidate is too distracted by the impressive views to be helpful.

As the evening draws on, the teams battle with closing times and tired shop owners. Negotiations hit rock bottom when the only discount one team manage is 35 pence off a single item. When language barriers send one team on a wild goose chase it's a mad dash back in time for sunrise.

Dawn breaks and it's a bleary eyed boardroom. But there are no excuses accepted for unlucky candidates who face Lord Sugar's firing line.

Lord Sugar instructs the candidates to tap into one of the UK's biggest markets - the boating and leisure industry. The task is simple - pick the right products and sell them at Poole Harbour Boat Show.

The candidates are summoned to the National Portrait Gallery, where Lord Sugar instructs them to organise an exclusive late-night event at two of London's biggest tourist attractions - the London Aquarium and Madame Tussauds. In under 36 hours, each team must organise and host an event to remember, keeping an eye on profits but also pleasing the punters. From setting up refreshments and entertainment to making sure they sell enough tickets to fill their venue, both teams have a challenge on their hands.

After a leisurely morning in the house, the candidates are shocked when Karren and Claude appear at the front door to give a briefing that is 'out of this world'. For the next task, the teams have to push their imagination and design skills to the limit to create a new virtual reality game, before pitching it to a huge audience of gaming enthusiasts at the world-famous Comic Con exhibition.

As the teams move into week 10, the remaining candidates are summoned to the Old Royal Naval College in Greenwich. Here Lord Sugar sets them the task of creating and producing the spirit of the moment - gin. With the final in sight, the candidates are all desperate to impress. However, one team gets a little carried away with the taste testing, getting tipsy before the day has even begun, while on the other team, their pitches hit rock bottom when a key retailer reveals they don't like the colour, taste or branding of the gin. One candidate is left with a bitter taste in their mouth when the rest of the team turns against them, and tempers reach boiling point. Who will be fired?

Ten weeks ago, 18 candidates arrived in the boardroom in the hope of becoming Lord Sugar's next business partner. As series 12 draws to a close, this programme profiles the remaining candidates. Revealing the stories behind each budding tycoon, it gets up close and personal to discover what really drives their ambition and makes them tick. It features interviews from parents, partners and friends, along with Lord Sugar's trusted aides Karren Brady and Claude Littner. The Final Five delves into the candidates' backgrounds and looks back over their highs and lows during the process so far.

The battle to become Lord Sugar's business partner is nearing the end, as the remaining candidates have 24 hours to brush up on their business plans and face the formidable interview process. It's time to get a grilling from four of Lord Sugar's trusted advisors - Claude Littner, Claudine Collins, Mike Soutar and Linda Plant. After plans are scrutinised and characters questioned, Lord Sugar selects his two finalists.

With the final just days away and Lord Sugar on the cusp of choosing his new business partner, this programme looks back on the candidates who fell before the final hurdle and the tasks that tested them to the limit. From slacking sales at a soggy boat show to the 'out of this world' virtual reality game Gordon's Lost His Badger, the candidates have had both great highs and jaw-dropping lows. Facing lost jeans, double firings, cream cracker canapes and even a sing-a-long with mermaids, the challenges have involved humour, heartache and some outstanding performances. With the help of previously unseen insights from the eagle-eyed Karren Brady and Claude Littner, Lord Sugar leads through the best and worst decisions made by the candidates. He looks back on the boardroom bust-ups and explains how he came to decide who would hear the words 'You're fired!'.

The two finalists receive a call summoning them to London's City Hall. Lord Sugar informs them that their final task is to launch their business by creating a brand and unveiling their campaign in front of a packed audience full of industry experts. A few old faces return as the two finalists choose key colleagues to try to help them secure the ú250,000 investment, and it is straight to work as they set out to build a brand, make a TV advert and create a company fit for Lord Sugar. In the boardroom, business plans are evaluated and ad campaigns are assessed, but there can only one winner. It is heartbreak for one and ecstasy for the other, as Lord Sugar finally picks his next business partner.