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THE APPRENTICE: Claude Littner Causes First Shock In Episode 1, There's Another One In Store

APPRENTICE: Claude's Arrived, And He's Not Smiling
Caroline Frost
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There are two shocks in store for this year's crop of candidates on 'The Apprentice', and that's before they're even given their fast task.

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When they make their first entry into the boardroom, they're greeted by the customary sight of Lord Sugar, Karren Brady and... an empty chair. When the door opens and it's Claude Littner who fills the empty seat, well, you can imagine how the air in the room suddenly gets a little thinner.

As Lord Sugar puts it, "You think this process is tough, it just got a whole lot tougher.”

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Claude's here, and he's not looking candidate-friendly

Then, Lord Sugar makes the decision to swap the ladies and gentlemen around, so that both teams are mixed. This is the first time in the show's history that this is the case, but it makes little difference to the general ineptitude on display in their task of the series - to buy a load of fish and sell it in the most profitable way possible to the lunchtime crowd.

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Is there a natural salesperson in the house?

Teams Versatile and Connexus head off to London's Billingsgate Market, in the early hours of the morning, but of course not all goes according to plan. One team decides to go for high-end, high-profit gains while the other opts for fish-finger butties. Not everyone is a natural salesperson, it transpires, with one bright spark even trying to sell a load of fish to a cafe, which would be fine, if it weren't a vegan restaurant. See the clip above.

The Apprentice kicks off on Wednesday 14 October at 9pm on BBC1.

The Apprentice 2015: Celebrity Lookalikes
Aisha Kasim(01 of36)
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Age: 26Business inspiration: Victoria BeckhamSample quote: "Pressure makes diamonds. It's something I respond well to, I think it's go hard or go home." (credit:Jim Marks/Boundless)
This is going to be easy... Rebecca Ferguson(02 of36)
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April Jackson(03 of36)
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Age: 26Business inspiration: Skinny Girl Cocktails' Bethenny FrankelSample quote: "I'm Jamaican. We come first, we win on the track and we will win in the boardroom." (credit:Jim Marks/Boundless)
Imagine Leona Lewis unsmiling... in a board meeting(04 of36)
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Brett Butler-Smythe(05 of36)
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Age: 28Sample quote: "I pride myself on not having any negative or bad traits about myself, they're all good, they're all positive." (credit:Jim Marks/Boundless)
Brett shares the piercing gaze of Good Cop actor Mark Womack(06 of36)
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Charleine Wain(07 of36)
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Age 31:Sample quote: "I would describe myself as very determined, ambitious, and I always want to show that women can succeed in business." (credit:Jim Marks/Boundless)
Mamma Mia, it's uncanny... Amanda Seyfried(08 of36)
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Dan Callaghan(09 of36)
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Age: 23Business inspiration: Amazon's Jeff BezosSample quote: "I'm just a generally all round quite entertaining person, I think. A lot of people laugh at me." (credit:Jim Marks/Boundless)
Will Dan be toasting victory like (a young) Shane Ritchie?(10 of36)
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David Stevenson(11 of36)
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Age: 25Business inspiration: Elon MuskSample quote: "Me and Lord Sugar will work together because you've got age and beauty and those two go hand in hand all the time. Sugar's got the age and I certainly am beautiful." (credit:Jim Marks/Boundless)
Strictly speaking, not identical, but the same baby face as Jay McGuinness(12 of36)
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Elle Stevenson(13 of36)
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Age: 21Business inspiration: Taylor SwiftSample quote: "I hate anything mediocre - I can't be middle. I hate being the person that comes second... I've never been the person that comes second. I'd rather be the one who fell over at the start of the race and never make it to the finish line." (credit:Jim Marks/Boundless)
Imagine Nigella unsmiling... (14 of36)
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Gary Poulton(15 of36)
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Age: 34Sample quote: "I look like the nice, easy going, laidback Brummie but once I start doing my business, people know I'm the real deal." (credit:Jim Marks/Boundless)
Is Gary as funky as hitmeister Mark Ronson?(16 of36)
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Jenny Garbis(17 of36)
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Age: 23Business inspiration: Emma Watson's 'He For She' campaignSample quote: "You will see my name in lights - Jenny Garbis, don't forget that. That's going to be a global name. That's going to be an entrepreneur everyone looks up to." (credit:Jim Marks/Boundless)
As long as Lord Sugar doesn't have cold feet about Jenny... ho ho ho(18 of36)
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Joseph Valente(19 of36)
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Age: 25Role model: Hugh HefnerSample quote: "I am the definition of success, I'm a godfather of business and I'm here to make Lord Sugar a lot of money." (credit:Jim Marks/Boundless)
If in doubt, Joseph, cry! It worked so well for Rylan(20 of36)
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Mergim Butaja(21 of36)
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Age: 23Sample quote: "Why am I a worthy business partner for Lord Sugar? I'd be a challenge to him. Everyone he's met probably sucks up to him. I won't. I'll tell him like it is." (credit:Jim Marks/Boundless)
TV's Rav Wilding(22 of36)
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Natalie Dean(23 of36)
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Age: 25Business inspiration: Liv Garfield, the CEO of Severn TrentSample quote: "If I set my mind to something, I won't quit until I have done it." (credit:Jim Marks/Boundless)
Girl meets Girl, everyone's favourite Jordie lass Denise Welsh(24 of36)
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Sam Curry(25 of36)
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Age: 23Business inspiration: Richard BransonSample quote: "I'm an interesting mix between happy go lucky and adventurous and then quite logical and sensible. It's a strange combination." (credit:Jim Marks/Boundless)
Can't go on looking like(ish) David Tennant... (26 of36)
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Richard Woods(27 of36)
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Age: 31Business inspiration: Richard BransonSample quote: "I'm a Swiss army knife of bouncy skills, business skills, enthusiasm, I've got everything highly-tuned and highly-chiselled." (credit:Jim Marks/Boundless)
Hopefully better luck than England rugby captain Chris Robshaw(28 of36)
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Ruth Whiteley(29 of36)
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Age: 47Sample quote: "Lord Sugar might think I'm a bit gushing, he might find me over-zealous, but I think he'll think I'm great." (credit:Jim Marks/Boundless)
And Grayson Perry thought he was a one-off?(30 of36)
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Scott Saunders(31 of36)
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Age: 27Sample quote: "People do say to me they've never met anyone like me." (credit:Jim Marks/Boundless)
Add a few (thousand) pounds, and it's Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson(32 of36)
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Selina Waterman-Smith(33 of36)
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Age: 31Sample quote: "I am strong-minded; I do like to be the leader." (credit:Jim Marks/Boundless)
Billboard Queen Meghan Trainor(34 of36)
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Vana Koutsomitis(35 of36)
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Age: 27Business inspiration: Ashton KutcherSample quote: "I believe this is a marathon and if you have stamina and if you do things with integrity, morals and direction, you can get where you want to go." (credit:Jim Marks/Boundless)
Add a few pompoms, and she's the spitting image of Miss Price!(36 of36)
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