The Apprentice returned to our screens on January 5 - with more contestants than ever for the show's 17th season.

The line-up had 18 people vying for Lord Sugar’s £250,000 investment at 9pm every Thursday night on BBC One.

For the show's first episode, contestants were sent to Antigua where they created and sold luxury excursions to tourists.

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However, the hopefuls were soon back in the UK where a new challenge awaited them.

In last week's episode, the contestants were tasked with making and selling both sweet and savoury bao buns.

Last night, we saw the teams jumbled up and contestants were asked to create a cartoon for pre-school children.

With this being the biggest series of The Apprentice yet, three of the 18 contestants have ties to south London and made it through the elimination.

Mark Moseley:

Mark’s business, Pestgone Environmental Ltd, is based in south London at Forest Hill Road in Peckham.

Mark is a former soldier and so has said that he is able to cope in tough environments and believes that he can sell to anyone.

 

When announcing his candidacy on the show, Mark took to his Instagram with a photo captioned: “If you thought last year was bad – I’m on your tele this one!”

Marnie Swindells:

Marnie is a court advocate but has also made a name for herself as a boxer.

She runs Bronx London, a gym and fitness centre in Camberwell which she hopes to use the investment for if she wins.

 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by BRONX (@bronxldn)

When announcing on Instagram that she would be one of the contestants this year, she said: “The Apprentice 2023. Taking the fight for my business @bronxldn to a whole new level. Let the games begin.”

Shazia Hussain:

Shazia is a technology recruiter from London who champions diversity.

She has worked in recruitment in London for several years and before that, studied communications and media studies at Goldsmiths, University of London in Lewisham.

 

When she announced her place on The Apprentice this year on her Instagram page, she said: “I’m a technology recruiter who champions a varied representation of diverse women in the world of business.

“Watch me on this year’s Apprentice where I shine a light on diversity, inclusion and neurodiversity.”