The Apprentice result: Lord Sugar fires Katie Bulmer-Cooke and Sanjay Sood-Smith

The pair were sacked by Lord Sugar after failing in the puddings task

Mark, Katie and Sanjay in The Apprentice boardroom (BBC)

Lord Sugar heightened the boardroom drama on The Apprentice tonight with not one but two firings - Katie Bulmer-Cooke and Sanjay Sood-Smith left the high-pressure competition after their team failed in the latest ‘premium puddings’ task.

The candidates were called to Tate Britain in this week’s challenge, where they were asked to create a new range of high-end desserts before pitching them to major UK supermarkets with the aim of securing orders.

Unfortunately for Team Tenacity, led by Katie, 13,500 orders were placed for their trifles compared to 25,5000 for Team Summit’s tea-infused cheesecakes.

Daniel and Bianca put the finishing touches to their cheesecakes (BBC)

Mark was brought back into the boardroom by Katie, along with Sanjay, but was saved for being a “good salesman”.

Lord Sugar told Katie that although she was “Miss Common Sense” and a “good organiser”, he could not see himself going into business with her in restaurants.

Sanjay meanwhile was praised for being an “intelligent and clever fellow” but let go because Lord Sugar did not have confidence in his business proposition for a new website.

Winning Team Summit, meanwhile, were sent to sample macaroons and martinis on board an exclusive yacht that featured in James Bond film The World Is Not Enough.

The Apprentice returns next Wednesday 17 December at 9pm on BBC One