The Apprentice 2017: First contestant fired by Lord Sugar

Last minute twists rocked the first episode of the brand new reality series

The next batch of brave souls hoping to secure Lord Sugar's £250,000 investment made their debut in the return of The Apprentice which aired on BBC One on Wednesday (4 October) with the business tycoon finishing the hour with his finger pointed at one unlucky candidate.

Online retail store owner Danny Grant was the first candidate to find themselves in the firing line following a loss for his team

The 32-year-old had put himself forward as Project Manager for a task which saw the teams make and sell their very own burgers - the boys ended up with a loss of £114.70 compared to a £236.78 profit from the girls team who were led by Sarah Lynn, the owner of a confectionary company.

“Gentlemen, this is a very unfortunate start,“ Lord Sugar told Team Vitality following its loss. ”Right now I feel like I’m looking at a load of dead meat to be honest with you.

Having initially decided to bring back sales executive Harrison to the boardroom, Danny changed his mind to instead bring back “Tory boy” Elliott alongside the disruptive Charles Burns, a 24-year-old management consultant.

“Danny, this was a disaster and I don’t think you managed the team well,” Lord Sugar told him before delivering the final blow: “It is with regret that you’re fired.”

The Apprentice continues next Wednesday (11 October) at 9pm on BBC One.