The Apprentice 2020 cancelled due to coronavirus fears, BBC confirms

‘Production safety and the wellbeing of everyone involved in the show is our number one priority,’ a spokesperson said

The Apprentice 2020 has been cancelled after concerns over the spread of the coronavirus halted filming.

A new team of candidates had already begun pre-production on the series when lockdown made filming impossible.

A BBC spokesperson confirmed: “Sadly we have decided to postpone The Apprentice for 2020. Production safety and the wellbeing of everyone involved in the show is our number one priority.”

In order to fill the gap in the schedule, the BBC has announced plans to air highlights from previous series — much like the recent and highly successful Big Brother Best Shows Ever series on E4.

Lord Alan Sugar will appear alongside Karren Brady and Claude Littner to give their own insights into the show.

Speaking to The Sun, a source said: “The Apprentice is one of the BBC’s biggest and most popular shows so they were desperate not to have to axe it.

“But they could wait no longer and they’ve run out of time.”

The source added that the cancellation of The Apprentice shows that “even the biggest shows aren’t immune from the crisis”.