The Celebrity Apprentice confirmed to return at Christmas – but one major figure is missing

The Christmas TV schedules are starting to fill up and it's now been confirmed that the Celebrity Apprentice is set to make its return for two brand new festive episodes.

The episodes come ahead of The Apprentice's major 20th anniversary and will see collaboration with Children in Need as the celebrities take to Lapland for a challenge that's set to be tougher than ever – and will be able to be sampled by the general public.

While the candidates themselves have yet to be confirmed, we do know that 12 celebrities will be heading to Lapland to create a "magical festive biscuit".

According to the synopsis: "The celebrities will then have to pitch their Christmas gingerbread biscuits to the biggest UK retailers, who will then, for the first time in the show’s history, sell the biscuits in stores across the UK – with a percentage of profits going to BBC Children in Need. The celebrities' biscuits will hit the supermarket shelves in time for Christmas."

So, if you're in the market for a festive gingerbread (or several) then you'll have to keep your eyes peeled on your supermarket shelves.

However, there will be a slight change in usual proceedings, as Lord Sugar's advisors are a little different this time round. Due to Tim Campbell being unable to make the filming of the festive episodes, Lord Sugar will be joined by Mike Soutar instead and, of course, Baroness Brady.

Avid Apprentice fans will recognise Soutar as one of the regular stern faces when the candidates face the interview stage, forensically pouring over CVs and business plans to suss out whether they're a good fit for Lord Sugar's plans or not. So, it's safe to say that he'll be a steely addition to the group's Lapland antics.

The BBC also shared that as part of the special episodes, the celebrity candidates visited the BBC Children in Need-funded project Chickenshed Theatre Trust, where they shared their adverts and offered the children a taste of their biscuits. As is the way with youngsters, they received their fair share of honest feedback.

Chickenshed is just one of the projects that receives funding from BBC Children in Need to support disabled children and those with additional needs to enable them to take part in positive activities that develop their confidence, learning and create opportunities.

A release date for The Celebrity Apprentice: Christmas Specials will be announced in due course, but we do know that the episodes will air later this year on BBC One and iPlayer.

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Paul Broadbent, director of programmes at producer Naked, said: “We are delighted to announce The Celebrity Apprentice: Christmas Specials. Not only will the two special episodes be immensely entertaining, but the biscuits made and sold in the lead up to the show airing will be raising vital funds for BBC Children in Need – it’s a win win.

"The Apprentice has always been the ultimate test of business acumen and resilience. Now, with well-known faces stepping up to the challenge, we can’t wait to see how they fare under pressure.”

On the announcement of the episodes, Kalpna Patel-Knight, head of entertainment commissioning at the BBC, said: “Viewers can look forward to the celebrity candidates facing the ultimate festive challenge of creating their own biscuits in aid of BBC Children in Need with plenty of seasonal surprises along the way too before they face Lord Sugar in the boardroom who will decide who has been naughty and who has been nice!”

Tommy Nagra, director of content at BBC Children in Need, also added: “This is the first time we have partnered with The Celebrity Apprentice. The spirit of Christmas embodies kindness, generosity and giving, so it’s especially exciting that – for the first time ever – the product created during the show will be available in stores, with proceeds going directly to BBC Children in Need.

"Right now, we’re only able to fund one in six organisations that ask us for support, so every pound raised will help us reach children across the UK who are most in need, during these most challenging of times for young people.”

As for who the lucky batch of celebrities will be, we'll just have to keep our eyes peeled for an announcement but excitement can certainly start building from now, especially as viewers will get their first chance to actually get involved in The Apprentice.

The Celebrity Apprentice: Christmas Specials will air later this year on BBC One and iPlayer.

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