Exclusive: Alan Sugar plans Apprentice final twistAlan Sugar is set to let FOUR candidates fight it out in the final of The Apprentice instead of the usual two.
He has had a last-minute change of heart because he is so undecided about which of the seven remaining contestants to employ.
In past series of the BBC business talent show, the last round has always been a head-to-head between the remaining pair.
The contest, one of the biggest hits on TV with more than seven million viewers regularly tuning in, was won last year by Simon Ambrose over Kristina Grimes.
But a show source said: "As this series has gone on, Sir Alan has found it harder to narrow down the field.
"He is now torn between a number of possible Apprentices.
"Instead of getting rid of more than one contestant in the semifinals, he will keep four for the final test so he can keep his options open."
It is thought the four finalists would bring back a fired candidate each to work alongside them on a large-scale task.
A spokesman last night declined to comment on the format of the final.
Meanwhile, BBC bosses might be forced to screen next week's episode on Tuesday instead of Wednesday because of England's football friendly against the USA.
The match is due to kick off at 8.05pm on BBC1 - clashing with the usual 9pm start for the channel's highest-rating show. The BBC said scheduling details were not yet available.
This week the remaining candidates, Raef Bjayou, Lucinda Ledgerwood, Lee McQueen, Michael Sophocles, Helene Speight, Alex Wotherspoon and Claire Young, will advertise a new brand of tissues.
Mirror
