Sugar: 'Junior Apprentice is ruthless'

Sir Alan Sugar has claimed that contestants on Junior Apprentice display "ruthlessness".

The 63-year-old millionaire said that the young candidates, who are aged between 16 and 17, were more focused on "getting on with it" than the applicants on the regular show.

Speaking at a Q&A session about the new series, he said: "It's a young honesty. They've spent their lives at school dealing with facts, being told what to do and getting on with it. So what you miss is the jockeying for position you get from the older apprentices, who try to exhibit their shrewdness.

"These kids get straight down to what they are told to do. There is a ruthlessness of just getting on with it. Obviously they have a lack of experience and knowing how to be a bit tactful sometimes - but that's youngsters for you!"

Sugar's assistants on the show Nick Hewer and Karen Brady backed the ten applicants to have successful careers, describing them as "great kids".

"What came through was their honesty and kindness to each other," said Hewer. "I got ticked off for being a bit too harsh at first."

Brady added: "I saw these kids grow and learn and listen. They are really impressive."

'Junior Apprentice': Meet the applicants