'Young Apprentice': Why you have to watch the first episode

While we've enjoyed the return of Strictly Come Dancing and The X Factor, this is the one we've really been excited about.

After its successful debut last year as Junior Apprentice, Lord Alan Sugar has relaunched the show as Young Apprentice because, we're told, these 16 and 17-year-olds ain't junior to anyone.

Flanked by his ever trustful aides Karren Brady and Nick Hewer, Sugar has assembled 12 of Britain's brightest and best teenagers with the promise of a £25,000 investment in the winner's business idea - and the first episode is an absolute stonker.

There really isn't that much difference between these budding entrepreneurs and their grown-up counterparts. These teens can sell, scheme and come up with amazing one liners that put the seniors to shame. They're also more than capable of shifting the blame for a screw-up as quick as you can say "sub-team".

The quick jettisoning of some pretty hideous team names for being "too clichéd" and "too cheesy" proves that, as a group, these teenagers are probably smarter than pretty much every previous Apprentice lineup. The wall of silence which greets the worst suggestion from one girl is a special delight.

The opening task is also a winner. Having the kids make and flog ice cream gives Lord Sugar the scope for some fantastically awful puns. Mr Softee, naturally, makes an entrance.

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The kids aren't afraid to get stuck in either. The sight of economics student James McCullagh dressed as the self-proclaimed Captain Vanilla asking passers-by in Southend-on-Sea if they'd like to sample his frozen goods is worth tuning in for all by itself.

His sartorial competition comes from Mahamad Awale, whose snazzy suits are only bested by an absurdly chunky watch that the camera repeatedly lingers over like it's been product-placed in a Bond movie. The success or failure of any reality show comes down to the contestants, and this bunch are already stars in the making.

The hopefuls are ably supported by Sugar's ever-patient aides. There's Nick's bewildered eyebrows as the Girls struggle with basic arithmetic, before he does that "asking a Socratic question when he knows it's too late to fix it" thing. The look on Karren's face as she tries the Boys' Apple & Watermelon frozen yoghurt is a wonderful sight to behold.

Before the inevitable trip to the Bridge Cafe, there's the boardroom. There's nothing more wonderful than seeing two people fighting tooth and nail over a mediocre idea when their team lost the task for completely unrelated reasons anyway. There's a (failed) attempt at Jedi Jim's mind trick, and a parting shot in the cab home that might well have Lord Sugar upping his security.

Young Apprentice launches on Monday, October 24 at 9pm on BBC One.

(All images: BBC Pictures)

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