Lord Sugar meets a fresh batch of candidates in his search for an apprentice, as another series of the business-based reality TV show begins. The first task for the candidates is to produce a range of sausages ready for sale the next morning. They are given a crash-course in crafting the perfect sausage, before hitting the streets at the crack of dawn in the hope of selling their stock, under the watchful eyes of Nick Hewer and Karren Brady. At the end of the day, one candidate will be fired.

Following an early morning call summoning the candidates to Heathrow airport, hopes are high for a sunshine getaway. No such luck for the candidates, though, as Lord Sugar sets the task of designing and creating a brand new beach accessory. The task is centred on creating something completely original for the nation's sun worshipers, along with an eye-catching poster to promote their product. Candidates must then pitch their product to three big retailers in the hopes of securing orders and avoiding a place in the boardroom. A surprise result leads to a fierce boardroom battle, where one more candidate is faced with hearing Lord Sugar's immortal words "You're fired".

The candidates seize the opportunity to impress Lord Sugar as they take over an industrial bakery. The teams are each given a market stall from which they try to tempt hungry customers with their baked goods, and they go head-to-head to pitch for the business of a high-class hotel, a restaurant and a coffee shop. Nick and Karren keep an eye on proceedings as the teams work to keep up with orders, and when the teams face Lord Sugar in the boardroom, one candidate is fired.

The teams are at the Science Museum, where they have to select two innovative new products to sell to trade. One of the members of the team which loses the challenge is failed by Sir Alan at the end of the show.

It is week five, and the candidates boldly enter the world of fashion. Lord Sugar ups the ante when he challenges the teams to open pop-up shops at the Trafford Centre in Manchester - one of Europe's largest shopping centres. The teams must select ranges of clothing from some of London's most up-and-coming designers, and are tasked with charming the fashionistas to allow them to represent their brand at retail. Under the ever-watchful eyes of Nick and Karren, the teams swap their business suits for some cool clobber and use every trick in the book to market and promote their stores. In the boardroom, one candidate on the losing team faces a serious dressing-down from Lord Sugar, who is in an unforgiving mood.

The battle to become Lord Sugar's next apprentice intensifies as the remaining candidates reach the series' half-way mark. After a rude awakening from the boss, the candidates are set to work creating branding and advertising for a new multi-purpose household cleaner. The teams are tasked with producing a spotless TV and radio advertising campaign, and try to clean up when they pitch to ad agency heads and industry experts. As Nick and Karren look on, the campaigns cause raised eyebrows as some of the candidates lose focus. It gets messy in the boardroom, as Lord Sugar wipes the floor with the losing team. Another of this year's prospects discovers it's the end of the road as Lord Sugar sends them packing with the words 'You're Fired'.

The remaining candidates head to Pinewood film studios in Buckinghamshire, where they are challenged to create personal movie experiences that give consumers a chance to star in their own feature films. Both teams stretch their creative muscles and put together car races, rollercoaster rides and encounters with sharks, before visiting Westfield shopping centre in London to promote their creations to the public.

The teams must represent British crisp companies hoping to break into the German market.

Alan Sugar summons the seven remaining candidates in the heart of the City and challenges them to purchase a series of unusual items at bargain prices. The teams are split into boys and girls as Karren Brady and Nick Hewer oversee their efforts to find the best deals.

Alan Sugar challenges the remaining candidates to set up their London tour company and provide open-top bus excursions for tourists. The budding entrepreneurs also have to map out walking routes to show visitors a lesser known side of the capital, and bid for a potentially lucrative deal with a travel agency.

As the series draws to a close and tension mounts, this programme profiles the remaining five candidates, revealing the true stories behind their super-confident egos.

Lord Sugar's search for an apprentice reaches its penultimate week, and the five remaining candidates face a different type of challenge: they each have to face a gruelling interview process on their own. There is nowhere to hide as they are grilled by four of Lord Sugar's trusted business colleagues, one of whom is a very familiar face. These advisors then feed their opinions back to Lord Sugar, and three candidates are fired in the boardroom as he decides who is worthy of a place in the final.

The two remaining candidates are challenged to launch a new high-quality alcoholic beverage in front of an audience of industry experts - before Alan Sugar reveals who he has chosen to work alongside him in a job with a six-figure salary.

Lord Sugar looks back on the unsuccessful candidates in the 2010 series. From making sausages and selling clothes to creating a character for a brand new cleaning product, this year's budding businessmen and women have been tested to destruction. Reliving their worst decisions, Lord Sugar reveals how, each week, he decided who would hear his famous phrase: "You're fired".