The returns to One tonight with a series of budding entrepreneurs battling it out to impress .

Winning the series has proved life-changing for many of the show's previous stars - who have gone on to achieve success and fortune under the tycoon's wing. However, the reality series has not avoided its fair share of tragedy and controversy over the two decades it has been on air.

Many viewers will remember fan favourite , who sadly lost his life in 2015 in heartbreaking circumstances.

With his infections mix of determination, awkward mishaps and incredible one-liners, Stuart 'The Brand' Baggs went down in Apprentice history as one of the most memorable candidates ever.

We take a look back at Stuart's heartbreaking story and other dark moments from the business show..

Stuart shot to fame on the 2010 series of The Apprentice, and became a sensation from his very first introduction.

His special collection of one-liners, not forgetting 'Everything I touch turns to sold' and "I'm Stuart Baggs, the brand", continue to be quoted by devoted fans.

At the age of 21 Stuart was the youngest contestant to ever appear on the show, and made it all the way to the semi-final of the series that was eventually won by investment banker Stella English.

After the show Stuart went back to his home on the Isle of Man where he ran a telecommunications company.

The Plymouth born entrepreneur returned to the limelight in July 2015 for heartbreaking reasons as news broke that Stuart had died suddenly at home at the age of 27.

Police later revealed that Stuart had suffered a fatal asthma attack.

Inspector Iain MacMillan said at the time: "From the reaction we have encountered during our enquiries, it is clear that this is a tragic and premature loss of such a hardworking and visionary young man.

"We extend our thoughts to the family at this sad time."

Leading the tributes pouring in for the reality TV favourite, Lord Sugar tweeted: "Terrible news Stuart Baggs has died. My sincere condolences to his family and friends. RIP one of the stand out characters of the apprentice."

After winning the sixth series of the show in 2010, Stella English beamed as she shook hands with Lord Sugar to seal her new £100,000 role. However, relations between the two soon soured with Stella going on to describe herself as the tycoon's 'overpaid lackey.'

Stella quit Lord Sugar's company after just a year and later tried to sue him for alleged constructive dismissal. Stella lost the case and Lord Sugar sued her for £35,000 legal costs, which a judge ruled she wouldn't have to pay.

Speaking after the case, a relieved Stella said that after once thinking nothing of splashing £200 on a bottle of champagne, she'd been left with just £90 in the bank.

Stella also said her two year marriage fell apart under the strain of the court case and she'd struggled to find employment since.

"I'm being treated like a criminal. I can't work, I've been called awful things, my marriage has broken down. I'm on my knees," she said in an interview with in 2013. Stella went on to land a TV role, as the host of Crowdbox, a crowdfunding television channel.

Lottie Lion made it through to the semi-finals in 2019, but became known as much for her off-screen escapades as her dramatics in the boardroom during her time on the show.

The librarian wound up blacklisted from spin-off series You're Fired as allegations swirled she'd made remarks about fellow candidate Lubna Farhan in the contestants' group.

Lottie denied there was any racist intention behind her words. Addressing the controversy, Lottie said the BBC had left her 'high and dry' after portraying her in a 'horrendous' way on the BBC show.

However, the broadcaster insisted that Lottie had been offered the available aftercare services despite not being asked back for the reunion.

"The wellbeing of the candidates that take part in The Apprentice is of paramount importance, and the production team has a thorough and robust duty of care protocol in place which includes an experienced network of support for candidates before, during and after filming," a BBC spokesperson said in a statement at the time.

In 2024, contestant Asif Munaf was dropped from the spin-off show You're Fired after he was accused of posting antisemitic comments on social media. Asif Munaf previously apologised "for any offence caused by" his posts about , but denied antisemitism.

The Board of Deputies of British Jews complained to the BBC about his "despicable antisemitism". Munaf appeared on the main programme but did not feature on the relevant episode of You're Fired.

The Apprentice bosses have been left tearing their hair out in previous series over contestants getting amorous with each other in their huge shared mansion.

It was reported in 2016 that several candidates were intimate underneath the sheets, and in 2019 two hopefuls were also accused of kissing. Bosses even had to remove the boys from the girls room as rules strictly state competitors were banned from getting up to .

"Both couples would suddenly ­disappear and there were several times they’d be found upstairs under the covers, kissing," a insider revealed.

"Production team researchers had to go into one of the girl’s rooms and tell the boys to move back to their own beds." While BBC production staff were riled, Lord Sugar also put his foot down, ranting that the show "isn't ".

So to prevent it from happening, chaperones will now be watching the contestants at all times.

"Lord Sugar has always hated the idea that some of the contestants might be getting together behind the scenes while filming," a source revealed. "This isn’t Love Island. To him, the process should be solely about business. The latest batch of contestants face stricter monitoring than any past group. Staff have been tasked with ensuring contestants keep their eyes on the prize and not on each other."