The lavish Apprentice mansion that houses candidates as they navigate the cut-throat business competition isn't simply a backdrop for BBC's hit show.

The BBC One series is back on Thursday nights and the latest batch of candidates vying for Lord Sugar's investment are getting settled into their new lush mansion.

But keen-eyed viewers will have noticed the candidates' house has now changed. This year's contestants are enjoying the height of luxury at Mansfield House, located on the affluent Billionaires' Row in Hampstead, North London.

Worth several million pounds, the mansion boasts seven double bedrooms, multiple bathrooms and is one of the most expensive properties to feature on The Apprentice.

Arranged over four storeys with an elevator serving all floors the house spans 11,609 sq ft (1079 sq m). The house faces and enjoys views across the Hampstead Heath extension and is situated close to Kenwood House, Hampstead Golf Course and all local amenities.

The stunning mansion features a drawing room, TV room, games room, longe area, swimming pool and gym, steam room and garage. The location also has a sizable garden.

Glentree, who marketed the property, said: The interiors and furniture designs are based on the styling of the 1930s-1940s and in particular the famous luxury French liner The Normandie.

"The use of materials such as gold leafed glass and velum were very prevalent during the period adding to the uniqueness of this fine property."

The property was sold in 2022 for an undisclosed fee.

The new property comes after one candidate criticised the style of the previous house, Huxley House. The house was used for many years on the BBC show and former 2024 participant on the show Paul Bowen said: "It's such a big house, it's the biggest house I'll ever get to stay in that's for sure.

"But, even still, they could do with upgrading the beds; those beds were only Ikea - considering it's a multi-million-pound house, they could spend another tenner and get us a decent mattress."

Huxley House has also featured on Channel 4's Britain's Most Expensive Houses, and word has it that this prestigious dwelling demands a hefty £100,000 per month in rent.

Paul, a connoisseur of pies, revealed further behind-the-scenes details during the competition as he mentioned: "There's a cinema room, although you can't watch proper telly, you can watch films and stuff like that.

"But to be honest, because there's always so many of you in the house you've always got someone to speak to, everyone's got so many stories. We spent a lot of the time getting to know each other and getting to know each other's stories."

Paul, who struck up a friendship with pie connoisseur Phil Turner on last year's series, discussed how his loved ones were the driving force behind his decision to participate, though he hadn't anticipated the emotional strain of being isolated from them.

He admitted: "I think the no contact had a bigger impact on me than I thought it would. Obviously you can speak to friends and family but you can't have your mobile on you.

"So just getting a text off someone or a quick message, you'd be surprised if you take that away completely how much it affected me."

Reflecting on the emotional impact of being away from his partner, Paul confessed: "I was quite surprised. I remember my fiancee saying, 'You won't miss me' and I thought, 'You're probably right, I won't'.

"But, after a few days without speaking to her I nearly bust into tears, I missed her.

"That was the bit of the process that I didn't realise. And it is a long day - you are up at three in the morning and I've done long shifts with my work but even that was a bit much for me."

The Apprentice airs weekly at 9pm on Thursday nights on BBC One