Claude Littner hopes his Apprentice return will be “worth the wait”

However, he was forced to withdraw from this year's edition of the competition after sustaining serious injuries in an accident involving an electric bike last summer.

At the time of the crash, Littner told the Press Association that he feared one leg would have to be amputated, but fortunately it was able to be saved after a long and complex operation.

Now in recovery, Littner was not able to commit to being part of the entire season, but has confirmed that he will be back to put the candidates through his trademark terrifying interviews later this month.

"Obviously, there’s not a huge amount I can say without giving too much away but I just hope that when it airs next week [Thursday 17th March, 9pm], well, I hope everyone thinks it was worth the wait," he said.

"The whole team went to so much trouble to have me back. I had written off this series, but it would seem Lord Sugar and the production company had other ideas!"

Littner continued: "I’ve had so many messages on social media too from viewers saying they hope I’m coming back for the interviews and how much they miss my smiling, but obviously I’ve not been able to say anything until now."

The businessman, who is the former chief executive of football club Tottenham Hotspur, said that colleague Lord Sugar personally approached him about the prospect of a guest appearance in the latest season.

Littner recalled: "It was quite funny how it came about; Alan arrived at my house one day (although he phoned me almost daily) and he just said, 'You will do the interviews, won’t you?' and I replied, 'Yes, of course.'

"The moment it came out of my mouth I was thinking, 'How on earth am I actually going to do it?' The truth is, by the time it came to filming I was feeling better but the team had been so kind and gone to so much trouble so I could be involved."

Until the start of the year, The Apprentice had been away from our screens since December 2019 due to the coronavirus pandemic, so these latest episodes have enjoyed a particularly enthusiastic response from longtime viewers.

The Apprentice continues on BBC One at 9pm on Thursday 10th March 2022. Check out more of our Entertainment coverage or visit our TV Guide to see what's on tonight.

The latest issue of Radio Times is on sale now – subscribe now to get each issue delivered to your door. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to the Radio Times podcast with Jane Garvey.