Behind the scenes!
What’s The Apprentice theme music, where is the BBC series filmed and five other surprising things about the hit series?
THE APPRENTICE has been a staple of the BBC autumn schedule for over a decade on BBC One, and it continues tonight.
Here are a few things you might not know about the show, including where its iconic theme music is from and where the show is actually filmed...
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Who composed the iconic theme tune?
The theme tune for The Apprentice is an excerpt from one of Prokofiev’s classical pieces.
Montagues and Capulets, Dance of The Knights, was composed for Act I, Scene II in the ballet of Romeo and Juliet.
As well as being used in the BBC series, the tune’s dark and atmospheric vibe has been picked up multiple times in recent years.
It provided the background music in the popular 1990s advert for Chanel’s Egoiste fragrance.
Prokofiev’s composition is also often used as Sunderland FC’s theme song to get fans and players geared up before a match.
The boardroom isn’t real
Although it may appear that candidates nervously shuffle into a towering office block to await their fate, the building is actually all a complete ruse.
All of the tense scenes are shot in a west London TV studio, even with a fake receptionist.
Lord Sugar’s real offices are located in Brentwood, Essex, which is a lot further away from the towering skyline of London.
All candidates have cover stories
After the candidates are selected for the televised competition, they are required to sign a confidentiality agreement.
A clause of being on the show is that contestants can’t tell anyone they have been selected.
This often means they have to make up a cover story to get time off work from their employer.
In 2011, the late Stuart Baggs told "I lied… I said I'd gone to an oil rig to install communications gear, and didn't know how long I'd be away.
“Everyone has to come up with some sort of cover story."
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Only one of Lord Sugar’s advisers hasn't worked for him
Lord Sugar doesn’t take the competition lightly, enlisting the help of his most trusted aids to follow the candidates through the tasks.
Feisty Claude Littner works as the chairman for IT company Viglen, which is owned by Amstrad.
Similarly, Nick Hewer used to work for a PR company that worked for Amstrad in 1983.
Finally, Margaret Mountford worked as a non-executive director for Amstrad.
Karren Brady is the only ever adviser to not have worked with Lord Sugar in real life.
Where is the iconic losers cafe?
All Apprentice viewers will remember the iconic café that glum candidates sit in once they’ve failed a task.
Surprisingly, these gloomy scenes are actually filmed in two London cafes.
One is The Bridge in Acton and the other is La Cabana 2 in Willesden.
Amusingly, The Apprentice fans often flock to The Bridge, and the dreary location actually has some dazzling reviews on TripAdvisor.
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Fired candidates don't actually do the walk of shame
One thing more embarrassing than being fired by Lord Sugar is having to mope as you clamber into a taxi home.
Thankfully for the candidates, they don't have to experience both cringe-worthy moments on the same day.
All contestants do the taxi walk of shame on the first day of filming, not knowing whether the footage will ever be used or not.
MORE FROM THE BOARDROOM
Two endings are filmed
Ever wondered how news of The Apprentice winner never leaks before the final?
Lord Sugar has a way of keeping the competition so secret that not even the WINNER knows they have been chosen.
To keep the identity of the successful candidate hushed up, two alternate endings are filmed.
Often, Lord Sugar only decides on a winner the day before the final episode hits our TV screens.
The losers' cafe on The Apprentice sells coffee for just 90p
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