Karren Brady and Tim Campbell have lifted the veil on The Apprentice’s firing protocol, shedding light on potential hints that someone is about to be dismissed from the BBC competition.

During a chat with the BBC’s The One Show hosts Alex Jones and Clara Amfo, which was broadcast on Tuesday, 28 January, Karren and Tim, who are Lord Alan Sugar’s trusted advisers on The Apprentice, divulged the red flags they notice that often lead to a contestant’s downfall.

Karren highlighted key missteps saying: “I think lying, not owning your mistakes. Not standing up for yourself. Not fighting your corner. Those things can often let you down.”

Tim also revealed: “The big thing for us is that, if you ever forget your numbers and you can’t add up in the boardroom. You think you’ve made a profit, but you’ve made a loss, you are dead.”

Karren also teased some novelties fans can expect in The Apprentice’s upcoming season, priming audiences for its return on BBC One on 30 January with a fresh batch of contenders vying for Lord Sugar’s backing, reports Wales Online.

She revealed: “There’s so much to discuss when there’s so much change. Every year, the tasks become more modern. This year, we have a virtual pop star and an AI pop star. When Lord Sugar set the task, Tim and I were there as virtual pop stars, which was quite daunting.”

However, it wasn’t Karren’s behind-the-scenes insights that sparked conversation after her appearance on The One Show. Instead, her new look caught viewers off guard, with some struggling to recognise her.

On social media platform X, one viewer commented: “Haven’t watched #TheApprentice for years, just seen #KarrenBrady on #TheOneShow I honestly didn’t recognise her.”

Another fan admitted: “I didn’t recognize Karren Brady at all.” A third said: “Had to double take Karen Brady.”

Meanwhile, a fourth viewer praised: “@karren_brady looking fantastic, eloquently spoken, and that outfit rocks. #TheOneShow.”

The One Show airs Monday-Friday on BBC One at 7pm.