The show, which sees contenders battle it out in a Pop-Idol style contest for the chance to become an entrepreneur, has been a massive ratings success in the US, drawing in 28m viewers to US network NBC in the final episode last month.
In the UK show, being produced by Talkback, Sir Alan will guide 14 candidates vying for his approval and knowledge on whether they can make it in the world of business. The BBC claims that the contestants will face the "longest and most gruelling interview of their lives". The lucky winner who manages to prove their worth will secure a year long job and a six-figure salary.
Weekly assignments will be given to chosen contestants to test their business acumen and entrepreneurial skills. Each week, Sir Alan will fire one of them, leaving the rest to go on to another challenging task.
Sir Alan, founder of electronics firm Amstrad is the proverbial East End boy made good. He was brought up in a council flat in London's East End and has long been a champion of promoting enterprise in the UK. He is chairman of Amstrad and the largest shareholder in Tottenham Hotspur; owner of Viglen, the PC maker and owner of one of the largest private properties on Britain.
By contrast Trump got his start in his father's New York real estate business and by the late seventies had made himself a dealmaker extrodinaire in Manhattan, somehow getting city government and banks to finance his ambitious developments. In 1982 he built the grandiose Trump Tower on Fifth Avenue. He has become a permanent part of New York's glitterati, with his name gracing the pages of the likes of Vanity Fair and tabloids, due to his two marriages and subsequent divorces.
It is thought that the UK version will be toned down to reflect Britain's more reserved attitude to acquiring money.
Daisy Goodwin, editorial director at Talkback productions, will co-executive produce the series.
"I'm very excited to be making The Apprentice, the first entertainment show to have a real point – to show what it really takes to get ahead in business," said Goodwin.
A definite date has not been set for the UK show, although the American show which will be broadcast on BBC Two later this year.
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