Apprentice makers urged to tighten vetting after candidate’s social media stormBy Casey Cooper-Fiske, PA Senior Entertainment ReporterThe BBC has demanded the makers of The Apprentice tighten their vetting after a candidate on the upcoming series was found to have made racist and sexist posts on social media. The 33-year-old from South Yorkshire apologised for the posts, which were deleted after the newspaper alerted the broadcaster. A BBC spokesperson said: “We were completely unaware that this contestant had made such abhorrent comments. “We have asked the independent production company for further assurances on their social media checks given the process has not been completed to a satisfactory standard in this instance. “We work with reputable third-party providers to carry out comprehensive background and social media checks on all of our candidates as part of our rigorous due diligence before casting.

Source: Irish Independent January 18, 2026 10:20 UTC