As The Apprentice returns for its 2023 season, it's always worth looking back at some of the show's most memorable moments and disasters.

First airing in 2005, the UK version of the show has an 18-year-long history filled with lots of embarrassing moments that some of us would rather forget.

From Claude Littner's famous interview and business plan takedown to candidates being caught out for lying, here are seven memorable disasters from the popular BBC One show.

7 most embarrassing The Apprentice disasters and moments

The Apprentice is no stranger to embarrassing moments and memorable disasters, so here are seven of the worst:

1. Littner 'roasts' candidate's business plan

This moment is arguably one of the most well-known to ever grace The Apprentice.

In this segment, Claude Littner lures the candidate and audience into a false sense of security when he praises the contestant's CV and application form saying it "filled me with pleasure," adding that it was "very very mature."

However, when he got to talking about his business plan for Lord Sugar, his tone changed.

When the candidate tried to argue his point after being asked to leave, Littner butted in, saying: "There's nothing to argue, you've given me pictures of sailboats, what am I going to work on? Pictures of sailboats, what is that? What is that? You're taking the P***".

2. Candidate brags about IQ

After his group fails their challenge, one candidate attempts to avoid blame by saying that he did nothing so could not be held responsible for the failure.

When Lord Sugar reads out his CV in which he claims that he is usually the 'smartest person in the room,' the competitor states that he is "statistically" among the smartest in the country before Sugar responds "Really? And modest with it also".

The offending teammate goes on to say: "I actually do have the IQ of an official genius, which I am kind of proud of" to the disbelief of those in the room.

3. Cringey jingle - 'Reclaim the streets'

A contestant who is a Cambridge candidate and native of a leafy London suburb attempts to write a rap jingle for a task and performs it to the anguish of one of his teammates.

4. Claude Littner strikes again

In another entry for the savage Claude Littner, he rips into one candidate over their personal statement, calling it "the most crass, obnoxious, infantile personal statement that I've had... not really the pleasure, the opportunity of reading".

5. Sexist and outdated advert

One team chooses to advertise a cleaning product using outdated stereotypes said to be straight out of the 1950s.

The advert includes a woman struggling to clean her kitchen while another advert pitched by the group showed a child using cleaning products.

The focus group struggled to take the adverts seriously and the pitch ended in disaster.

6. Inappropriate branding

When naming a new airline, the team comes up with 'Jet Pop'. However, one person questions the name saying: "Is the word pop something you want to associate with an airline? Cause an airplane shouldn't pop".

7. Candidate caught lying by Mike Soutar

In this clip, a candidate is caught fibbing that they own certain internet domains when Soutar reveals that he bought one of the stated stated websites.

The Apprentice returns on Thursday, January 5, 2023, at 9 pm and can be watched on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.