Lord Sugar points the finger at 'old-fashioned' X Factor

Lord Sugar boasted he was “far superior” to reality show rival Simon Cowell yesterday as he launched the latest series of The Apprentice.

The peer branded The X Factor “old fashioned” and said: “We are completely different.

“We are a business programme which is also quite entertaining.”

The straight-talking businessman also hit out at some of the contestants and said some of the contenders from Junior Apprentice could give them “a run for their money”.

Lord Sugar, who is starring in the sixth series of the show starting next week, said too many of the aspiring tycoons did not realise it was also a team game in its early stages.

He said: “They don’t understand the word ‘team’, there is too much jockeying for position, seniority, or wanting to show who is clever or who is not clever.”

And he said it was impossible to try and pick a winner from the first few shows.

He said: “Some of them, you feel in the very early stages are as bright as a button and shine and they get different types of tasks and just fall away.”

There are a few differences in this year’s show with the unlucky contenders who get the boot having to face comic Dara O’Briain in the BBC2 fan show You’re Fired!

Another change sees West Ham United vice-chairman Karren Brady step up to take the place of long-time Sugar sidekick Margaret Mountford.

But Brady, who starred in 2007’s Comic Relief version of the show, said she was no soft touch and enjoyed working with co-star Nick Hewer.

She said: “Nick and I are very conscious to keep our distance really.

“We’re not their friends, we’re not their mentors, we’re not their adviser.

Our job is purely to observe and watch what they do so we can give an accurate report.

“We don’t fraternise.”