The Apprentice: Meet North Yorkshire businessman Bradley Johnson as he competes for investment from Lord Alan Sugar

It’s now week six of the show and in tonight’s episode, the candidates jet off to Dubai, where they must put on a corporate away day for two international clients based in the city. It’s a chance to bounce back for Johnson, who last week found himself at risk of being fired and forced to defend himself to Lord Sugar in the boardroom.

Passionate about motorbikes, Johnson had put himself forward as project manager for a challenge which had seen the remaining candidates tasked with branding an electric motorbike and creating an advertising campaign before pitching to a panel of experts. It was his second time as team leader in the series so far – and on both occasions, his team had lost.

“To say it’s been a rollercoaster it’s an understatement,” says 28-year-old Johnson, who lives in North Yorkshire, not far from Middlesborough.

“It’s daunting [being in the boardroom],” he adds, “especially being project manager. Everything about you, the way you handle a team, the way you communicate, everything, is being judged. As soon as you go in, all these thoughts run through your head - How did I handle this situation? What did I do to add value to the task? How am I going to argue my case?”

Since he first started watching the show as a teenager, Johnson says he felt inspired. A successful applicant for the programme this year, he tells The Yorkshire Post how he has previously tried twice to secure a spot. “I’m so determined because I know I’m only one opportunity away from changing my life,” he says. “The opportunity isn’t going to come knocking, you have to go out there and find it.”

Friends and family had encouraged him to apply. “[They said] ‘you watch it, you sit in your living room shouting at the TV thinking these guys are idiots, I could do so much better’. So I thought I’m going to prove a point, get myself on there and show how good I am. I don’t know how that has played out. I’ve watched the episodes back and maybe I am one of those idiots,” he chuckles.

“The process is really strange because only one person is going to win the £250,000 but to get there you have to work collaboratively as a team,” he adds. “When you get back to the house, although you might have had a fight in the boardroom, it’s completely forgotten about and doesn’t come up again. You’ll be cooking with each other, sitting around the dining table, playing football in the garden.”

Johnson is one of three Yorkshire candidates who began competing in this year’s series. Also still in the running for Lord Sugar’s investment is Megan Hornby, the owner of a sweet shop and cafe in Hull. Hornby believes she has found success by identifying a gap in the market and running with it. Lord Sugar’s investment has the potential to kickstart a “massive national brand”, she says.

“My USP is definitely my honesty,” Hornby explains. “I think that no matter what situation I am thrown into, I will always give one hundred percent truth, even if it’s hard to hear. I always believe that honesty is the most important thing in business.

“My biggest weakness is that I can often be overly ambitious. I can take too many things on, and sometimes I need to focus on certain aspects. But it’s just because I’m so passionate about what I do - I just want to take everything on and get involved in as much as I can.”

Fellow Yorkshire candidate Shannon Martin, the owner of a bridal boutique in West Yorkshire, opted to leave the process early. The second episode of the 17th series saw her surprise departure. On leaving the show, she said: “I’m a perfectionist, I need to know what’s going on all the time and not being able to know how things were going on at home or what was happening at work was really hard for me. The unknown is definitely not something I’m good at.

“The more I thought about it, the more I thought, ‘Am I in here for the right reasons? Do I really want a business partner? Is this what I want? Do I want my life to change?’ and it really made me realise I love my life and I love the team.”

Johnson says he has a business plan that with Lord Sugar’s investment could see his company turn over seven figures after year three. The self-made businessman studied plumbing and joinery at college before starting work in the bathroom fitting trade. A stint at Halfords and work doing solar panel and energy surveys followed before he was made redundant.

He then bought a van and started fitting kitchens and bathrooms, launching his business, what is now gardenroooms.co.uk, in 2019. The firm currently designs and installs modular living spaces such as garden spas, offices and cinema rooms and Johnson has hopes of working on projects like log cabins and glamping pods.

Mentorship, though, is a crucial part of what Lord Sugar could add. “Having someone who has done it and been through the ranks, who can predict what’s going to happen before it does, would be invaluable,” Johnson says.

The Apprentice is on BBC One at 9pm.