APPRENTICE hopefuls are banned from doing their business once they enter the boardroom, Tim Campbell has revealed.
Candidates at the post-task grilling are not allowed to nip to the loo once the doors are closed.
It can mean they are forced to cross their legs for hours.
Tim — the BBC One reality contest’s first winner in 2005 — revealed: “No one is going to the loo! These people are after £250,000.
“Once you’re in the boardroom, those doors are closed, and those scenes can go on for hours.
“When candidates are in the foyer, they have to be ready for a session that does not stop until Lord Sugar has made a decision — and he’s meticulous.”
READ MORE IN TV
Previous candidates have also revealed a sex ban — introduced in 2019 after two contestants bedded each other — and limited mobile phone access.
This week, the final five candidates will face the interview stage — which will see the return of feared Claude Littner.
He warned: “I always ask the tough questions and look for honest responses.”
But Tim, 46, who started advising Lord Sugar in 2022, insisted: “I don’t think it’s brutal at all — it’s thorough.
"If I was going to give somebody £250,000, I’d ask them some tough questions about what they’re going to do with that money.”
The Apprentice continues on Thursday at 9pm.