A tax adviser who claims he is like the Duracell bunny, a "mumpreneur" and a company owner who likes swimming with sharks are among the 16 candidates taking part in the new series of The Apprentice.

This year's line-up of contestants on the BBC One show includes eight women and eight men from a wide variety of business backgrounds, including IT, fashion design, law and tree surgery.

They will be competing to win a life-changing £250,000 investment for their business, and the chance to have Lord Sugar as their business partner.

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Among the candidates for 2018 are: 

Jasmine Kundra
34, A Learning and Development Manager from the West Midlands

Jasmine has built her career on training others to better themselves and develop their skills and says that she loves enabling and empowering people. She credits American philanthropist and life coach Tony Robbins as her role model and admires how he has built a global empire and success whilst also improving people's lives.

She says: "All is fair in love and war...and business is war."

Khadija Kalifa

28, Owner, Eco Cleaning Company from Lincolnshire

Having run her own eco-friendly cleaning business for the past three years, Khadija considers her people skills to be her best business asset. She says her friends would describe her as being quick-witted, motivational and genuinely wanting to help others but she can have a bit of a "hot head".

She says: "Whatever I say I'm going to make happen happens. I'm a serious mumpreneur who doesn't have time for timewasters and idiocy."

Daniel Elahi

28, Owner, lifestyle brand from London

Daniel set up his business in 2017 and likens himself to Jordan Belfort, the main character in The Wolf Of Wall Street film, because of his entrepreneurial skills and lavish party lifestyle.

He says: "I have the beauty and the brains, typically people only have one. I was blessed with both in abundance."

Kurran Pooni

22 a Law graduate from London

Kurran believes he has a keen creative eye and is confident he will cope well with "managing egos". He is inspired in business by his father who started his own airline. Kurran gets irked by people who are out for themselves rather than working collectively for the team and gets especially rattled by people who lie.

He says: "I'll be honest, I don't eat, sleep, breathe business but I do eat, sleep and breathe success."

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David Alden, from East Yorkshire, says his friends and family have nicknamed him the Duracell bunny as he can "take on so much and never stop" in his role as a tax adviser.

"Mumpreneur" Khadija Kalifa, who has run her own eco-friendly cleaning business for the past three years, said she hopes to be likeable but can be cut-throat when necessary.

"Whatever I say I'm going to make happen happens," she said.

Business owner Camilla Ainsworth, 22, is a self-confessed adrenaline junkie who loves to try anything new and exciting - from skydiving to swimming with sharks.

"I'm a bundle of energy and creativity and certainly a one off... ain't no Vanilla Camilla," she said.

This year Lord Sugar ups the ante from the start of the series and tells the candidates to "expect the unexpected".

The business tycoon sends the candidates to Malta straight after the first boardroom, warning them: "Remember, this is NOT a holiday." While there, they are tasked with buying nine items at the lowest possible prices.

Lord Sugar will also be sending the candidates to Glasgow to sell art, to Birmingham to clinch deals at a Body Building Expo and back to London to launch a budget airline.

The businessman will be joined once again by aides Baroness Karren Brady and Claude Littner, who will be his eyes and ears on the tasks.

Comedian Rhod Gilbert resumes his role at the helm of sister show You're Fired, airing each week on BBC2 straight after the main show.

Two special episodes, The Final Five and Why I Fired Them, will also return to reveal the stories behind the series. The Final Five shares the journey of the five strongest candidates, just before they battle it out to secure their place in the final. As the series reaches its climax, Lord Sugar will reveal further insight into his boardroom decisions in Why I Fired Them.

Fans will also be able to keep up to date with Apprentice news on social media, including the programme's new Instagram channel.

The Apprentice will air weekly on Wednesdays at 9pm on BBC One from October 3, followed by You're Fired at 10pm on BBC Two. Viewers can watch live and on-demand on BBC iPlayer.