The Apprentice returns this week and among the contestants is Azhar Siddique.

Sixteen candidates will begin their fight for one-life changing opportunity - a quarter of a million pounds to start up a business with Lord Sugar as their partner.

Azhar, aged 33 from Manchester is the founder and managing director of a catering and refrigeration company.

Before the launch of the series Azhar said: “It’s not who shouts the loudest - it’s who has the ability to control the conversation.”

His brother Khuram, 27, is confident Azhar is canny enough - and has the predatory instincts - to go all the way.

Khuram said: “He has been a managing director of his own catering and refrigeration firm and has always been very sharp in business.

“We know he is going to do well and we just want to build up some support for him across East Lancashire.”

While Khuram is a toxicologist, eldest brother Asif had his own telecoms company and Asim is an architect. Each of their sisters, Azami and Nazima, are trained solicitors.

Speaking at the launch of the contests eight series, Sir Alan Sugar talked about changing the winners’ prize from £100,000 per-year-job to a £250,000 investment.

“The change of format last year gave me encouragement.

“I needed a reason to continue doing the show. Now I want to prove that small businesses can be started successfully.

"I hope it provides a useful service and helps promote some kind of enterprise culture.”

In the first task, the boys compete against the girls. Each team must buy blank goods, add value by printing a design onto them and then sell them from stalls on the streets of London. It is a test of the candidates' creativity, marketing and salesmanship.

First stop is a warehouse full of blank products, where the teams can purchase anything from tee-shirts and toys to bags and baby grows. Next, they must come up with money-spinning designs.

One team gets creative with cute kids' clothes, while the other plays it safe with Union Jacks on teddies for tourists.

The Apprentice BB1 9pm Wednesday.