The BBC has called on the makers of The Apprentice to carry out stricter background checks on contestants, after one due to appear on the forthcoming series was found to have made offensive posts on social media.
The messages from candidate Levi Hodgetts-Hague included racist remarks towards Muslims and sexist comments about women, according to the Sun on Sunday, which first revealed the posts.
Naked, the production company behind the award-winning show, said social media checks had “failed to flag the offensive posts”, and that the process would be reviewed.
Hodgetts-Hague has apologised for the posts, which have subsequently been deleted.
The messages from Hodgetts-Hague are said to have included attacks on Islam and used derogatory language to refer to women.
In other published posts from 2013 he reportedly expressed support for far-right activist Tommy Robinson.
BBC News has not seen the posts following the closure of the candidate’s social media account.
A BBC spokesperson said the views presented in the posts were “totally unacceptable” and the organisation was taking this “extremely seriously”.
“We were completely unaware that this contestant had made such abhorrent comments,” they said.
“We have asked the independent production company to fully review the social media checks undertaken given the process has clearly failed in this instance.”
The show presented by Lord Sugar is set to launch its 20th series on 29 January in which 20 candidates will compete for the chance to win £250,000 and go into business with the tycoon.
Filming concluded in 2025, meaning Hodgetts-Hague will still appear in the programme.
In a statement issued to The Sun on Sunday, Hodgetts-Hague said he was “embarrassed and ashamed” by the posts he made more than a decade ago.
“I offer my sincere apologies to all who I’ve offended, as well as my fellow candidates, for the truly awful language and views that they contain,” he said.
“I take full accountability for the publishing of those posts. They are not a reflection of the values I uphold today.
“I would like to apologise for my actions, as well as to the production team for failing to bring this account to their attention.”
Production company Naked said it worked with “reputable third-party providers” to carry out comprehensive background and social media checks on all candidates.
This is part of the company’s “rigorous due diligence” before casting, a spokesperson said.
“On this occasion, these checks failed to flag the offensive posts, therefore we will be reviewing this process moving forward.”
“Levi’s historical posts contain language which is unacceptable and Levi has been spoken to about this behaviour,” they added. “He has apologised and insists that these posts do not reflect the man he is now.”
Earlier this week, a separate former Apprentice contestant, Dr Asif Munaf, was struck off the medical register after a tribunal found he posted antisemitic, racist and sexist posts on social media.
Munaf, a candidate on series 18 in 2024, posted or reposted a total of 36 “seriously offensive” comments on X between October 2023 and July 2025.
