A barrister from Sussex is hoping to avoid hearing the words "You're Fired" as he battles against 15 other would-be business tycoons in the new series of The Apprentice.

Nicholas de Lacy-Brown, 24, who grew up in Worthing, will spend the next 12 weeks competing for a job from businessman Sir Alan Sugar, who shouts his famous catchphrase at the end of every episode of the hit BBC1 series.

Viewers will see him undertake different business tasks set by Sir Alan as the hopefuls get a taste of what life is like at the top of the cut-throat business world.

Nicholas added his grandmother's name De Lacy to his surname.

He claims to be allergic to chavs and that his worst moment in life was getting a B grade for one of his GCSEs as since then he says he has been "outstanding" in academia.

The self-confessed art lover said: "From the moment I was born, I knew I was destined for great things.

"My name is very distinctive. De Lacy is a beautiful name. It gets me noticed in business and life."

The first episode tomorrow night sees Nicholas line up alongside other would-be apprentices, including a bank manager, an ex-Army engineer and an international car trader, getting their hands dirty as they attempt to sell two van loads of fresh fish.

The Apprentice is on BBC1 at 9pm.