Lord Sugar has confirmed that the next series of The Apprentice has been delayed until next year due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Series 16 of the business reality show had been due to begin filming this month for transmission in October, but the spread of COVID-19 has halted production.

An extension to the UK-wide lockdown is expected to be confirmed this week, meaning that at the earliest filming could start some time in June, but this would be too late to get the show on air this year.

Asked on Twitter whether the series had been cancelled, Sugar replied: "Yes I guess so. Could be back in Spring 2021 or skip a whole year and back in October 2021."

The Apprentice remains one of the BBC's flagship shows after 15 years on the air, with last year's series averaging over 7 million viewers across its run.