Lord Sugar pays tribute to 'dear departed' BBC star found dead aged 27
Lord Sugar penned a heartfelt tribute to an entrepreneur who appeared on The Apprentice.
Former Apprentice star Stuart 'The Brand' Baggs was the youngest-ever candidate when he appeared on the BBC One show in 2010, at 21 years old. The Plymouth-born entrepreneur lived in the Isle of Man for most of his life and ran a telecommunications company. Five years later, he was found dead at his home after an asthma attack.
Lord Alan Sugar is set to see the final five candidates in series 20 of the Apprentice pass a gruelling round of interviews with some of Britain’s toughest interviewers and only two can make it through to the grand final. Taking a trip down memory lane, the 79-year-old took the opportunity to pen a touching tribute to Stuart.
In view of his 4.4 million followers, he took to X on Tuesday and wrote: "Whenever it comes to Interviews week, my mind goes back to the dear departed Stuart Baggs - RIP. Such a great character on #TheApprentice."
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Lord Sugar accompanied the post with a clip of the infamous moment between Claude Littner, who interviewed the late entrepreneur.
Stuart attempted to shake Claude's hand, who swiftly directed him to take a seat.
"I'm Stuart Baggs, 'The Brand,'" Claude said while reading his CV aloud. "What on earth are you talking about? You are a 21-year-old kid."
The business mogul continued to tell Stuart that he is "not a brand".
Whenever it comes to Interviews week, my mind goes back to the dear departed Stuart Baggs - RIP. Such a great character on #TheApprentice pic.twitter.com/PX28tbNz55
— Lord Sugar (@Lord_Sugar) April 7, 2026
But the charismatic entrepreneur remarked: "I think I might be."
Social media users flooded to offer their support as fans reacted to Lord Sugar's heartfelt post.
One penned: "Aw he was so funny. Sad he’s no longer here. RIP."
A second echoed: "Incredibly sad about Stuart Baggs - he was a great apprentice candidate for sure. RIP. When it comes to interview week, this has to be the greatest moment, ever! Both hilarious and cringe worthy in equal measure! Claude at his absolute best."
"I went right through the Apprentice audition process with Stuart. I was gutted I didn't get through, as I got right to the last group of candidates prior to final selection, but I was made up for Stuart 'the Brand' Baggs. Such a shame," a third added.
After Lord Sugar fired Stuart from the show in the semi-final, he continued to go from strength to strength, propelling his business and appearing on other reality television shows, such as Come Dine With Me.
A self-described "workaholic" Stuart said he would regularly work 18 hour days to push his business to the next level.
