DADDY COOL
Who won the Apprentice 2025: What we know about Lord Sugar’s new partner Dean Franklin
Dean says he’s more like Lord Sugar than he realised
Another set of ambitious entrepreneurs have been put through the wringer by Lord Alan Sugar, all hoping to bag a game-changing £250,000 investment and the chance to become his next business partner.
Well, the wait is finally over as the winner of series 19 of BBC One’s The Apprentice has been announced. Here’s what we know about the winner.
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Who won The Apprentice 2025?
Dean Franklin has officially been crowned the winner of The Apprentice 2025, beating finalist Anisa Khan during the showdown to become Lord Sugar’s latest business partner.
The 34-year-old air con business owner has certainly had the last laugh, especially after last week’s grilling from Mike Soutar over that infamous sex toy picture during the interviews.
In the final task, both Dean and 26-year-old Anisa had to go all out to prove they were the right person to land Lord Sugar’s £250,000 investment.
And in the end, it was Dean who came out on top.
Read more about The Apprentice
For the final challenge, both candidates were tasked with creating an entirely new brand, pulling together an advertising campaign, and pitching it all to Lord Sugar and a panel of top industry experts.
Fortunately, they weren’t going it alone.
They were joined by some familiar faces from earlier in the series.
Liam Snellin, Frederick Afrifa, Jonny Heaver, Jordan Dargan, Mia Collins, Amber-Rose Badrudin, Nadia Suliaman, Chisola Chitambala, Melica Moshiri and Emma Street all returned to lend a hand.
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Anisa went for a pizza business, launching her brand Zaal Pizza, and trusted Amber-Rose to take the lead on the advert.
Meanwhile, Dean created his air conditioning company Domesticool and put Liam in charge of producing his campaign.
Axed The Apprentice star reveals she’s quitting TV – while fellow fired candidate hopes for acting stardom
Franklin entered his pitch to Daddy Cool by Boney M, prompting a slight grin from Lord Sugar.
He then told the audience: "I am Daddy Cool."
Announcing the news that Dean was his new business partner, Lord Sugar said: “This is the way I see it.
“Dean, through the process you've been quite good.
I am Daddy Cool.
Dean Franklin
“There have been a few rocky moments where you remained in it by the skin of your teeth, but do I have the confidence in the residential market?
“As opposed to food, where everyone's got to eat, and a £10, £12 pizza is affordable to most people. That's where I am at the moment.”
He added: “Giving it deep consideration, I'm going to say that Dean, you're going to be my business partner.”
Speaking after his win, Dean said: “I can't believe I've just won The Apprentice.
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“This is going to mean the world to me and my family. My kids are going to be over the moon.”
He even said he hopes to follow Lord Sugar’s path as host of The Apprentice, saying: “I’ll take his seat! It would be a dream come true.”
However, viewers were left furious after claiming that Lord Sugar had inadvertently revealed the winner on his social media before the show aired.
In the end, their suspicions proved correct.
Who is Dean Franklin?
Dean launched his air conditioning business during the pandemic, and it’s gone from strength to strength, earning him the title of Best Tradesperson of the Year for 2022–23.
“We have an incredible reputation within the industry and outstanding reviews on our platforms,” he said.
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Drawing parallels between himself and Lord Sugar, Dean says he relates to “a lot of things he has said and done in the past.”
He added: "He is very passionate about science and electronics and that’s pretty much what air conditioning is – this is what he has done in his businesses and it’s what he knows.
"This is right up his street. I’m just hoping he can show me the ropes and together we can get to the next level."
Dean said after the show, "Since winning the series, I’ve been reading his book, and it just felt like he was talking right to me when I was reading it.
“Even down to his family. His son and my son were born on the day. It was all feeling like destiny.
“Lord Sugar is of course leagues ahead, and I can’t imagine it’s too easy to get where he is.
“But Lord Sugar is a big fish, so why can’t I be a big fish, too?”
You can follow Dean on Instagram at @deanfranklin__, although most of the business action happens over on the company’s own account.
His air conditioning firm, ADL Air Conditioning, has built a strong following of over 10,000 on Instagram, where they regularly showcase their latest projects on homes and buildings.
To keep up with their work, follow @adl_airconditioning.
Who were the other finalists of The Apprentice 2025?
Anisa Khan
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One candidate who consistently put up a strong fight in the boardroom was Anisa Khan, who came into the process with her unique Indian-Italian fusion pizza business idea.
"I didn't actually realise how resilient I was as a person," the English national Kabaddi player said as she reflected on the last 12 weeks.
She continued: "I'm someone that if I have a goal, I'll make it happen.
“But I feel like this process has truly tested that, especially one loss after another and still putting myself forward for PM.
“I don't care, I'm still going to do it."
Anisa had her sights set on growing her existing pizza venture, with plans to open more dark kitchens in high-demand areas.
However, this has not stopped her, with the TV candidate admitting her business has been "busier than ever" since she appeared on the show.
And it seems that Lord Sugar himself is still interested.
In an exclusive interview, Anisa told The Sun: "Me and Lord Sugar have had a lot of contact actually.
"In the past year, I've been in contact with his team. We've had emails back and forth.
"I have his WhatsApp so we have been in contact.
"After the final, he did call to say he is still interested in me. He's still interested in my business.
Amber-Rose Badrudin
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The South Asian entrepreneur and content creator is based in London.
She’s also the founder and owner of Oree Mart, an Asian convenience store in Croydon that’s become something of a social media sensation.
On top of that, she’s branched out into the world of bubble tea with her latest venture, Oree Tea.
Chisola Chitambala
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Chisola is the co-founder and director of CB Virtual Assistant, a company that offers administrative, creative, and technical services remotely.
Before stepping into the world of entrepreneurship, Chisola worked as a paediatric nurse.
Chisola admitted to The Sun that her TV days are over and she has no plans to further herself on-screen anymore.
Speaking after her firing, she admitted: "I'm not sure the TV world will be seeing me again.
"I think my focus is on my business and and the causes that I care about.
"Instead, I've been going into schools and doing talks around career and education journeys and just really trying to be able to inspire young people.
"I've been using my voice to amplify the things that I'm passionate about and care about because that for me is what's important."
Jordan Dargan
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Local Dublin lad and long-time fan of the series, Jordan says it’s always been a dream of his to appear on The Apprentice.
Fifteen years later, he’s living that dream as the youngest candidate in series 19.
Through his 3D animation business, Rendify Studios, Jordan’s been on a mission to show young people the creative power they have right at their fingertips.
Jordan told The Sun: "I genuinely reached out to [Lord Sugar] the next day and just basically thanked him for the opportunity.
"I thanked him for believing in me.
"We've had a little bit of back and forth and I think ultimately this is this is my goal.
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"I need to choose my moment wisely and when the times right take my shot.
"So I'm just going back to the business growing it and when I'm at that level where I feel on I'm ready I'll reach out again."
The Apprentice biggest moments
THE Apprentice has been a fan favourite ever since it burst onto the box in 2005.
Here we take a look at five of the biggest moments over the years on the hit BBC One show.
Tim Campbell - Former London Underground transport manager Tim Campbell won the first series of the reality show in 2005. He is now one of Lord Sugar's aides on the show.
Sarah Lynn and James White - For the first and only time in the show's history, both finalists were crowned winners in 2017.
Amy Anzel - Season 16's fired candidate Amy Anzel was BANNED from the final celebration show, after a tit-for-tat exchange over Lord Sugar’s mocking tweets.
Michelle Dewberry - Telecoms consultant Michelle Dewberry won the second series of the show in 2006. However, after winning a six-figure job with Lord Sugar she lasted just four months before she sensationally quit.
Selena Waterman-Smith - We’re used to tensions running high in the boardroom, but in 2015 a disagreement between two candidates spilled over – for the first time - into a physical bust-up. Events manager Selina Waterman-Smith was given a verbal warning by show bosses for her role in an off-camera scrap with Charleine Wain.
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