Lord Sugar reveals October return for The Apprentice

Lord Sugar has said The Apprentice will return to the BBC in October.

The 69-year-old entrepreneur was asked for the start date of the business-based reality series by a fan on Twitter.

"October," he tweeted in response.

The BBC has not yet confirmed precisely when the 12th series will begin.

A heavy sporting summer with Euro 2016 and the 2016 Olympics has resulted in a busy BBC One schedule - and another autumn broadcast for the popular show.

In 2015 The Apprentice launched in October to avoid a clash with May's general election.

Lord Sugar was granted a life peerage by then prime minister Gordon Brown in 2009.

Appointed as a business tsar, he recently campaigned for Britain to remain in the EU.

This autumn, Lord Sugar and aides Baroness Karren Brady and Claude Littner will once again put a number of candidates through their paces.

The contestants will compete to become Lord Sugar's new business partner and win a £250,000 investment.

Since Lord Sugar became a partner in the winning candidates' businesses, he has invested more than £1 million in varying ventures.

Plumbing business owner Joseph Valente was crowned the winner of The Apprentice in 2015.