Before each season of The Apprentice begins, contestants and crew are made to sign numerous forms preventing them from revealing who wins the BBC show.

Unfortunately, after all these years signing on the dotted line, Alan Sugar may have forgotten about those NDA forms as the business magnate accidentally revealed the winner of the 2016 competition on social media.

While not outright saying “[redacted] wins,” Sugar let slip the information through his Twitter account three weeks before the pre-recorded final is set to air.

Beady-eyed fans of the series noticed how Sugar started following one of the contestants on Twitter - the 69-year-old only ever follows a single contestant from each series: the winner.

The Mail on Sunday contacted Sugar about the slip-up, soon ‘unfollowing’ the contestant following the revelation. Like that publication, we will refrain from naming the winner - who will take home the £250,000 prize - as to not spoil the outcome for those millions of viewers who enjoy the show.

The Apprentice 2016 candidates Show all 18 1 /18 The Apprentice 2016 candidates The Apprentice 2016 candidates Frances Bishop Frances, 25 from Doncaster, is the owner of a children’s clothing boutique and describes herself as talkative with a feisty personality, which she believes is what has got her so far in the business world. She wants to impress Lord Sugar with her strong positive outlook. 'I’m a pocket rocket. I’m quite fiery and live by the rule ‘kill them with kindness’,' she says. BBC/Boundless The Apprentice 2016 candidates Karthik Nagesan Karthik, 33 from Northamptonshire, owns an IT consulting company and says his friends would describe him as a born leader who takes charge and blazes a trail. He cites his role model as Alexander the Great because he is a master strategist and a brilliant tactician. He believes he is firm yet polite, making him the ultimate ‘human magnet’. 'If I wanted to be like everyone else, I'd have waxed my monobrow,' he says. BBC/Boundless The Apprentice 2016 candidates Dillon St Paul Describing himself as super-creative, Dillon is currently a freelance Art Director at a fashion magazine. The 37-year-old from Dublin, Ireland describes himself as talented, kind and very funny. He intends to be ‘Machiavellian’ about tasks and says he will tell white lies if he needs to. 'Sometimes batting the eyelashes can get you a lot in business,' he says. 'Hence, the mascara comes in handy –so they can see those lashes.' BBC/Boundless The Apprentice 2016 candidates Alana Spencer Alana, 24 from Ceredigion in Wales, is the owner of a baking company and describes herself as determined, creative and charming. She started her first business at age 17, a chocolate company, before moving on to selling cakes. She believes she is an adaptable businesswoman who will not shy away from any task Lord Sugar sets. 'I am incredibly hard working, driven, and I'll stop at nothing to get what I want,' she says. BBC/Boundless The Apprentice 2016 candidates Trishna Thakrar Trishna, 38 from London, works for a large IT company to provide internal recruitment services. She used to play football semi-professionally, and says her friends would describe her as engaging and funny. She believes her best business skill lies in her charm, but suspects her sensitivity could be her downfall as, if you cross her, she will not hold back. 'My only tactic is to be myself; this alone will make sure I win,' she says. BBC/Boundless The Apprentice 2016 candidates Courtney Wood Courtney, 29 from Essex, designs and creates novelty gifts which he supplies to national and international retailers. He describes himself as fun with a positive attitude and he believes his confidence is one of his strongest attributes. He says ￼￼￼￼he is not one to sit back and plans to assert his authority in the process. He thinks his cutthroat tactics will help ￼him reach the top. 'How would I describe myself in one sentence? I'll give you one word: awesome,' he says. BBC/Boundless The Apprentice 2016 candidates Grainne McCoy Grainne, 31 from Northern Ireland, owns her own makeup business and works throughout the country on projects from film sets to fashion shows. She says her hunger and passion push her to succeed and she puts maximum effort into everything she does. She is confident that her self-belief and strong-mindedness will see her through the tasks. 'I need guidance and a little bit of mentoring to help me make that first million,' she says. BBC/Boundless The Apprentice 2016 candidates Michelle Niziol Michelle, 35 from Oxfordshire, is the founder and owner of three companies in mortgages, property and lettings. She describes herself as straight-talking, passionate and honest but admits that she can sometimes be bossy and impatient. She says letting others take the lead could be challenge for her. 'I work 15 to 17 hours every day. 100 per cent, I'm a workaholic,' she says. BBC/Boundless The Apprentice 2016 candidates Samuel Boateng Samuel, 27 from London, is responsible for managing and generating new business for over 700 businesses across London. He regards his ability in developing new and innovative ideas to be his strongest business skill. He says he has excellent public speaking abilities and admits he will be ‘on the charm offensive’, but doesn’t want to seem an easy target. 'My creativity, my passion, my charm, and my likeability all roll into one, creating one perfect guy,' he says. BBC/Boundless The Apprentice 2016 candidates Mukai Noiri Mukai, 36 from London, has lived in over six countries across three continents and recently gave up his position as a senior communications manager to focus on his business idea. He believes his charm is one of his strongest qualities, though he is a straight talker which he thinks some people might perceive as being insensitive. 'I feel sorry for Lord Sugar because previous applicants have been weak,' he says. BBC/Boundless The Apprentice 2016 candidates Jessica Cunningham Jessica, 29 from Derbyshire, is owner of an online fashion company and the Operations Director for a PR and marketing agency. She believes her positive helpful attitude will propel her through the tasks, and says she wants to get close to the other candidates to find out how they operate, analyse their strengths and weaknesses and attempt to use them to her advantage. 'A motto I live by is: there is no competition if you're already winning,' she says. BBC/Boundless The Apprentice 2016 candidates Oliver Nohl-Oser Oliver, 33 from Wiltshire, is the founder and director of a sausage manufacturer which supplies supermarkets both in the UK and internationally. He believes his greatest business skills lie in his marketing ability and his powers of persuasion. When it comes to winning, he regards honesty as the best policy but says he won’t be befriending other candidates as he wants to focus on the prize. 'Sometimes I feel like James Bond when I’m in my suit,' he says. BBC/Boundless The Apprentice 2016 candidates Aleksandra King Aleksandra, 38 from London, owns and operates a business consultancy company. She describes herself as altruistic and extremely confident, believes she has a gift for spotting a good business opportunity and can sell to anyone. She cites her mother as an inspiration as she is fluent in seven languages and has an ability to ‘get people’. 'Like the Tasmanian devil in the famous cartoon, I will torpedo my way through to the win,' she says. BBC/Boundless The Apprentice 2016 candidates Rebecca Jeffery Rebecca, 31 from Greater Manchester, is the owner of a marketing and design business, working as both the account manager and creative director. She prides herself on being relentless and possessing an infectious enthusiasm but admits that numbers and calculations are a weakness for her. 'People often foolishly mistake my enthusiasm for silliness or positivity for naivety,' she says. 'I’m proof that you can get things done without whinging.' BBC/Boundless The Apprentice 2016 candidates JD O'Brien JD, 37 from London, is the founder and owner of a men’s beachwear company. He believes he can make the best of any situation whilst still being a ‘good bloke’. He says he is going to put in the hard work and aims to make no mistakes along the way. 'I won't suffer fools,' he says. 'I will get upset by other candidates who don't know their arse from their elbow.' BBC/Boundless The Apprentice 2016 candidates Sofiane Khelfa Sofiane, 32, from Essex, works in a high-end retail store, negotiating technology sales with high profile clients. He says he has the ability to adapt, deliver and build lasting relations with people in business, but his friends would say that he can sometimes be overzealous. He believes when he gets down to business, his skills and personality will shine through. 'The best survivors in the world are the people who adapt and I'm the best at adapting,' he says. 'I'm like a chameleon. I adapt to anything, anywhere, anytime.' BBC/Boundless The Apprentice 2016 candidates Natalie Hughes Natalie, 30, from Glasgow, owns and runs two beauty and clothing businesses. She considers her best quality to be her quick- thinking, but she is also a persuasive talker who insists that nothing embarrasses her. She prides herself on her ability to buy and sell with ease and believes she has the motivation to win. 'I started at a young age, I'm a hustler, I've got the hustler's ambition,' she says. BBC/Boundless The Apprentice 2016 candidates Paul Sullivan Paul, 38, from Chigwell in Essex, is the owner and director of a marketing company specialising in finance, technology, construction and property. He is a self-proclaimed charmer but doesn’t think he needs a ‘USP’ to win; consistency and sincerity will put him ahead. 'I'll play the team when I need to be part of the team, but I'm here to win; I'm not here to make up the numbers,' he says. BBC/Boundless

One contestant said of the revelation to The Mail: “Each year Lord Sugar makes a point of only following the winner – this is what he has done since he joined Twitter in 2011. He started to follow this year’s winner a few weeks ago.

“It’s blatantly obvious who has won as Lord Sugar is only following the one contestant, which is hilarious as he makes everyone else toe the line when it comes to secrecy.”