Mark, 25, had been competing with 19 other entrepreneurs to win £250,000 investment in his digital marketing agency and went up against Bianca Miller in the final, who was proposing to launch a range of tights to match to various different skin tones.

Winner Mark, originally from Australia, explained why he had been keen to start a business in the UK.

He said: "London particularly is a land of opportunity for young people to start businesses. You can start a business here from your kitchen bench and turn over a million quid – what other place in the world can you do that?

"In Australia the population’s not big enough and the dollar’s not strong enough.”

Asked what his family and friends back home thought, he admitted: "I think they’re confused. They’re like, ‘First of all, what’s The Apprentice? 

Second of all, what are you doing, we thought you went backpacking and now you’re on a TV programme with a tycoon starting a business?’

(uk.news.yahoo.com)