Viewers who tuned into The Apprentice were left stunned minutes into the new series, as Lord introduced a never-seen-before revamp.

The popular programme which sees candidates tested to their limits as they compete to be Lord Sugar's new business partner was back on Thursday, January 30 with a fresh batch of contestants hoping to sail to the top. But unlike other series, Lord Sugar had something new up his sleeve.

Instead of the women and men competing against each other, Lord Sugar decided to mix the genders in the two groups.

Explaining the new rules, Lord Sugar said: "Now I'm gonna mix things up from the get-go. Forget boys versus girls, the two back rows swap with each other!"

After witnessing the major alteration, fans headed straight to social media site X to share their thoughts. One viewer said: "Switching up the teams already? I'm shook."

Another viewer said: "Boys & girls mixed up will deffo be better to watch." A third shared: "They’ve mixed the teams this is unprecedented territory."

A fourth viewer thought the change was was overdue and penned: "Finally mixed the teams from the start, about time."

Another surprised fan shared: "Wow. Mixed teams already. Has it ever happened before?"

But some were unsure of switch, with one viewer writing: "Why’ve they mixed up the teams already? Laughing at the men being terrible was the best part of the first few weeks."

Before series 19 kicked off on Thursday night, Lord Sugar announced that he would make a major change to the teams.

The 77-year-old, who has been the face of the UK show since 2005 said: "We’ve split them into sexes in the past purely to help the audience get to know the candidates quickly, it just felt like an easy thing to do. But this year we decided to mix it up from the outset.

"I think it's quite a refreshing addition to the first episode and it’s interesting to see how they handle being a mixed team because it’s not what they necessarily expected from the start."

During the show, the candidates flew off to Austria to run their very own Alpine tours. Aiming for maximum profit, the teams were focused on selling and providing unforgettable glacier and forest experiences.

After disappointing ticket sales from both groups, many candidates quickly realised that tough negotiations awaited them in the boardroom when the results were announced by Lord Sugar's aids Baroness Karren Brady and Tim Campbell - who kept a watchful eye on both teams while in Austria.

But unfortunately, it was the end of the road for candidate Emma Rothwell who became the first casualty of the infamous boardroom.

The Apprentice airs Thursdays at 9pm on BBC One.