Here we go again… (Picture: TalkTX/Rex/BBC)

There’s never been a time when Lord Alan Sugar and Piers Morgan needed an excuse to take brutal swipes at each other’s expense.

The launch of The Apprentice 2023 was no exception, with the tycoon using the opening moments of the BBC series to ridicule the TalkTV presenter.

At the start of the episode, Lord Sugar welcomed the 18 new candidates into the boardroom, meeting each of the budding entrepreneurs for the first time.

They all applied to join the process in the hope of winning the 75-year-old’s £250,000 investment, as well as his invaluable mentorship after 50 years in business.

As Lord Sugar assessed the pile of CVs in front of him, he singled out various contestants as he put a spotlight on their resumes.

‘These CVs normally contain more fantasy than Lord of the Rings,’ he quipped, as everyone in the room laughed overly enthusiastically.

Lord Sugar then turned to Mark Moseley, who works as the owner of a pest control company.

‘Mark, you’re in the pest control business,’ the business magnate said. ‘Got any tips of how I can deal with Piers Morgan?’

Yet again, more raucous laughter sounded out in the boardroom.

For years, Piers and Lord Sugar have had an ongoing feud, which appeared cool down in November 2021, when the former wrote in his column that he ‘began to miss the old goat’ and the holidays they’d go on together with their families.

‘I’ve even missed Sugar as a human being,’ Piers stated,’ he added.

Lord Sugar and Piers have been on good terms in the past (Picture: Rex/Shutterstock/Getty)

However, this truce seemed to be short-lived, as in January 2022, Lord Sugar making a savage dig at Piers over the New Year Honours list.

Piers, who was then a presenter on Good Morning Britain, had tweeted: ‘Very disappointed not to have made the honours list this year. After all I’ve done for this Govt, it’s baffling they haven’t rewarded me with at least a knighthood for services to holding miserably mediocre ministers to account. “Sir Piers” will have to wait.’

Lord Sugar then issued a strongly-worded reply, which read: ‘Knight’s are a very elite circle of people. The problem is your head is so far up in the clouds the queen would not be able to tap you with the sword, She maybe tempted to ram it where the sun does not shine [sic].’

He concluded his message with an X-rated anagram of Piers’ name.

The Apprentice launches tonight at 9pm on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.

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Here we go again…