Stevenage businessman Scott Saunders survived the first show of BBC One’s hit show The Apprentice tonight.

Scott, 27, who went to Fearnhill School in Letchworth – and who runs a successful payroll business, previously based in Ickleford near Hitchin, and now in Stevenage – was part of the winning team who, as a reward, were treated to an evening at top fish restaurant Nobu in central London by Lord Sugar.

The 11th series of the show got off to a flying start when Lord Sugar told the eventual losing candidate Dan Callaghan to: “Get your hands out of your pockets.”

The programme’s first task was for the teams named Versatile and Connexus to make money from buying and selling fish from Billingsgate Fish Market near Canary Wharf.

Scott’s team Versatile triumphed by making £200 profit compared to their opponents measly £1.87 – which was to cost the unfortunate Dan his job – but not before an avalanche of fish-related puns on social media, including wags comparing Lord Sugar Captain Birdseye as the contestants sold fish fingers.

Scott, who told the Comet his favourite pubs in Hitchin were Los Reyes on Sun Street and The Victoria on Ickleford Road, meanwhile, lives to fight another day – or at least until 9pm on BBC One tomorrow night.