Here’s a first look at the opening episode of Undercover Big Boss as the hit business series returns.
ITV previously announced a super-sized reboot of Undercover Boss which last aired in 2014.
Undercover Big Boss follows a group of chief execs and company bosses as they swap their power suits for overalls and go in disguise to work on their very own shop floors, to see what really goes on behind closed doors.
Starting on Thursday, 5 August at 9PM, the first episode features self-made millionaire Alfie Best, founder and CEO of the largest residential park home operator in Europe, Wyldecrest Parks.
The company owns 91 residential and holiday parks across the UK, employing 380 people, with the business currently growing by £70m every year.
Alfie believes he’s found a way to create cheap holiday homes and affordable housing: “We are allowing people to sell up and live the life that they’ve never had, at an affordable price.”
While restrictions caused by the pandemic have caused other businesses to struggle, they have had the opposite effect for Alfie. With foreign travel on hold and people opting out of city living, there is a lucrative gap in the market for staycations and more affordable housing.
Alfie is going undercover in his company to make the most of this golden moment, in the hope of identifying issues at ground level that can improve his chances for world holiday park domination.
Alfie’s disguise transforms him into his alter ego, William Finney, a drainage engineer taking part in a documentary about changing careers. After a closely shaven haircut, a dyed-brown beard, extensive tattoos and fake piercings, even his own family struggle to recognise him.
During his time undercover, Alfie works as a sales executive, joins the maintenance and does a stint behind the bar .
On his journey Alfie exposes problems within the structure of his business and among staff members who are struggling for recognition and a better work life balance, moving him to tears at one point as he recognises some of the sacrifices he has made in his own career.
Alfie says: “I felt that I was losing the connection from the grassroots of the business. I started the journey to go undercover, I didn’t know if it would work but I have exposed some failings. But the blessings are, we can put them right.”
But what changes will Alfie make to his business? And how will his staff react when he reveals his true identity, having worked closely alongside them in disguise? Emotions run high, as Alfie has some further surprises in store…
Undercover Big Boss, Thursday, 9PM, ITV
Picture: ITV/Studio Lambert
