The BBC's Dragons' Den is moving to a prime Thursday night slot on BBC One for its new series, a promotion that is expected to bring even bigger audiences to a show that has consistently attracted more than three million viewers since its debut in 2005.
Peter Jones, the only Dragon to appear since the first series, described the atmosphere in the Den as "competition mode". "A couple of times last season I ended up getting a deal, and one of the Dragons said, 'I didn't see that coming,' and was so upset they didn't speak to me for 40 minutes," he said. Sara Davies, who joined in 2019, admitted tensions can run high but said the Dragons soon make up over a cup of tea.
Filming days are long, with pitches lasting up to two hours and 18 filming days producing just 14 episodes. Dragons know nothing about the businesses beforehand. The format originated in Japan in 2001, and the British version is notably more polite than the US spin-off Shark Tank, where the Sharks frequently interrupt and shout.
Over the years, the Den has seen successes such as Reggae Reggae Sauce and notable misses. A Dragon once told the inventors of Hungry House that people wouldn't order takeaways online, a decision later overtaken by Just Eat, Deliveroo and Uber Eats. Jones admitted Tangle Teezer was a missed opportunity, saying he should have thought of his four daughters with long hair. However, he defended the decision not to invest in Trunki, arguing the business was overvalued. The question of how many deals actually complete remains a recurring point of controversy.
