Dragon's Den is based on the Japanese business-investment television programme Money Tigers. The format was created in Japan before being adapted for broadcasters in other countries, including the United Kingdom.
The central idea is consistent across the format: entrepreneurs ask a panel of wealthy investors for money in exchange for a stake in their company. The investors examine the proposal, challenge the valuation and decide individually whether to make an offer. That structure gives the programme its recurring tension without requiring a competition winner in every episode.
The Japanese origin is often mixed up with Shark Tank, the American adaptation of the same broad format. In the UK, the investors are called dragons, while the US programme uses sharks. Dragon's Den is therefore not an original British invention, although the BBC version developed its own panel, presenter and production identity.