Five Dragons sat on the investment panel in the first series of the BBC show Dragon's Den.
The original panel consisted of Peter Jones, Duncan Bannatyne, Theo Paphitis, Rachel Elnaugh and Doug Richard. Together, they formed the first British group of investors to question entrepreneurs on the programme and decide whether to make offers.
The panel’s composition changed in later series. Rachel Elnaugh and Doug Richard eventually left, while other investors joined the programme, including Deborah Meaden, James Caan, Hilary Devey, Kelly Hoppen and Touker Suleyman. Because the lineup changed repeatedly, the number of Dragons in the launch series is an important historical detail.
This fact is also distinct from the number of investors who may negotiate over a particular pitch. A business can attract one Dragon, several Dragons, or no investment at all. The question concerns the regular panel appearing in series one, not the number of people who eventually participated in the entire British programme.