Five Dragons were on the original investor panel when the British Dragon's Den began.
The launch-era panel consisted of Peter Jones, Duncan Bannatyne, Rachel Elnaugh, Simon Woodroffe and Doug Richard. Together they represented different business backgrounds, including technology, retail, hospitality and entrepreneurship.
Having five investors created a range of possible reactions to each pitch. An entrepreneur could receive no offer, a single offer or competing offers, and Dragons could sometimes negotiate together. The number also became part of the visual identity of the early British series.
Panel membership changed over the programme’s history, so the number of investors in a later episode should not be used to describe the original lineup. The answer concerns the first British panel at launch, not every season or international adaptation.