Five investors made up the original dragon panel when the UK version of Dragon's Den began.
The launch panel consisted of Peter Jones, Duncan Bannatyne, Deborah Meaden, Theo Paphitis and Rachel Elnaugh. Together they established the programme's original balance of business experience, investment styles and on-screen personalities.
Although the panel has changed repeatedly, five dragons remains the familiar basic structure of the British format. Individual episodes can also involve guest investors or different combinations, so the people seated in the chairs are not identical across every series.
The original five are sometimes listed incorrectly because Deborah Meaden's regular tenure began in series 3 rather than the opening series. In the first series, the female investor was Rachel Elnaugh. Counting the launch panel therefore requires distinguishing the inaugural line-up from later versions that became more familiar to audiences.