BBC’s Dragon’s Den usually features five investors on its panel.
These investors, known as the Dragons, listen to entrepreneurs present their businesses and then decide whether to offer money in exchange for a share of the company. The panel’s membership changes over time, but the standard format uses five seats.
The number can vary in special circumstances because individual Dragons may be absent, and guest Dragons have also appeared. This means that five describes the programme’s usual panel rather than every single episode. The format is designed to create contrasting viewpoints, with each investor bringing different experience, industries and investment preferences.
The British programme is based on the Japanese format Money Tigers and became one of the BBC’s best-known business series. Its American adaptation is titled Shark Tank, but the British version consistently uses the Dragon nickname for its investors.