Five original dragons appeared on the British Dragon's Den launch panel.
The opening investor line-up consisted of Peter Jones, Duncan Bannatyne, Rachel Elnaugh, Simon Woodroffe, and Doug Richard. Together they established the show's familiar panel format, in which entrepreneurs pitch a business and negotiate possible investment in exchange for equity.
The number can be confused with later series because the panel has changed over time. Some seasons featured different combinations of regular and guest dragons, but the original British launch panel had five investors.
Counting the original group is also useful for separating launch members from later additions. Deborah Meaden, for example, became a prominent dragon but joined in 2006 rather than appearing in the original five-member line-up.