The first panel of the British television series Dragon's Den had five original investors.
The original dragons were Peter Jones, Duncan Bannatyne, Theo Paphitis, Rachel Elnaugh and Simon Woodroffe. Together they established the programme's initial balance of business backgrounds and personalities when the British adaptation premiered in 2005.
The number of dragons on screen has not always been identical across later series. Some episodes and special formats have featured different lineups, guest investors or replacement panel members, which can make the original configuration easy to misremember.
Counting the original panel also distinguishes the founding investors from people who joined in later years. Peter Jones is the only member of that initial group still on the programme as of 2026, while the others left the regular lineup.