BBC's Dragon's Den is the British business-pitch television format in which entrepreneurs seek investment from a panel of wealthy businesspeople.
The programme premiered in the United Kingdom in 2005 and is based on the Japanese television format Money Tigers. Contestants present their businesses, products, or ideas and state how much money they want in exchange for a percentage of ownership. The investors then question them before deciding whether to make an offer.
The title uses “dragons” as a metaphor for powerful investors. In the United States, the related adaptation is called Shark Tank, but that is a different programme title and should not be confused with the British series. The possessive apostrophe in the British title is also commonly written differently in informal references.
Although an on-screen deal is agreed in the studio, the investment remains subject to due diligence and final negotiations. This means a handshake does not always become a completed investment.