Rachel Elnaugh became the first female Dragon when she joined the original British panel of Dragon's Den.
Elnaugh was an entrepreneur who founded Red Letter Days, a company selling experience gifts such as driving, leisure and entertainment packages. She appeared in the first two series of the British programme and was one of its original investors.
The first panel also included Peter Jones, Duncan Bannatyne, Theo Paphitis and Doug Richard. Elnaugh's presence made her an important early figure in the British version, although she was later replaced on the panel by Deborah Meaden.
A common mistake is to identify Meaden as the first female Dragon because she became one of the programme's most recognisable long-term investors. Meaden joined later. The historical distinction belongs to Elnaugh, who was part of the original panel when the BBC series began.