In the BBC business show Dragons' Den, on what date did the first UK episode air?

The first UK episode of Dragons' Den aired on 4 January 2005.

The BBC brought the format to British television as a programme in which entrepreneurs present business proposals to wealthy investors, known as Dragons. Contestants usually seek money in exchange for a percentage of their company, and the investors question them about sales, costs, ownership and future plans.

The programme became part of the BBC Two schedule and helped make televised investment pitches familiar to a broad audience. Its title uses the plural possessive “Dragons'” because several investors share the den, although the programme is sometimes casually written as “Dragon's Den.”

The UK version belongs to an international television format that originated in Japan. Its first episode established the central structure that later seasons retained: an entrepreneur enters, makes a pitch, and negotiates directly with the panel. The programme has since run for many series and inspired versions in numerous countries.