The first series of the BBC television series Dragon's Den featured five Dragons on its investment panel.
The original panel consisted of Peter Jones, Duncan Bannatyne, Rachel Elnaugh, Simon Woodroffe and Doug Richard. The five investors represented different business backgrounds, including retail, property, fashion, hospitality and technology. Entrepreneurs entered the Den seeking investment in exchange for a percentage of their company.
The panel size later changed as investors joined and left the programme. Deborah Meaden became a Dragon in the third series, while other original investors eventually departed. This means the five-Dragon lineup refers specifically to the programme's first series, rather than every later series.
The British format was adapted from the Japanese television programme Money Tigers. Its central idea is consistent across versions: entrepreneurs present businesses to wealthy investors, who can ask questions, negotiate terms or decline to invest.