The UK television show Dragons' Den first premiered in 2005.
The series is the British version of the international Dragons' Den format, in which entrepreneurs present business proposals to wealthy investors known as dragons. Contestants usually request a specific investment in exchange for a percentage of their company.
The programme was commissioned for BBC Two and became one of the BBC's best-known business entertainment shows. Its pitch format combines commercial negotiation with television drama, because entrepreneurs must defend their sales, costs, valuations and ownership demands under questioning.
The British series followed the Japanese format Money Tigers, which inspired the wider international franchise. It should not be confused with Shark Tank, the separately branded American adaptation. Dragons' Den has continued through many changes of investors and presenters, while keeping the central pitch-room structure introduced in its first series.