The first episode of the British television series Dragon's Den aired in 2005.
The programme premiered on BBC Two on 4 January 2005. It adapted the Japanese business reality format Money Tigers, in which entrepreneurs present business ideas to wealthy investors and negotiate for funding.
Dragon's Den became a long-running BBC programme and helped establish a familiar television format: entrepreneurs make a short pitch, answer detailed questions, and hear whether one or more investors are willing to offer money in exchange for equity. The investors are known as dragons in the British version.
The programme is sometimes confused with Shark Tank, the American adaptation of the same broader format. Dragon's Den is the British title and began broadcasting before Shark Tank premiered in the United States.