Rachel Elnaugh became the first female Dragon on the original British Dragons' Den panel.
Elnaugh was an entrepreneur known for founding Red Letter Days, a company selling experience gifts such as activities and leisure experiences. She joined the first panel when the British series launched in 2005, alongside investors including Peter Jones, Duncan Bannatyne, Simon Woodroffe and Doug Richard.
Her position is a historical fact about the original investor lineup. Deborah Meaden later became one of the programme's most prominent female Dragons, but she was not the first woman to sit on the British panel. That distinction belongs to Elnaugh, who appeared in the first two series.
Red Letter Days later experienced financial difficulties and was acquired by Theo Paphitis. The company’s history is separate from Elnaugh’s pioneering television role, but it is often mentioned when discussing her career and the early business stories surrounding Dragons' Den.