The British television programme Dragons' Den first premiered in 2005.
The BBC adaptation brought entrepreneurs into a studio to present business ideas to a panel of wealthy investors, known as Dragons. Contestants seek investment in exchange for an agreed share of their company.
The programme belongs to an international television format that has appeared under different titles around the world. The British version became particularly associated with direct questioning, negotiation and the phrase “I’m out” when a Dragon declines a deal.
The year 2005 refers to the British programme’s debut, not the date of the wider format’s creation. It is also different from the year individual Dragons joined the panel, since the line-up changed repeatedly across later series.