The British version of Dragon's Den first aired in 2005.
The programme launched on BBC Two and introduced British viewers to entrepreneurs pitching for investment from a panel of businesspeople. The format was adapted from the Japanese show Money Tigers and became one of the BBC’s best-known factual-entertainment programmes.
The opening series established several features that remain associated with the show: entrepreneurs enter a pitch room, state the investment and equity they want, and answer questions from the investors. A deal is not guaranteed simply because an investor makes an offer; the final arrangement is subject to due diligence and negotiation.
The first series featured the original investor panel of Duncan Bannatyne, Peter Jones, Rachel Elnaugh, Doug Richard and Simon Woodroffe. Later series introduced many different investors and guest investors.