Deborah Meaden first became a Dragon on the British television show Dragon's Den in series 3.
She joined the BBC programme after establishing herself as a businesswoman and investor, and she became one of its best-known long-serving panel members. Her investments have covered consumer brands, hospitality, manufacturing and technology businesses presented by entrepreneurs in the Den.
Meaden’s appearance in series 3 means she was not part of the original five-person panel seen when the British show launched in 2005. That first lineup included Peter Jones, Duncan Bannatyne, Rachel Elnaugh, Simon Woodroffe and Doug Richard.
Series numbers can be confused with calendar years because the programme has aired multiple series across different years. The precise answer is therefore the season designation, rather than a year. Meaden continued as a regular Dragon across later panel changes.