BBC's Dragon's Den first aired in the United Kingdom in 2005.
The British series premiered on BBC Two and adapted the format in which entrepreneurs present business proposals to wealthy investors. Contestants seek investment in exchange for an ownership stake, while the Dragons question their finances, customers and growth plans.
The first UK series featured Peter Jones, Duncan Bannatyne, Rachel Elnaugh, Simon Woodroffe and Doug Richard. Evan Davis presented the programme, establishing the interview-led style that became central to the format. The show later moved from BBC Two to BBC One, where it reached a larger mainstream audience.
The 2005 launch is sometimes confused with the Japanese origins of the wider format. Dragon's Den was based on Money Tigers, a Japanese programme that began earlier. It is also distinct from the American adaptation Shark Tank, which premiered in 2009.