The BBC television programme Dragons' Den first premiered in 2005.
The British version began as an adaptation of a Japanese business-pitch format and quickly became one of the BBC's best-known factual entertainment programmes. Entrepreneurs enter the Den to present a business idea and request investment in exchange for equity.
The launch date is sometimes confused with the debut dates of overseas versions. Shark Tank, the American adaptation, premiered in 2009, while Canada's Dragons' Den began in 2006. These are separate productions with different panels and broadcast histories.
Since its 2005 debut, the British series has introduced many recurring Dragons, including Peter Jones, Deborah Meaden and Duncan Bannatyne. The panel has changed across series, but the central format of a timed pitch followed by questioning has remained consistent.