On what date did the first episode of the British TV series Dragon's Den air?

The first episode of the British TV series Dragon's Den aired on 4 January 2005.

The BBC launched the programme as the British version of a Japanese business-pitch format. Each episode placed entrepreneurs in front of investors who could offer money in exchange for an agreed share of the business. The format made valuation, negotiation and ownership understandable to a mass television audience.

The debut established several features that became central to the series: a dramatic entrance into the den, a concise pitch, detailed questioning and the entrepreneurs' request for a specific investment. The dragons could also choose to make no offer, which became one of the show's most recognisable outcomes.

This date is sometimes confused with the year the format first appeared internationally. The British programme began in 2005, while the underlying Japanese format predates the BBC version.