The first UK episode of Dragon's Den premiered on BBC Two in 2005.
The British version launched on 4 January 2005, with entrepreneurs pitching businesses to a panel of wealthy investors. BBC Two was then the BBC service most associated with factual entertainment, business programming and ambitious reality formats, making it the programme's original home.
The title uses the plural “Dragons” in the British format, although international adaptations often use different names, including Shark Tank. The programme is based on the Japanese format Money Tigers and is produced for the BBC by various production companies over its long run.
A common mix-up is to associate the programme's later popularity with BBC One. It has remained strongly identified with BBC Two, while individual specials, repeats and related programming may appear elsewhere. The original channel is therefore a precise historical detail rather than a description of the investors or the format.