The British TV show Dragons' Den first aired on which date in 2005?

The British TV show Dragons' Den first aired on 4 January 2005.

The programme was launched by the BBC as the British version of an international business-pitching format. Entrepreneurs enter a studio and present their companies to a panel of wealthy investors, known as Dragons, who may offer money in return for equity.

The first series established the core structure that remains associated with the programme: a presentation, questioning from the investors, and negotiation over valuation and ownership. The original British panel included Peter Jones, Duncan Bannatyne, Rachel Elnaugh, Theo Paphitis and Simon Woodroffe.

The date is sometimes confused with the year of the format's Japanese origin or with the dates on which later series began. The British programme premiered in January 2005, rather than in the autumn television schedules often associated with later BBC series.