The BBC programme's investor panel is collectively called the Dragons in Dragon's Den.
The name is a British adaptation of the original Japanese format’s imagery. In Money Tigers, the investors were represented as tigers; the British version changed that label to Dragons, giving the programme its title and a memorable identity.
Each Dragon is an independent businessperson or investor who may choose whether to make an offer. The panel’s members have changed repeatedly across the programme’s run, but the collective name has remained stable.
The terminology can cause confusion because the American adaptation uses Sharks, while some international versions use other animal names. In the British programme, “Dragon” refers to each investor, and “the Dragons” refers to the panel as a group.