The first UK episode of Dragon's Den, broadcast in January 2005, was titled “Episode 1.”
The programme’s early episode listings use straightforward numbered titles rather than distinctive descriptive names. That convention reflects the series’ factual-entertainment structure, where the identity of the entrepreneurs and the outcomes of their pitches provide the episode’s main narrative.
The launch episode introduced British viewers to the format: entrepreneurs entered the den, stated how much funding they wanted and explained what percentage of their business they were prepared to offer. The dragons then assessed the idea, the figures and the proposed valuation.
Numbered television listings can be easy to confuse with series numbers. “Episode 1” identifies the individual opening instalment, while the programme itself has continued across many series. The show’s first broadcast was on BBC Two in 2005.