When did the British television programme Dragons' Den first premiere on BBC television?
Answer
4 January 2005
The British television programme Dragons' Den first premiered on 4 January 2005.
The BBC series brought entrepreneurs into a studio to present business proposals to wealthy investors, who decide whether to offer money in exchange for an ownership stake. Its format was adapted for the British audience from a Japanese television concept.
The programme became a long-running BBC factual-entertainment series and helped popularise investment terminology such as equity, valuation and royalty agreements among viewers. The title uses the plural possessive “Dragons'” because several investors sit together on the panel.
The launch date is sometimes confused with the dates of later international adaptations, including the Canadian and Australian versions. It also differs from the Japanese programme that inspired the format, which had already appeared several years earlier.