When did the first episode of the British TV programme Dragon's Den air?
Answer
4 January 2005
The first episode of the British TV programme Dragon's Den aired on 4 January 2005.
The BBC launched the series as a British adaptation of a Japanese business format. Entrepreneurs enter a room, present their companies to wealthy investors, and negotiate for funding in exchange for equity. The programme quickly became one of the BBC's best-known factual entertainment shows.
The original British run began on BBC Two, where the format established its familiar structure and panel of investors. Later series brought changes to the Dragons and broadcasting arrangements, but the central pitch-and-investment concept remained intact.
A common mix-up is confusing the programme's launch date with the arrival dates of individual Dragons. Several prominent investors joined after the first series, so the original panel was not the same as the long-running modern lineup. The British edition also should not be confused with the similarly named Canadian and Australian versions.