Deborah Meaden joined Dragon's Den in 2006 and became one of its longest-serving investors.
Meaden entered the programme in its third series, following the first two series of the British adaptation. She is a businesswoman and investor whose background includes family businesses, leisure companies and tourism-related enterprises.
Her arrival helped establish the familiar modern panel for many viewers. Although the investor line-up has changed over time, Meaden remained a recurring dragon for many years and became especially associated with direct questioning about sales, margins, valuation and ownership.
Rachel Elnaugh, another female investor, appeared in the early series but is a different person and left the programme before Meaden's long run was complete. The year 2006 identifies Meaden's entry into Dragon's Den, while the series number identifies the point at which she joined the BBC format.