Which Dragon left the British series Dragons' Den after its first series?

Doug Richard left the British series Dragons' Den after its first series.

Richard is an American-born entrepreneur and investor who was one of the original Dragons when the British programme launched in 2005. He was known for focusing on business models, market potential and the practical route from a pitch to a scalable company.

Although Richard appeared in the first series, he did not remain on the panel for the second. His departure is sometimes overlooked because several other early Dragons stayed for multiple series and became more closely associated with the programme’s long-term identity.

The initial panel also included Peter Jones, Duncan Bannatyne, Rachel Elnaugh and Simon Woodroffe. Deborah Meaden later joined the programme in 2006, replacing Elnaugh. This changing panel is one reason that lists of “the original Dragons” differ from lists of the investors remembered by regular viewers. Richard subsequently remained active in entrepreneurship, technology and business education.