Rachel Elnaugh was associated with Red Letter Days when she joined the original British Dragons' Den panel.
Red Letter Days sold experience gifts, offering customers activities and memorable outings rather than conventional physical presents. Elnaugh became closely identified with the business and used that entrepreneurial background when she appeared as one of the programme’s first investors.
She was part of the launch panel in series 1, alongside Peter Jones, Duncan Bannatyne, Theo Paphitis and Doug Richard. Her presence is historically significant because she was the programme’s original female dragon, before Deborah Meaden joined in series 3.
Red Letter Days later experienced financial problems and was sold to rival entrepreneur Peter Jones in 2005. That later transaction can cause confusion: Jones was an investor in the programme and a buyer of the business, but Elnaugh is the dragon associated with founding and building Red Letter Days.