Rachel Elnaugh became Dragons' Den's first female dragon when she joined the original panel.
Elnaugh was one of the original investors on the British series, which began in 2005. She was known for founding Red Letter Days, a company selling experience gifts such as driving and leisure activities. Her entrepreneurial background made her a natural fit for a programme focused on evaluating new businesses and negotiating equity deals.
She was the only woman on the initial panel of British dragons. Elnaugh left the show after its second series, and Deborah Meaden subsequently joined the panel in series 3. That change is why viewers sometimes incorrectly identify Meaden as the first female dragon: Meaden became the best-known long-term female investor, but Elnaugh held the original distinction.
The fact concerns the first panel, not the first female investor to remain for many years or the first woman to become a celebrity dragon. Elnaugh's tenure was brief, but her role is part of the programme's early history and its transition to a changing investor line-up.