Peter Jones has been a Dragon's Den investor since the programme began in 2005.
Jones is a British entrepreneur and businessman who became one of the original investors on the BBC series. He is known for questioning entrepreneurs about sales, margins, valuation and growth plans before deciding whether to make an offer. His long tenure made him one of the programme's defining dragons.
He has invested across a range of consumer, technology and service businesses, although not every televised pitch results in a completed deal. Television offers can be subject to due diligence and contract negotiations after filming, so an agreement shown on screen is not always identical to the final investment.
The other names in this question joined the panel later. Steven Bartlett joined in 2022, Sara Davies joined in 2019 and Touker Suleyman joined in 2015. Their later arrivals are why “original dragon” is a specific historical description rather than a general label for any investor on the programme.