Peter Jones has served on the UK Dragons' Den panel since the programme’s first series.
Jones is an entrepreneur and investor whose interests have included technology, media, retail and property. His long tenure made him the continuous link between the original panel and later line-ups. He is also recognised by his tall stature and by the “Peter Jones investment” image associated with the programme.
The original series panel included Jones, Duncan Bannatyne, Theo Paphitis, Rachel Elnaugh and Doug Richard. Several of those investors later left, while Jones remained a fixture as the show introduced new dragons.
A common error is to identify Deborah Meaden as an original investor because she is closely associated with the programme. She joined in the third series, not the first. Peter Jones is the answer to the question about continuous service from the launch panel.