Which entrepreneur became the first female Dragon on the UK version of Dragon's Den?

Rachel Elnaugh became the first female Dragon on the UK version of Dragon's Den.

Elnaugh, an entrepreneur associated with the gift company Red Letter Days, joined the original investment panel when the British series launched in 2005. Her appointment gave the initial line-up a female investor at a time when business television panels were often dominated by men.

She was one of the programme's original Dragons, alongside investors including Peter Jones, Duncan Bannatyne, Simon Woodroffe and Doug Richard. Elnaugh left the regular panel after the second series, while later female Dragons included Deborah Meaden, Kelly Hoppen and Sara Davies.

The distinction matters because Deborah Meaden is often the name most strongly associated with female representation on the modern programme. Meaden joined later; Elnaugh holds the specific record of being the first woman to serve as a Dragon in the UK series.