Which entrepreneur became the first woman to sit on the original BBC Dragon's Den panel?

Rachel Elnaugh became the first woman to sit on the original BBC Dragon's Den investment panel.

Elnaugh was an entrepreneur best known for founding Red Letter Days, a company selling experience gifts. She joined the first series of the British programme, making her one of the original investors when the show launched on BBC Two.

Her appearance is sometimes overshadowed by Deborah Meaden, who became the programme's longest-serving female investor after joining later. Meaden was not part of the first panel, so she is not the answer to this particular historical question.

Elnaugh's business career also illustrates a recurring Dragon's Den theme: a pitch can be judged against both the product and the entrepreneur's financial record. Red Letter Days grew rapidly but later entered administration, after which the brand and assets were acquired by other business interests. The television programme continued with changing investor line-ups.