Theo Paphitis joined BBC television show Dragon's Den as a Dragon in its second series.
Paphitis is a British retail entrepreneur best known for building businesses in retail, stationery and lingerie. His appointment expanded the original panel after the programme’s first series, giving the show another investor with substantial high-street experience.
On Dragon's Den, entrepreneurs ask for money in return for a percentage of their company. Paphitis became associated with direct, commercially focused questioning, especially about sales, margins and routes to market.
He later left the regular panel, but remained one of the most recognisable early Dragons. His career is sometimes confused with that of Peter Jones, who was also an original investor but did not join as a second-series newcomer.