Duncan Bannatyne founded the Bannatyne Group, a UK health-club business, before joining Dragon's Den.
Bannatyne built a business career across several sectors, including care homes, hotels and leisure. The Bannatyne Group became particularly associated with health clubs and spas, eventually developing a substantial network of facilities across the United Kingdom.
He joined Dragon's Den as one of the original investors when the programme launched in 2005. On the show, he became known for direct questioning and for focusing on whether entrepreneurs understood their numbers and could execute their plans. His experience in expanding service businesses shaped the kind of proposals he often examined.
Bannatyne left the Dragon's Den panel in 2014. His departure marked the end of one of the show's longest early panel tenures, although the programme continued with new Dragons and the same basic pitch-and-invest structure.