Which investor was Dragon's Den's first female dragon?

The story behind the answer

Rachel Elnaugh was Dragon's Den's first female dragon.

Elnaugh joined the original investor panel and brought experience from the retail and gifts business. She founded Red Letter Days, a company selling experience gifts, and became known for judging pitches through the practical questions of customer demand, margins and operational risk.

Her position is historically distinct from Deborah Meaden's later, much longer association with the programme. Meaden became one of the show's most recognisable investors, but she was not the first woman to sit on the British panel. That honour belongs to Elnaugh.

Elnaugh's time on the programme also illustrates that the panel has changed repeatedly. Investors have joined, left and returned over the years, so answers based only on the current line-up can be misleading when a question concerns the show's original era.

Source: Wikipedia · fact-checked Oct. 2026

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