Peter Jones is the only original Dragons' Den investor still associated with the UK panel from the first series.
Jones joined the programme when the British version began and remained a recurring Dragon as other original investors departed. The first panel also included Duncan Bannatyne, Rachel Elnaugh, Simon Woodroffe and Doug Richard, but none of those four continued in the same long-running role.
Jones is a serial entrepreneur whose interests have included mobile communications, technology, property and leisure. His continuing presence gives the UK edition a direct link to its original format and helps explain why viewers often identify him as the programme's longest-serving Dragon.
Being the only surviving original investor is different from being the oldest Dragon or the wealthiest one. It describes continuity of membership: Jones was present at the beginning and remained part of the principal UK line-up after the other original members had left.