Deborah Meaden joined BBC's Dragon's Den in series 3.
Meaden became one of the programme's longest-serving and most recognisable investors. Before appearing on television, she had built experience in business and investment, including work connected with the family holiday business that became part of her commercial background.
Her role on the panel involved assessing entrepreneurs' products, finances, market opportunities, and requested equity deals. She became known for direct questioning and for investing in a range of consumer, retail, leisure, and service businesses.
The series number is easy to confuse with the calendar year because Dragon's Den changes investors across different runs and some panel members joined at different points. Series 3 identifies the point at which Meaden first appeared as a Dragon, rather than the year of a particular investment or broadcast repeat.