Who replaced Rachel Elnaugh as a Dragon on the British television show Dragons' Den?

Deborah Meaden replaced Rachel Elnaugh as a Dragon on the British television show Dragons' Den.

Meaden joined the BBC programme in its third series, after Elnaugh departed the panel. Her investment background included family entertainment and leisure businesses, and she became associated with direct questioning about profitability, ownership and the entrepreneur’s ability to deliver.

Rachel Elnaugh was part of the original five-person panel when the British series launched in 2005. Her departure was part of the early reshaping of the programme, which also saw other original investors leave and new Dragons arrive.

The distinction matters because Meaden is often remembered as an original Dragon due to her long tenure. She was an early replacement rather than a member of the launch line-up. Meaden later became one of the programme’s most recognisable investors.