Who was the original female Dragon on the British television series Dragon’s Den?

Rachel Elnaugh was the original female Dragon on the British television series Dragon’s Den.

Elnaugh was a businesswoman best known for Red Letter Days, a company selling experience gifts such as leisure and entertainment packages. Her entrepreneurial background helped establish the programme’s early balance between different kinds of business expertise.

She appeared on the first two series of the BBC show. Deborah Meaden later became the better-known long-term female member of the panel, which is why viewers sometimes incorrectly identify Meaden as the original woman Dragon.

Elnaugh’s tenure belongs to the programme’s earliest period, before the investor lineup changed several times. Later female Dragons included Meaden, Kelly Hoppen, Sarah Willingham and Sara Davies.