BBC One has announced that it will air the next series of the show.
Dragons’ Den was launched on BBC Two in 2005 and features budding entrepreneurs pitching their creations and business ideas – some more credible than others – to five millionaire experts in the hope of luring them into parting with their cash and into a business partnership.
“Dragons’ Den has always been a favourite show with viewers and is still hugely popular. As a result it feels like the time is right to move our formidable Dragons’ to BBC One, so they can entertain an even wider audience.” – Katie Phillips, Controller of Entertainment, BBC
The Beeb note that the show is still a ratings puller after 15 years, with the most recent series – the 17th – peaking at 3.4m viewers. Since the Den first opened its doors in 2005 over 1,000 entrepreneurs have entered and there has been a total of 18 Dragons, who have made 276 deals and pledged over £22m in investments.
The upcoming eighteenth series will see Peter Jones, Deborah Meaden, Touker Suleyman, Tej Lalvani, and Sara Davies once again form the line up of investors. However, Lalvani recently announced plans to depart the show at its conclusion.
Filmed during 2020 following the introduction of new guidelines that allowed the UK’s TV production industry to restart the series is due to air in early 2021.
“We’re thrilled to be taking the Dragons to BBC One and it’s a real testament to the show’s enduring popularity and the fantastic team who produce it. As Covid-19 continues to present a huge challenge for the business community across the nation, there has never been a more appropriate time to showcase great British entrepreneurialism to an ever wider audience.” – Hannah Wyatt, MD, Factual Entertainment at BBC Studios
Dragons’ Den is a BBC Studios production.
