Dragons' Den
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Dragons' Den is a television programme which originated in Japan where the format is owned by Sony. The format, which now airs internationally, consists of entrepreneurs pitching their ideas to secure investment finance from business experts — the "Dragons".
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[edit] Show format
The contestants are people who have what they consider to be a viable and potentially very profitable business idea, but who lack funding. They have around two hours in which to present their business ideas, although only a short section of this is shown on air (usually five minutes, followed by questions and negotiations) in which to pitch their idea to five rich entrepreneurial businesspeople, the "dragons" of the show's title. They have before the show named an amount of money that they wish to get, and the rules stipulate that if they do not raise this amount they cannot get any. The dragons then probe the idea further, often revealing an embarrassing lack of preparation on the part of the contestants or sometimes vain subterfuge of troubling facts, and consequently rejecting the investment. It is common in a show to see five or six ideas and only one that attracts the dragons' money. In return, the contestant offers the dragons a percentage of the company, which is the chief point of negotiation.
[edit] Versions
Dragons' Den currently airs in Japan, New Zealand, Australia, the UK, Sweden, Israel, Canada, New Zealand, and the Netherlands. However, the version that screens in Sweden is the UK production.
[edit] Japan
Titled Money no Tora (Money Tiger), this original version was created by and aired on Nippon Television from 2001 to 2004. It was the first entertainment programme in the history of Japanese television that dealt with the concept of business investment. During its three year run, as many as 16 business executives appeared in the programme as Tigers.
[edit] UK
In the UK, Dragons' Den is broadcast on BBC Two and is hosted by Evan Davis, the BBC's economics editor. The second series ended on 20 December 2005, with a "Where Are They Now" episode, giving details of the outcomes of some of the ventures from the first series, shown the following day. A third series commenced on BBC Two on 3 August 2006. Continuing the trend for the season finale, another "Where Are They Now" episode for the 3rd season also aired on 20 September 2006, with a further follow-up episode to follow in October. The Dragons are:
- Duncan Bannatyne
- Peter Jones
- Theo Paphitis (replaced Simon Woodroffe from Series 1)
- Deborah Meaden (replaced Rachel Elnaugh from Series 1 and 2) [1]
- Richard Farleigh (replaced Doug Richard from Series 1 and 2) [2]
The theme tune of Dragons' Den has been credited to John Watt.
[edit] Series guide
- Series 1 6 editions 04/01/05 - 08/02/05
- Series 2 6 editions 15/11/05 - 20/12/05
- Series 3 8 editions 03/08/06 - 21/09/06
- Series 4 6 editions 07/02/07 - 14/03/07
[edit] Controversy
In September 2006, in an investigation by the Sunday Mirror newspaper, it was claimed that most of the deals were unfulfilled after the programmes were shot. The article claimed that the Dragons either pulled out of the deals over minor technicalities, deliberately offered heavily unfavourable terms to the entrepreneurs in an effort to make them withdraw, or simply broke off all contact with them after the recording. The UK Dragons defended their record, with Duncan Bannatyne saying: "We don't hand over money to people who don't tell the truth.", while Theo Paphitis added: "I kept up my end of the bargain. The show is not about a cash prize, it is about us pledging to invest. But people must tell the truth. Simple." A BBC spokesman said: "After the initial agreement is made on camera, both parties enter a period of due diligence. Sometimes during this period the deals fall through."[3] In fact, the BBC has never made a secret of this, with follow-up programmes openly admitting that many deals ultimately fell through.
[edit] Australia
In Australia, Dragons' Den is broadcast on the Seven Network and hosted by Andrew O'Keefe. It is produced by Michael Horrocks. The Australian Dragons are:
- Peter Higgins
- Sarina Russo
- Siimon Reynolds
- Darryn Lyons
- Suzi Dafnis
The Seven Network announced in December, 2005 that the show would not be back for a second season after soft ratings.
[edit] New Zealand
In New Zealand Dragons' Den is broadcast on TV One and hosted by Rawdon Christie. Initially the UK and Australian series were broadcast, but a local version has now been produced and screened in 2006. The series is produced by Eyeworks Touchdown. The New Zealand Dragons are:
- Julie Christie
- Bob Jones
- Annette Presley
- Paul Webb
- Barry Colman
[edit] Israel
In Israel, Dragons' Den is entiled Hakrishim (which is Hebrew for "The Sharks"). It is produced by Gil Productions and airs on Channel 10. It is hosted by Guy Zohar. In the Israeli version, there are 6 dragons who rotate their appearance weekly. The dragons are:
- Ze'ev Holtzman
- Israela Shtier
- Aviv Tzidon
- Oded Dessau
- Jacky Ben-Zaken
- Nir Sharatzki
The first season aired during the summer and fall of 2006. Due to its success in ratings, Channel 10 has ordered a second season of the show to be produced. It was announced in March, 2007 that only two of the dragons from the first season (Aviv Tzidon and Jacky Ben-Zaken) would participate in the second season. There will be new dragons to replace the departing ones.
[edit] Canada
In Canada the show is currently airing on CBC Television starting in October 2006. It is hosted by Dianne Buckner. The Canadian Dragons are:
- Robert Herjavec, who sold his IT security firm at the height of the dot-com bubble for over $100 million.
- Jim Treliving, a former RCMP officer who now owns Boston Pizza. In 2005, his restaurants generated well over $500 million in sales.
- Jennifer Wood, one of the most influential executives in Canada's beef industry. Her career in the cattle business began in 1990, and she now owns a 6,500-acre ranch with over 20,000 head of cattle.
- Laurence Lewin, co-founder of La Senza, a chain of lingerie shops with more than 310 stores throughout Canada, and, via corporate licensees, a further 320 stores operating in 30 countries around the world.
- Kevin O'Leary, popular host of ROB TV's SqueezePlay, who sold his educational software firm to Mattel for $3.2 billion.
On March 1, 2007, the official blog of CBC's Dragons' Den announced the show will be back in Fall 2007 for a second season.[4]
[edit] See also
- American Inventor
- The Big Idea
[edit] References
- ^ BBC (2006). Press Office - Two New Dragons Enter the Den. Retrieved May 14, 2006.
- ^ BBC (2006). "New Dragons enter the Den as show returns". Retrieved 4 August 2006.
- ^ Sunday Mirror (2006) [1] Retrieved 17 September 2006
- ^ We're Back....Season TWO [2] Retrieved 2nd March, 2007
