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Dragons' Den
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Dragons' Den is a television programme that 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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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[citation needed] (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 at least this amount from the dragons, they get nothing.
The dragons then probe the idea further, often revealing an embarrassing lack of preparation on the part of the contestants or uncovering 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 give the dragons a percentage of the company's stock, which is the chief point of negotiation.
Dragons' Den series have been produced in Japan, the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Israel, Canada, the Netherlands and Finland.
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.
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 series finale, another "Where Are They Now" episode for the third series also aired on 20 September 2006, with a further follow-up episode broadcasting in October. The programme was nominated for an RTS award and two BAFTA awards in 2007. The theme tune of Dragons' Den has been credited to John Watt. The series is produced by Dominic Bird and Executive Produced by Helen Bullough. The Dragons are:
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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."[1] In fact, the BBC has never made a secret of this, with follow-up programmes openly admitting that many deals ultimately fell through.
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This article appears to contradict the article Richard Farleigh. Please see discussion on the linked talk page. |
It was announced on 21 May 2007, that Richard Farleigh had been dropped from the series. The Daily Mail suggested he may have been dropped in order to have a new dragon from an ethnic minority. Farleigh said, "It would be disappointing if that was the reason - rather than anything fundamental - if it was because I was the wrong colour. I don't know why this has happened and I am very disappointed and bemused - I wasn't expecting it because all the feedback I got was very positive. I had even moved back to the UK to focus on commitments for the show. I am gutted that I have not been invited back."[2] James Caan, a venture capitalist and founder of Hamilton Bradshaw, replaced Farleigh in series five.
The Australian version of Dragons' Den was broadcast on the Seven Network and hosted by Andrew O'Keefe. Different to other versions, the host ran through the outline of the business with the contestant then negotiating with the Dragons for a deal. It was produced by Michael Horrock. The Australian Dragons were:
The Seven Network announced in December 2005 that the show would not be back for a second season after poor ratings.
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 Series 1 Dragons are:
Production company Eyeworks Touchdown is currently soliciting applications for a second series of Dragons' Den
In Israel, Dragons' Den is entitled 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 first season aired during the summer and fall of 2006. The dragons in season 1 were: Ze'ev Holtzman, Israela Shtier, Aviv Tzidon, Oded Dessau, Jacky Ben-Zaken, and Nir Sharatzki.
The second season began airing on Channel 10 on May 24, 2007. As in the first season, the dragons rotate their appearance weekly. Aviv Tzidon and Jacky Ben-Zaken returned from the first season and were joined by the following new dragons:
- Yossi Moldavsky
- Nir Barkat
- Amir Eyal
- Roni Ross
- Amos Luzon
Dragons' Den first aired in Canada on CBC Television on October 3rd 2006. Season one featured eight 1-hour episodes, including a final "where are they now" edition. Season two expanded this number to ten 1-hour episodes, with a "where are they now" finale once again.
It is hosted by Dianne Buckner. The Dragons are:
- Arlene Dickinson (Season 2 only), the owner of Venture Communications, a marketing company with offices across Canada.
- Robert Herjavec, who sold his IT security firm at the height of the dot-com bubble for over $100 million.
- 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, co-host of Business News Network's SqueezePlay, was formerly the President of The Learning Company, which was sold to Mattel for $3.7 billion in 1999.
- Jim Treliving, a former Royal Canadian Mounted Police officer who now owns Boston Pizza. In 2005, his restaurants generated well over $500 million in sales.
- Jennifer Wood (Season 1 only), 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 (26 km²) ranch with over 20,000 head of cattle.
In the Netherlands the show aired in May 2007 on Nederland 3, every Friday at 20.25 (+1 GMT). It is hosted by Jort Kelder. The Dutch Dragons are:
In Finland Dragons' Den is called Leijonan kita. The show started running in Finland on 27th September 2007 on MTV3 channel. The show is hosted by Anna Sorainen. The local Dragons, or Leijonat (Lions in Finnish), are:
- ^ Sunday Mirror (2006) [1] Retrieved 17 September 2006
- ^ Dave West (2007-05-21). 'Dragons' Den' panellist dropped. Digital Spy.
- Dragons' Den at bbc.co.uk (Official UK website)
- Dragons' Den (Dragons' Den News At Unreality TV)
- Dragons' Den (Official Australia website)
- Dragons' Den (Official Canada website)
- Dragons' Den Blog (Unofficial Canada blog)
- Dragons' Den (Official Netherlands website)
- Dragons' Den (Official New Zealand website)
- Hakrishim (Official Israel website)
- Petition to Bring Back Richard Farleigh to the Dragons' Den
Categories: All articles with unsourced statements | Articles with unsourced statements since November 2007 | Articles contradicting other articles | BBC television programmes | CBC network shows | Australian reality television series | British reality television series | Canadian reality television series | Seven Network shows | Television series by Sony Pictures Television | 2006 Canadian television program debuts