Season Recap

Dragons’ Den Season 1 Recap: Every Deal Worth Knowing

Season 1 by the numbers: 61 pitches, 8 deals, the biggest checks, and the products that are still selling.

Dragons' Den IndexUpdated 24 February 20266 min read

Season 1 aired across 2005–2005 and brought 61 businesses into the Den. By the time it wrapped, the dragons had made 8 deals and committed £499K on air. It is a clean snapshot of where the show, and the companies pitching it, stood that year.

The season's deal rate landed at 13%. It set an early benchmark for how often the dragons were willing to bite. Deal rates have climbed over the life of the show as the format matured and founders showed up better prepared, and Season 1 is one point on that line.

The defining deal of the season was Visual Talent Ltd, which secured £175,000 for 40% from Peter Jones. Every season has a pitch or two the dragons fight over, and the size of that top check is usually a fair proxy for how strong the season's crop of companies was.

By category, Season 1 leaned toward other, sports & outdoors and fashion & beauty, the three areas that sent the most founders into the Den that year. The mix shifts season to season and usually tracks whatever was hot in consumer products at the time, which makes each season a small time capsule of where founders were putting their energy.

The real measure of a season is what survives, and this one produced businesses that are still around. 6 Season 1 products are still actively selling today, several of them on Amazon, and they are highlighted below. Those survivors matter more than the on-air theatrics. They are the companies that were still standing years later.

Below you will find the season's biggest deals ranked by check size, plus the products from Season 1 you can still buy. For the full episode-by-episode breakdown of all 61 pitches, head to the season page. Figures reflect the deals as aired.