Dragons Den returns for a sixth series

As Dragons Den returns for its sixth series, we at Speakers Corner thought it would be good to do a quick recap on what happened in all the previous series.

Series 1 - 2004

Duncan Bannatyne , Rachel Elnaugh , Peter Jones, Doug Richard, Simon Woodroffe.

The Entrepreneurs

The first ever entrepreneur to enter the Den was Graham Whitby, with his Baby Dream Machine - a machine that rocks the pram or crib that a baby sleeps in.

Graham walked away without investment, but other notable investments in the first series included:

• Charles Ejogo's Umbrolly Vending Machine - the first ever investment
• Paul Thomas's Truffle Farm - Simon Woodroffe's only investment
• Hugh Gwyther's Wonderland - a high culture magazine aimed at men and women with distinguished tastes

Series Two - 2005

Duncan Bannatyne , Rachel Elnaugh , Peter Jones, Theo Paphitis , Doug Richard.

The Entrepreneurs

Danny Bamping gained investment for Bedlam Puzzles, producing 3D puzzles. Another landmark moment in the Den, this was the first time that Theo invested with Rachel.

But Danny wasn't the only entrepreneur to gain investment in the show's second series. Other memorable moments included:

• Dominic Killinger's Square Mile - the first investment of the series
• Julie White's Truly Madly Baby - unqiue baby products
• Paul Cockle's Generating Company - producing new and innovative contemporary circus shows

Series Three - 2006

Duncan Bannatyne, Richard Farleigh, Peter Jones, Deborah Meaden, Theo Paphitis.

The Entrepreneurs

Notable non-investments included Peter Ashley's Easy X Chair, an arm chair multi-gym; Richard Chadwick's Skyrota, a domestic wind turbine; and Rob Law's Trunki, ride on plastic luggage for children.

Some entrepreneurs that did catch the Dragons' eyes included:

• Stephen Bellis' Nuts Poker League - a cash-free tournament poker night
• Ian Chamings' Mix Album website - a service to digitally mix downloaded music
• James Seddon's EggXactly - a toaster with a twist, using eggs and not bread

Series Four - 2007

Duncan Bannatyne , Richard Farleigh, Peter Jones, Deborah Meaden, Theo Paphitis.

The Entrepreneurs

One memorable investment from the fourth series was Imran Hakim's iTeddy, a teddy bear with integrated technology to play MP3s or MP4s.

There were a handful of headline grabbing investments, including:

• Anthony Coates-Smith and Alistair Turner's Igloo - a chilled and frozen transport service
• Levi Roots' Reggae Reggae Sauce - a pitch with a slice of melody and a winning taste
• Denise Hutton's Razzamataz - a chain of performing arts schools

Series Five - 2007

Duncan Bannatyne, James Caan, Peter Jones, Deborah Meaden, Theo Paphitis.

The Entrepreneurs

Sarah Lu caught Deborah's eye and gained her investment in Yoo Do Dolls, a brand creating novelty products that allow older children to personalise them

Other key investments of the series included:

• Emmie Matthews and Ed Stephens' Gaming Alerts - the biggest single-Dragon investment to date
• Jerry Mantalvanos and Paul Merker's JPM Eco Logistics - the UK's first 100% eco friendly haulage company
• Celia Norwowzian and Ian Forshew's Beach Break Live - the UK's first student festival

For further information or to book any of the Dragons from the Den, please call us on +44 (0)20 7607 7070 or email info@speakerscorner.co.uk