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Dragon's Den return date confirmed by BBC as new dragons join Steven Bartlett, Deborah Meaden, and Peter Jones
The Dragons are back!
BBC
- Katelyn Mensah
Published: Thursday, 6 August 2026 at 9:58 am
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Dragons' Den is back with a new set of episodes as season 23 continues on BBC One later this month.
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Kicking things off on Thursday 20 August at 8pm, a new batch of ambitious entrepreneurs face a series first, with female Dragons outnumbering the males for the first time.
Susie Ma and Jenna Meek join Peter Jones, Deborah Meaden and Steven Bartlett as they hear a number of pitches.
Pitching in the Den, a chemistry whizz promises to wash away waste with her powder-to-liquid haircare products and two social media stars hope to bag a sweet deal with their traditional confectionery concept.
A mother and son with a handcrafted spice blend business hope a Dragon could hold the recipe for success and a mission-led Gen Z travel start-up sets its sights on global growth.
Jenna Meek, Steven Bartlett, Deborah Meaden, Peter Jones and Susie Ma. BBC Studios/Simon Pantling
This season will be the last featuring long-time Dragon Touker Suleyman.
Earlier this year, Suleyman confirmed this season would be his last time featuring on the show - 11 years on from his first appearance.
Suleyman announced his departure in a post on Instagram, saying: "After ten extraordinary years as a Dragon on BBC’s Dragons’ Den, I have made the decision to step down from the show.
"It has been an immense privilege to sit in that chair, to meet so many passionate and talented entrepreneurs and to invest in business and people I truly believe in.
"The show gave me a platform not only to invest in leading British founders – and I hope in some small way I made a difference to those who stood opposite me."
It hasn't been announced if Suleyman will be replaced, however this series has a number of guest Dragons, including Gary Neville, Tinie Tempah, Meek and Ma.
Every episode will feature one of the four sitting alongside the resident Dragons; Peter Jones, Deborah Meaden, Touker Suleyman and Steven Bartlett.
Kalpna Patel-Knight, head of entertainment at the BBC said: "Peter, Deborah, Touker and Steven - alongside the formidable guest Dragons - will promise to grill every aspiring entrepreneur who enters the Den, providing plenty of unmissable moments for viewers to look forward to."
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Dragons' Den returns on Thursday 20 August at 8pm on BBC One and iPlayer.
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Authors
Katelyn MensahSenior Entertainment Writer
Katelyn Mensah is the Senior Entertainment Writer for Radio Times, covering all major entertainment programmes, reality TV shows and the latest hard-hitting documentaries. She previously worked at The Tab, with a focus on reality TV and showbiz news and has obtained a BA (Hons) in Journalism.
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