A former Dragons’ Den investor has revealed six things on the hit BBC show which aren’t quite as they seem.
Piers Linney, who is a former investor on series 11 of the BBC show from 2013 to 2015, opened up about the ‘fakery’ at play on the programme.
The entrepreneur heard over 200 pitches and made nine deals while on the series next to Peter Jones, Deborah Meaden, Kelly Hoppen and Duncan Bannatyne.
His investments included digital picture book publisher Lost My Name, self-tan brand Skinny Tan, festival and clubbing holidays operator Mainstage Travel and customised trainers company Skribbies.
He later appeared on Channel 4’s The Secret Millionaire, where he went undercover into a Young Offenders Institution to learn more about the work of charities that support young offenders.
The Co-founder of Implement AI claimed a lot of the Dragons’ Den set was completely fake, saying the lift ‘doesn’t go anywhere.’
He said: ‘I only realised how fake Dragons’ Den was when we started filming. When I arrived on set, sitting between Peter Jones and Deborah Meaden, reality hit me.
‘The rusted and worn surfaces were painted wood. The steel girders and rivets turned out to be clever paintwork and more wood.
Piers Linney, who is a former investor on series 11 of Dragon’s Den from 2013 to 2015, revealed six things on the hit BBC show which aren’t quite as they seem
‘The pipe and valve wheel often featured behind me in the show were not real. As for the piles of £50 notes – what do you think…
‘The lift went nowhere, footage of real pulleys was edited in. Even the view from the windows was a photograph.’
Sharing his story on LinkedIn, Piers, who also works as tech lead at AI consultancy Champions (UK) plc, said his experiences on the show were incredibly positive.
‘Crucially, the most important ingredients were entirely real,’ he revealed.
‘Every entrepreneur’s pitch, every nervous reaction and tear shed, the competition between the Dragons, every pound invested by the Dragons.
‘As for the stress and tension? That was 100 percent authentic. The years we spent supporting those entrepreneurs to build businesses or handle failures were real.
‘You can fake a TV set, but you can’t fake courage, creativity, or entrepreneurial dreams and the guts it takes to put them all on the table.’
Piers is an entrepreneur and investor with experience across a range of sectors including technology, media, communications, and additive manufacturing.
The entrepreneur heard over 200 pitches and made nine deals while on the series next to Peter Jones, Deborah Meaden , Kelly Hoppen and Duncan Bannatyne
Piers’ investments included digital picture book publisher Lost My Name, self-tan brand Skinny Tan, festival and clubbing holidays operator Mainstage Travel and customised trainers company Skribbies
He has a professional background as a qualified lawyer specialised in venture capital, M&A investment banking at Credit Suisse and alternative asset fund management.
A former non-executive Director of the UK government’s development bank British Business Bank, Piers was influential in the roll out of the £90bn Covid business support loan schemes.
It comes after a former Dragons’ Den contestant whose cardboard box company was slammed as ‘pathetic’ on the BBC programme is now raking in £10 million a year.
Rachel Watkyn, from Uckfield, first set foot in the fiery boardroom in 2008 to pitch her sustainable packaging business – The Tiny Box Company.
At the time they were the only company in the UK that solely dealt in recycled packaging, mainly focusing on eco-friendly gift and jewellery boxes.
She and her business partner, Robin Banks, managed to bag £60,000 worth of investments from Peter Jones and Theo Paphitis – but entrepreneur Duncan Bannatyne wasn’t convinced.
He bashed the sample product, branding it ‘ridiculous’ and something his then eight-year-old daughter could produce.
Duncan said: ‘I think it’s ridiculous that you’ve come along with what you call a business, that you describe as ethical and recyclable materials.’
Rachel Watkyn was told her business – Tiny Box Company – was ‘pathetic’ when she appeared on Dragons’ Den in 2008 – but now it makes £10million a year (pictured: Rachel and her business partner Robin Banks)
Duncan Bannatyne bashed the product, branding the blue and burgundy striped box as ‘ridiculous’ and something his eight-year-old daughter could produce
At the time the Tiny Box Company was the only business in the UK that dealt solely with recycled packaging, focusing mainly on gift boxes and jewellery packaging
‘And you produce a box which my eight-year-old daughter Emily could make better at school – the ends don’t match up, the lines aren’t straight.
Twirling the burgundy and blue striped box in his fingers, he quipped: ‘It’s pathetic, it really is.’
However, more than a decade later the Tiny Box Company has reached new heights, broadening their horizons by creating over 1,500 packaging products and accessories.
Now they offer a range of eco-friendly and recycled packaging, from large moving boxes to multicoloured mailing gift boxes, as well as foam earring inserts and more.
Boasting a clientele of nearly 200,000, the company now takes in £10million annually.
Reflecting on the experience with ITV, Rachel said: ‘They were brutal, they were absolutely brutal. On the show, I didn’t have any confidence.’
But with a flurry of start-up companies emerging who needed the packaging she produced, Rachel knew it would be a success.
‘Off camera, I just knew that Etsy was becoming more and more popular and Not On The High Street,’ explained Rachel.
Even though The Tiny Box Company is now raking in millions a year, the journey there hasn’t been the smoothest.
The rocky road to success has been a ‘lesson in resilience’ according to Rachel, who in the last few years has survived cancer three times.
‘It has been the toughest journey of my life. I’ve had cancer three times in the last five years,’ she shared.
