Dragons' Den - Does anybody know what the dragons are like in real life?

[WeBuiltThisBuffetOnSausageRoll]

I do love a bit of Dragons' Den and - like most viewers, I'm sure, I've formed my opinions over the years about the different dragons and thought about who I'd choose to go with, if I were on the programme and had received multiple offers.

However, it occurs to me that I have no idea whatsoever what the dragons are like when the camera stops rolling. Do you see their true self on TV? Are the really 'nice' ones ruthless and take-no-prisoners in real life? Are the ones who come across as brusque and hard-nosed actually big softies in reality?!

Does anybody know a dragon (past or present) well or has had business/social dealings with them? Do they genuinely practise the various ethical and socially-minded views that they espouse on DD - in personal life or in business? Have you actually been on the show?!

Any insider knowledge - please do spill the beans! No need to specifically name anybody although a big clue would be appreciated if you have a less-than-glowing report of them....

Following, I'd like to know too. I imagine they're all quite ruthless in business dealings though, or they wouldn't have got where they are.

Deborah Messenger was on Grace Dent’s podcast and comes across as very down to earth and nice.

Talked about how she started her business.

Worth a listen.

Sorry, autocorrect.

Deborah Meaden

Did some work with Theo P and Peter J .... they don't really get involved.

I imagine they're all quite ruthless in business dealings though, or they wouldn't have got where they are.

I think most people in their position are probably like that, but not necessarily all. One of my favourite rich, successful businesspeople is Sir John Timpson, who makes a point of employing and helping the personal development of people whom most employers would run from - ex-prisoners wanting to make a fresh start and people with learning difficulties and other life challenges. Uses no schemes to avoid paying their fair tax and frequently visiting the individual outlets without any airs and graces. I think he's stepped back a bit, now that he's getting older, and I hear that his son James, who has taken over, is just the same in his dealings and ethics as his dad.

I listened to Deborah Meaden’s Desert Island Discs and she seems decent. Her life is pretty interesting.

I met Theo Paphitis once. He was chatty, friendly, outgoing.

Deborah Meade’s is great on Twitter. Her politics are not what you might expect and she clearly has a strong sense of justice. There is much much more to her than making money. I think she’s pretty great, actually.

Glad to hear that at least certain of the Dragons don't seem to be nasty in real life. I can fully appreciate that they have 'their people' to handle all the daily running of their many business interests, but I just hate to think that they might all be nice and cuddly on camera, but ruthless and foul when the cameras stop rolling.

A bit like a certain deceased Liverpudlian singer and presenter who was warm and brought 'much laughter' on screen, but tended to 'surprise' ordinary people when they encountered her in real life and discovered that she was vile and rude in the extreme.

Deborah has been one of my favourites all along - I'd be so disappointed to find she was an 'actual' dragon (in the sense of horrible behaviour rather than shrewdness in business) in real life. Thankfully, she does sound very genuine and a nice human being.

@WeBuiltThisBuffetOnSausageRoll

Glad to hear that at least certain of the Dragons don't seem to be nasty in real life. I can fully appreciate that they have 'their people' to handle all the daily running of their many business interests, but I just hate to think that they might all be nice and cuddly on camera, but ruthless and foul when the cameras stop rolling.

A bit like a certain deceased Liverpudlian singer and presenter who was warm and brought 'much laughter' on screen, but tended to 'surprise' ordinary people when they encountered her in real life and discovered that she was vile and rude in the extreme.

Yeah, I always thought that was well known.

I used to watch Sarah Davis on Ideal World many years ago, when I first started paper crafting. Her younger sister was on sometimes and her dad developed some of the stuff they sold. I liked her, real character, but her business drive was obvious, always developing new ideas....she cost me ££££s.

Both Deborah and Sara came over brilliantly on Strictly. Moreover, they stayed in touch with their pros, which does not always happen Bloody Lulu
Have you seen the police improv show Murder in Successsville on iplayer - Deborah was on that and cracked me up.

It's nice to see nice comments on Deborah I've never had any personal experience myself but she seems great, as does Sara & the new dragon Steven

@WeBuiltThisBuffetOnSausageRoll. I agree with you about Timpsons. Amazing company. I once read an article about Timpsons and retweeted it, saying "Timpsons are great". Sadly Twitter autocorrected it to "Tampons are great" and I didn't notice it until DH pointed it out 3 days later.

Not the dragons, but DH had quite a few dealings with Evan Davies, probably about 15 years or so ago now, and said he was a really nice chap. Used to wear leather trousers not visible under the desk on Newsnight as you could only see his shirt and jacket on camera!

A family member encountered Peter jones at an airport where said family member works. He was apparently extremely rude and all ‘don’t you know who I am’.

I just remember listening to Deborah Meadon once criticising Lewis Hamilton for moving to Switzerland years ago to avoid paying tax. She was livid and saying that as a Briton she considers it her duty to support her people and country and that tax evasion is a disgusting trait. She was right and I admire her a lot. Many very wealthy people get where they are by nefarious though legitimate means. She doesn't seem to be one of them.

I just remember listening to Deborah Meadon once criticising Lewis Hamilton for moving to Switzerland years ago to avoid paying tax. She was livid and saying that as a Briton she considers it her duty to support her people and country and that tax evasion is a disgusting trait.

Good for her - I'm really happy to hear that. Back to Timpson's again, they display signs in their outlets declaring that they pay all their fair tax and don't use 'clever' accounting to avoid it.

I could sort of understand in the days of 97% tax, but I just don't get the greed of some of the very rich, who will look at, say £4m (for many, it's way, way more than that) coming in and do all that they can to swindle their ordinary low-paid countryfolk (ultimately, it isn't 'the taxman' at all) out of their due. However hard you work, nobody can actually properly earn £4m a year.

Why on earth would you cry about losing £2m of it so that the poor can just about get by instead of just looking open-mouthed at the £2m you have left over and just grinning yourself stupid at being able to buy just about anything you could possibly want?!

So many people yearn to make enough money to be able to retire early - whether through extremely hard work, taking big risks, making painful sacrifices, hoping to win the lottery etc. It seems to me that most billionaires (never mind the less rich) take on the very stressful full-time job of constantly coveting the next billion, and the next - and panicking in case they should ever end up very slightly less obscenely rich.

Absolute madness, as they'll eventually have to leave behind exactly the same as the rest of us will: everything.

Deborah must be fun have you seen her on one of the new episodes of Mandy?😃😃😃

Duncan bananatyne is a creep, bumped into him in the local town after a few drinks after work and was waiting for a taxi, likes the young girls.

Wow, all these programmes featuring Deborah that I've not seen - I only know her from DD. Goodness, I must be boring

Yes, there are definitely certain dragons I would actively avoid, whatever they offered. I suppose it could be a bit awkward if they were the only dragon to make an offer - and that offer was exactly (or even better than) what I'd asked for.

When people receive multiple offers and choose one of them - sometimes not even the 'best' offer on paper - and they say something like "I appreciate both of your offers, but I want to go with Deborah, because I know how very passionate she is about eco-friendly/plant-based food/dogs," I do wonder if that's them finding a tactful excuse instead of coming out with it and saying "You? Not with a bargepole, mate!"

Although you're obviously going to be just one of many investments made by a very busy investor, who will be delegating a lot of their part of the day-to-day running to 'their people', I get the clear impression that certain dragons see it as them working with you in your business for mutual benefit, whilst others see it as them taking over and pretty much casting you aside, as if you were now a shareholder in their business.

One dragon in particular looks to me (and I may be misinterpreting him) like he's always cogitating how he can fundamentally change and asset-strip the business, shifting all mass-production to Chinese factories, even though the very USP of the product might be that it's British-made and individually produced.

Although obviously disappointing for the pitchers, I actually admire those dragons who are honest when they agree that it's a very good and profitable product or service, but that they personally don't have the necessary passion to get behind it (or it sits uneasily with their own ethical stance) and so wish them well but decline to invest.

Actually, I (annoyingly) can't remember the product now, but there was one in the last year or two that Deborah didn't just have some ethical 'concerns' over but which she found absolutely morally disgraceful - and didn't hold back on saying so. Can anybody remember what it was?!

@BadHairDayExpert

Both Deborah and Sara came over brilliantly on Strictly. Moreover, they stayed in touch with their pros, which does not always happen Bloody Lulu Have you seen the police improv show Murder in Successsville on iplayer - Deborah was on that and cracked me up.

She was brilliant in Murder in Successville. Vastly underrated show

@WeBuiltThisBuffetOnSausageRoll I think it was the one where the entrepreneurs came up with providing the service of in IV drip of vitamins, in the comfort of your own home. Was bizzare.