Entertainment
Dragons’ Den star Sara Davies on ‘awkward’ moment Deborah Meaden ‘moved on her space’ in new series: ‘It’s dog eat dog’
Dragons’ Den star Sara Davies has spoken about the upcoming series of the BBC show, recounting an awkward moment between her and fellow Dragon Deborah Meaden.
The new series sees Sara, Deborah, Peter Jones, Tej Lalvana and Touker Suleyman return to fight it out in the Den and invest in new businesses – and it certainly isn’t without incident.
Sara made her name in the crafts supply business, and there was tension between the two businesswomen as Deborah ‘moved in on her space’ after making an offer on a pitch in her field.
Speaking to Metro.co.uk about the awkward scenes in the new series, Sara said that while there are pleasantries outside of the studio, it’s ‘dog eat dog’ on the show.
‘In the first episode, Deborah made an investment in a business that’s in my space,’ Sara said. ‘It’s a business idea that I poo pooed a little bit.’
The 35-year-old added: ‘There was more than a little bit of awkwardness. The Den is a funny environment. It’s dog eat dog business wise.’
It came after former banker Zena El Farra stepped into the Den, having left a well paid city job behind to launch Masterpiece – a business specialising in ‘mindful painting experiences’.
Zena was looking for a £150,000 investment for a 15% stake in her business, which aims to help its customers unwind through painting. ‘That looks right up my street,’ Sara said as she saw the painting equipment first time.
However, Sara took issue with Zena’s subscription-based business after hearing her pitch, calling it a ‘complete non-starter’ in a devastating takedown. Deborah completely disagreed, though.
Things might not have quite worked out for Sara and Zena, but after leaving the show, she’s been more than happy to help Deborah out by sharing her expertise and contacts.
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‘Deborah’s been in touch with me the last couple of weeks,’ Sara said. ‘Even though that wasn’t the right investment for me, and I didn’t believe in the business, it doesn’t mean that I won’t have some contacts and some insight that might help her. I’m happy to share that and support that, and I think that’s the great thing.’
Sara first joined Dragons’ Den as its youngest ever investor in 2019, and the new series sees her goes head to head with her fellow Dragons.
Sara revealed she was left ‘disappointed’ on a number of occasions in the new episodes, during the ‘awkward moment’ where all five Dragons compete to win a stake in a business.
‘There’s a couple I didn’t win that I’m really disappointed about, she said. ‘And they’ll feel like the one that got away, but it wasn’t me giving them off that got them away. It was me not managing to win it. We’ll see how they do.’
Filming on the new series got underway while the country was in lockdown, and the pandemic changed the type of pitch, and the type of business, Sara was looking for.
‘I asked a lot more questions about adaptability,’ she said. ‘I was thinking “who do I really trust and who do I believe has got that drive and enthusiasm to be able to take the business forward, whatever the next few years throws at them?”’
Sara and her fellow Dragons might have taken to the Den in new circumstances following a pandemic-induced delay, but the standard of the pitches was higher than ever – with some even rivalling the iconic Reggae Reggae Sauce pitch from Levi Roots in 2007.
In fact, her co-star Peter Jones, who has been a mainstay on the show since 2005, believes it’s the strongest year the programme has ever seen.
‘Pete himself said, this series has been the highest caliber of businesses he’s been in the Den,’ Sara said.
‘It’s one thing for me to say that because I’ve just watched the previous series from a distance, but he’s actually been in that chair all the way through. He said this is without a shadow of a doubt the highest caliber of businesses he’s seen.’
Meanwhile, Tej Lalvani, one of the stars of Dragons’ Den, recently announced his decision to leave the show.
Dragons’ Den returns at 8pm on April 1 on BBC One.
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