Worst Series of Dragons Den Ever?

[JonathanSEO]

I've always watched Dragons Den since it first came on the TV about 10 years ago, there's been some good businesses on there (wrapstrap, levi roots, skirting board radiator guy, trunkie to name a few), makes decent viewing and you can definitely learn a thing or two about specific industries.

But this series has been very poor. The quality of the ideas / businesses on has been on a par with some of crackpot ideas on here . If you saw "sheicer" last week you'll know what I mean.

I think in total there's been less than 5 investments. The new dragons clearly don't have a penny to rub together in terms of being real investors and say the same rubbish every week - "I love the product, but it's not for me".

How come it's gotten so bad, so quick? Sign of the times? No good ideas anymore? Or are real businesses looking elsewhere and weak businesses just looking for the PR opportunities to get a flood of sales while they can?

I bought some beef jerky off the back of it so it works!

 

[sebsuma]

I think a lot of TV programs go stale, maybe you are just getting bored and as a result more harsh when judging ideas. I haven't watched it for a few series but i remember there were some terrible ideas on there and some good ones. Its obviously hard for me to comment thought as as i have just said i no longer watch it. Still i bet its still better than the apprentice!

 

[JonathanSEO]

Perhaps but this series just seems to be a lot of non businesses coming in with ridiculous valuations and no track record.

Before there was a mix. Some really stupid ones that were fun to watch and some ones that were investable. Now not so many.

Of course with TV you're never more than 5 minutes away from a sob story but been a few of those this series too rather than just the odd one or two.

Definitely better than Apprentice though!

 

[MASSEY]

Yeah possibly the worst in my opinion. I have never watched the show religiously but the past few episodes i've caught have left me feeling less than entertained.

I think Theo leaving has taken away some of the shine.

 

[TotallySport]

first time I have turned over while the program is on, it just wasn't any good.

the ideas were mediocre at best, so much so that they hardly invested this time.

Didn't think the new dragons offer very much, and certainly didn't gel with the old ones.

 

[Deleted member 162294]

Its a bit like X-Factor where anybody can just come in get 5 minutes of fame and possibly a career. At the start there's this huge pool of talent to choose from and you'll see a lot of success, but its a TV show and the show must go on, so eventually the pool ends up looking like a puddle.

 

[Philip Hoyle]

I too have completely lost interest this series. Far too much time wasting with "funky" camera shots, the lift and the ever annoying narrator saying exactly the same as has just been said by a contestant or Dragon. If they cut out the time wasting, they could show more of the other unsuccessful entrants - those that get just a few seconds of air time which is totally pointless. I'd say the production team need a kick up the ass or be completely replaced.

 

[WHARTY]

Yes the worst by far. They leave too much info out. You always feel like they are cutting out to much and that lots of important information just isn't being given. Maybe they are dumbing it down to attract the xfactor crowd

I think crowdfunding has started the downfall in the sense that all the good ideas have gone to the likes of Kickstarter.

I would be very surprised if we get another series.It may even go to channel 5 so they can do the same as they did for Big Brother

 

[Gecko001]

Yes, I used to watch it every week, now I do not mind if I miss it. The TV people have tried to give it a revamp, but that usually means that they concentrate on look and appearance and not on substance and the Dragon's Den is no exception in my view.

It is good that they have brought in some new Dragons. I hope they find their feet. The people pitching I do not think have changed much. Still a good variety in my view. There always was a lack of real inventions on the show, and that has not changed. I suppose if you have a good invention you keep it to yourself.

 

[guest_12]

I thought the show started to go down hill the same time as they changed the entrance from walking upstairs to walking downstairs....maybe it was an omen.

 

Its another TV freak show,the weirder the better for UK audiences.

 

[deniser]

It's time to kill it off.

 

[Moneyman]

Absolutely typical of tv these days. A good concept and a great start. Then the production guys disappear up their own backside and think the show is more about the whole setup than the content.
I think the bbc think the content is boring because they are all arts graduates. That is why they love the nutter with a song pitch. Cut to crying, life story bit or corny jokes. I find it is just a fast forward to content show but I cant be bothered to even watch nowdays.

The bbc do the same with science." Oh this is dull" let's do away with the clever guy telling us interesting stuff and move to lots of lovely locations and stick in a celeb instead. Science could be cheap proper BBC remit stuff trying to inform and educate the public. Instead they are fighting to compete with the xfactor (minimal singing lots of crying and celeb). I want my licence fee back.

 

[jimjamuk1]

I agree. This is definitely the worst series ever broadcast.
I used to really enjoy Dragons Den but don't think I'll be watching further series.
I don't think though its anything to do with the new dragons, its down to the format and the way the show has been edited.

 

[trebor8]

I want my licence fee back.

You actually pay for it!

 

[jimjamuk1]

You actually pay for it!

was going to say whats a tv licence?

 

[10032012]

I thought the show started to go down hill the same time as they changed the entrance from walking upstairs to walking downstairs....maybe it was an omen.

haha, I totally agree though. As I understood the format (apart from those eyed up for the show) there were 2 ways to rip people apart... 1) request everyone to attend throughout all filming days until they have been on... this makes it hard to prepare, many people thinking "it wont be today, again" then getting selected and clueless of their figures, and 2) walking up stairs took peoples breaths away... it allowed pitches to be more tricky to do - less of the walk in and get on with it, but the 5 seconds wait to get your breath back only to lose your confidence as 5 "dragons" starred at you..

They then switched it to walking down stairs, which I guess is more in sync with, say walking into an animal enclosure of some kind... but removed many barriers to pitching (like discussed above as #2) and psychologically, you feel more comfortable walking down than up. Walking up is a feat. Climbing a mountain etc. Walking down is easy. More like the price is right... "come on down" its more like an achievement and right. I felt that series was poor overall. So did everyone else the ratings were rather awful.

The new series... The "elevator" (lift to me and you...) that I am not totally sure works (stage set really?), and the mechanical happenings we keep get reminded of. This isn't the worst of it. The whole format has been changed to capture x factor like audiences which has destroyed it. I am surprised they didn't have an "I'm out" buzzer... perhaps next series.

The new dragons... I don't think either are good enough to be alongside the existing remaining dragons. Kelly seems a little strange to me and rather posh, there has been rumours of her business not being that successful in various papers and neither her websites or her trading address look professional, something rather worrying. Piers, I kind of liked him from the beginning... but I would say he is best summed up when he wanted to invest £100k in that jewellery business... he wanted to but didn't have the cash to do so. I think that hurt him. Its painful that he tries to live up to the other dragons without substance.

 

[Fred_the_frog]

The new series... The "elevator" (lift to me and you...) that I am not totally sure works (stage set really?),

Course it doesn't work! Why do you think they walk in the back of it and out of the front!

I don't think the new dragons are too good. Piers Linney can never decide and always comes to the conclusion of 'I'm out because I don't think I can add anything to the business'. I think he's a one trick pony, he might be interested in the odd tech business but other than that he's just keeping the seat warm.

Kelly Hoppen sounds like she's always about to drop off. She starts a sentence and by the end of it i'm half asleep already.

Deborah Meaden gets quite upset when someone doesn't directly answer her question, so she likes to butt in and ask the question repeatedly if she hasn't had an answer within 5 words that she likes.

Peter Jones, Yeah, quite a good guy. And Duncan is quite good too. I like their banter.

And the presenter guy seems to repeat what's just been said most of the time.

I watch it on iPlayer because 30% of it is just watching the lift supposedly go up and down so I can skip all that. I skip the first few minutes whilst we find out who the dragons are and what they do (at the start of every episode, really?).