Dragons' Den: The Dragons' Stories (BBC Two)
The Rags to Riches Tales of the Cantankerous Investors
Oct 27, 2008
In order to bridge the gap between the new and old series and give fans of the main show something to chew on, the BBC have decided to open the lid on the rich investors and their rise to the top of the business world.
The first episode told the story of Theo “my children’s inheritance” Paphitis, the Cyprus-born, tough talking Londoner who owns Rymans and La Senza.
The BBC does Cribs
Constant referencing to the parent show can’t disguise that this is essentially BBC does Cribs. It’s the same “oh, come and have a look at my massive house and all his stuff I don’t need” routine and the typical fly-on-the-wall, everyone act natural like there isn’t a camera in this room even though you can’t stop looking at the damn thing.
The whole thing is interlaced with talking heads saying how wonderfully witty his put downs are, which they are sometimes even if they are just puns.
Theo’s very Expensive Lifestyle
Also, in typical lifestyle documentary style, it included shots of Theo swimming in his very expensive pool and exercising on his very expensive gym equipment and then going for ride in his very expensive limo...you see, there’s a pattern emerging here and chances are it’s the same formula the subsequent shows are bound to follow. So we’re sure to see more of Duncan Bannatyne’s water skiing antics or Peter Jones buying a showroom’s worth of Ferraris.
It’s even hard to except the story of Theo’s upbringing and how his family had to live in one room and saying that having nothing in early life makes you appreciate money more as he sits in the back of a big, chauffeur driven car, wearing a suit and sipping champagne from a silver flute that probably costs more than the average yearly wage.
Dragons’ Den is about the Young Entrepreneurs, not the Rich People
This show only got interesting when it wheeled in the young entrepreneurs that Theo had invested because that’s the real heart of Dragons’ Den, not the rich people handing out the money. Dragons' Den 'Where Are They Now' was a much better outcome. Information about the “Dragons” is just a google search away and while some of the so-called facts will be downright libellous, it’s likely to be a bit more impartial than this.
The only real interesting “Dragon” from the entire series run was Richard Farleigh, who came across as a genuinely knowledgeable and down to earth guy but as he’s not there anymore, having been given the boot in favour of the bland James Caan.
What is happening here is that the BBC are, quite understandably, milking one of their surprise hits for all its worth, much like the best-of show from last Christmas. One hour is much too long for this type of thing, especially on a channel that doesn’t have ad breaks.
Misjudging what makes Dragons' Den so Compulsive
At its core Dragons' Den is basically a socialist’s nightmare in that it’s about begging for money, wealth and glamorises the harsh world of business. But it somehow works and the BBC knows that it’s compulsive viewing. And it’s not down to the people handing out the reams of money but due to the nail biting tension that the negotiations and deals created. Here however they’ve completely misjudged a way of expanding an already bloated series.
Dragons' Den: The Dragons' Stories is shown on BBC Two at 9pm on Sundays and repeats can be seen on BBC iPlayer.
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