BBC Reveals Youngest Ever Dragon in the Den’s History

BBC Reveals Youngest Ever Dragon in the Den’s History

Steven Bartlett, 28, is set to join the popular BBC TV Show Dragons’ Den, taking over from departing Dragon Tej Lalvani. 

The 28-year-old entrepreneur and Sunday Times best-selling author, Steven Bartlett, will join Dragons Peter Jones, Deborah Meaden, Touker Suleyman and Sara Davies for the 19th series of Dragons’ Den.

Bartlett is the founder & former CEO of the social media marketing agency, The Social Chain. He set up the agency from a bedroom in Manchester and dropped out of university to build the group’s two flagship companies, Social Chain and Media Chain. He took his company public aged 27, with a current market valuation of over £300m.

He begins filming in the Den this summer for the 19th series of the show, which is currently in the middle of its 18th series run and debut on BBC One.

Bartlett has received numerous accolades such as Forbes 30 Under 30 and the Entrepreneur Rising Star at the Black British Business Awards. Bartlett also found himself being inducted into Manchester’s Hall of Fame by the Mayor of Greater Manchester in 2019. He also found time to become a best-selling author with the release of his debut book Happy Sexy Millionaire. He also acts as a speaker, investor and content creator – and hosts a top-charting podcast, The Diary of a CEO.

Sarah Clay, the BBC’s Commissioning Editor of Entertainment says: “As well as being our youngest ever Dragon, Steven’s unique approach to business will bring a whole new dynamic to the Den. He brings a wealth of experience from the social media, technological and brand building worlds. I’m so excited to see him in the next series.”

Steven Bartlett says: “I’ve been watching Dragons’ Den since I was 12 years old – it was my first window into the real world of business and investing. It’s a tremendous honour to join the Den, hopefully representing a new generation of entrepreneurs, inspiring young and specifically under-represented entrepreneurs to follow in my footsteps.”

Filming for the 19th Series of Dragons’ Den begins this Summer. The 18th Series is currently streaming on BBC iPlayer.