Dragon’s Den turned heated when Peter Jones clashed with new Dragon Steven Bartlett in the BBC studio – with Steven brutally branding Peter a “vampire”.
The BBC One business show returned to screens on Thursday (January 13), and it saw a fresh batch of entrepreneurs pitch their ideas to five notoriously tough Dragons.
Business titans Peter Jones, Sara Davies, Deborah Meaden, and Touker Suleyman welcomed back new recruit Steven Bartlett, the CEO of Social Chain, into the Den.
Steven is the youngest ever Dragon to join the Den – having joined the cast for its new eighteenth series.
(Image: BBC)
However, it wasn’t long before the Dragons were trading verbal blows in the Den, and Steven ended up locking horns with Peter over a business.
Husband and wife Joel and Nikki Buckley were pitching their sustainable DIY business – EcoUnion Ltd – which boasted a range of eco-friendly decorating tools like Ecotrays.
They were asking for £85,000 in return for 10% of the business.
Steven teased his interest in the business, but it wasn’t long before Peter stepped in to slam his co-star, and the Dragons ended up fighting over the entrepreneurs.
(Image: BBC)
Cutting Steven off, tech mogul Peter told the business owners: “I think you’ve lost the plot.”
Steven jibed: “Because they want me?”
Peter insisted: “You’re making the wrong decisions already. You’re going to a new Dragon on social. I mean, come on…”
But Steven decided to keep talking to the business owners, meaning the two Dragons were talking over one another.
At one point, the entrepreneurs themselves stepped in to restore order in the studio, with Nikki saying: “Hang on, one at a time…”
Steven told them: “Don’t worry about Peter…”, with Peter firing back that he’s the “new upstart” that’s only had “five minutes here”, a dig at Steven’s lack of Den experience.
(Image: BBC)
He said: “He’s the new upstart, come on. Come one, give me a break!”
Throwing his own hat in the ring, Jones told them he could put their products in Homebase “tomorrow”.
When the business buff made the couple an offer for all of the money in return for 20% of the business, double what they were asking for, Steven branded him a “vampire”.
In the end, the entrepreneurs struck a deal with green-business queen Deborah Meaden, the Dragon they were hoping to go into business with.
They got all of the money they were asking for (£85,000) in return for a 20% share in their business.
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
