BBC Dragons’ Den star Steven Bartlett quits series as he shares picture on last day of shoot

Steven Bartlett has said goodbye to BBC’s reality show Dragons’ Den after two series as he shares the behind-the-scenes picture from his final shoot. The young entrepreneur revealed the news on his Instagram stories on Thursday (June 29).

The 30-year-old wrote: "One last day on set! Let me just say..." alongside a photo of his name on a dressing room door on set. In a separate story which was posted earlier, Steven is reported to have expressed his gratitude for being part of the show.

He said: "It’s not lost on me what an honour it has been to be asked to participate in this show. A 12 year old childhood dream come true! To sit between two of my childhood role models @deborahmeaden @peterionescbe has been one of the most surreal experiences of my life.

"Thank you to @saradaviescc & @touker_suleyman too, they’ve been kind, supportive and hilarious since before I stepped on set 2-3 years ago! Dragon’s Den is an important piece of British treasure."

He added: "My goal is to leave this platform better than I found it so that all the kids out there that are sat watching it at home - like I was once upon a time - get a valuable window into entrepreneurship that might empower them to create businesses of their own!

“The show is thriving. Views have climbed "year over year", the show is innovating, it feels fresh and the pitches are getting better and better. Hope you enjoy this season, it’s my favourite. And thanks to the BBC for having me."

His exit comes as it was announced that former Manchester United footballer Gary Neville and  London-born and US-based fashion mogul Emma Grede will be joining as guest dragons.

They will now join other dragons; Peter Jones, Deborah Meaden, Touker Suleyman and Sara Davies for series 21.

In 2014, Steven co-founded Social Chain - a social media marketing company - with Dominic McGregor. He left the company in 2020. In 2017, he created ‘The Diary of a CEO’ podcast which became one of Europe’s most downloaded business podcasts. In 2023, he launched a £100 million fund to back European entrepreneurs.