Deborah Meaden clashed with her co-star in an unaired moment (Image: BBC)
A contestant on revealed there is plenty you don’t see when watching the programme.
The hit show returned earlier in the month, with a new batch of entrepreneurs hoping to impress the dragons, Sara Davies, Touker Suleyman, Deborah Meaden, Steven Bartlett and Peter Jones.
Katriona Shovlin appeared on the first episode of the new series, pitching her business Hen Weekend Chicken Boarding. The 32-year-old set up the all inclusive hen hotel from her home in Upchurch, Kent, in 2023.
Katriona’s business promises the animals a five-star stay whilst their owners are away, enabling them to enjoy disco balls, as well as neon bar and cocktail signs.
Although she was apprehensive about appearing on Dragons’ Den at first, Katriona eventually agreed. But with just five minutes of her pitch shown on screen, there was plenty viewers didn’t get to see.
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Deborah and Touker had a disagreement which was never shown (Image: BBC/Simon Pantling)
This included an argument between dragons Deborah and Touker, who reportedly bickered for a few minutes whilst Katriona stood in front of them.
She recalled: “There was something that I would’ve loved everyone to see in the den, which was a conversation I had with Touker, who is really lovely by the way, everyone seems to think he’s quite moody but he was super lovely.
“He tried to see my business from a completely different angle which sparked an argument between him and Deborah, and they were bickering for quite some time.
“I was just stood there awkwardly. But nobody got to see that, so that was a shame. But it’s something I’ll never forget.”
Another moment viewers didn’t witness was Katriona’s elaborate entrance into the den as she explained: “Unfortunately you didn’t get to see the whole thing that I experienced. I went out to a smoke machine, music and disco lights. But you don’t know what bits you’re going to see in the final edit.”
Despite this, Katriona said she was “really happy” with what got shown. She continued: “A lot of people said, ‘They cut you short’. But that’s TV. You never know what they’re going to put out.”
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Katriona Shovlin appeared on Dragons’ Den to pitch her business, Hen Weekend Chicken Boarding (Image: BBC)
Opening about her experience as a whole, Katriona confessed: “The producers and everybody on the set were incredible. You’re treated like a queen. I couldn’t believe I was there. It was like a dream.”
Fitness guru Joe Wicks was a guest dragon on Katriona’s episode, which she revealed made her time on the show even better.
The entrepreneur said: “I’m so glad that he was there. Talking to Deborah and Peter, they’re so successful and it’s scary. I’m just a girl from a small town in Kent. But Joe, when he opens his mouth, he’s so normal. And that really helped me feel more comfortable.
“He made me feel at ease and he’s worked really hard to get where he is so I’ve got a lot of respect for him. He was just super nice. There was a lot that you didn’t get to see, we had a really long chat, Joe and I.
“I don’t agree with the backlash he got. He was lovely and he showed real compassion on the show.”