Steven Bartlett says responsibility of Dragons' Den role 'weighs heavy'

Ahead of the series' return, RadioTimes.com and other press caught up with Bartlett at the Dragons' Den studio, in which he explained the onus of being a Dragon.

"I kind of saw it as both an honour to be asked but also a bit of a responsibility," Bartlett explained.

"I think the responsibility part weighs really heavy on me because I was a kid when I started watching Dragons' Den and I know that being in Plymouth at 12 years old, when Dragons' Den was on the TV, it was like my only window into the world of business, and it created this model in my head of what business was."

He continued: "Because I know that it's given me so much, I now can imagine the 12-year-olds. People come up to me in the street, they might be 40 years old, but they also might be nine years old and I think it's because it's such a family affair.

"And so I always think about the responsibility of it, because it was a service to me, and I don't think I would be an entrepreneur had I not been exposed to Dragons' Den when I was 12. [I thought,] 'How do I pay that forward?' And I realised I'm paying it forward just by being here and representing my perspective in the world."

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The new season of Dragons' Den kicks off on Thursday 9th January, with a host of guest Dragons joining the regulars, ready to invest in a potential business.

This season will see Joe Wicks, Trinny Woodall and Emma Grede join the Den, with Wicks telling RadioTimes.com and other press that he had never thought about being part of the show until he was approached.

"I don't usually do TV, I don't do reality shows [and] I don't feel that confident on TV," he explained.

"But I thought, 'I'm going to try and go along and just do it for the experience'. I went to the screen test and it went really well."

Reflecting on being a part of the show, Wicks said it was "amazing" working with the Dragons.

He said: "They've been really nice [and] supportive and said [that] I'm doing a good job, so that's given me a little bit more confidence going into the next two [pitches]."

Dragons' Den season 22 begins on Thursday 9th January. Previous seasons are available to watch on BBC iPlayer.

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