Being a big fan of Dragons Den on BBC2 I was a little disappointed to hear that the BBC had decided to dropped Richard Farleigh for James Caan . A lot of people who have read Richards book or seen him on TV will know that he always listened , evaluated and gave honest feedback whilst still being respectful to the people who were there to pitch.
A couple of weeks before Dragons Den was due to air I came into contact with James Caan due to some conflicting business issues and I surprised when he called my mobile phone to sort the issue out. I must admit I felt a complete idiot standing in the middle of Asda when James Caan called with all the special offers being read out out over our call.
Since then I have spoken with James on a few occasions and I can only say that he is excellent at getting things done with minimum fuss and extreme attention to detail. He has a team around him who I found very professional and easy to work with.
Watching James Caan on TV was the exact same as I found him off screen, honest and charming and a perfect replacement for Richard Farleigh.
If anyone is getting the chop from the next run of Dragons Den I cant help feeling it will be Deborah Meaden who is in my opinion is nasty to the point of being offensive. Now nobody will know where she got her start up money from but it safe to say her parents will have made liquid cash easily available at the beginning of her career. Out of all the Dragons it seems Deborah Meaden is the one who was born into wealth and is the only one who does not understand how hard it must be for some of these people.
The big shock of the show was when Theo gave 2 affiliate marketers £200k to promote a gambling widget which created a major stir in the affiliate community who knew you could put the same thing together for a few grand. What people have failed to see is that Theo has not only got a growing little affiliate website but also the expertise of two expert marketers who will work across his brands saving him a fortune in outsourced help. The fact Theo based the company in his HQ means he has daily access to the latest knowledge in affiliate market land.
Overall I loved this run of the program and I guess the next one will be even better but hopefully someone stands up to Deborah Meaden and tells her to F8%k right off lol!
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December 19th, 2007 at 3:52 pm
I think James Caan was the shock of this series, coming across extremely well compared to his fellow dragons.
December 19th, 2007 at 4:43 pm
I also think James came across really well. Importantly he listened to what was being said and always tried to find a positive slant in the pitches.
December 19th, 2007 at 5:29 pm
Hi Lee
Agree totally with your post.
I think Richard was axed because he was not nasty enough. Let’s see if James goes the same way.
Funnily enough, I bumped into James’ PR guy at a business event in Manchester recently. Apparently the established Dragons gave him a really hard time during filming, something I can absolutely identify with having been on the receiving end of the bully boy tactics myself.
I think after 5 series the BBC would do well to review the entire format.
Regards
Rachel
December 20th, 2007 at 10:47 am
I have no problem with which Dragons are in the hot seat - but agree with your comment about their input being spread too thinly as their portfolios continue to grow.
James Cann does seem like a thoroughly decent chap and somewhat alienated by the others, maybe that’s just how it comes across in the show.
If any I would like to see Theo get chopped from the next series. If being a dragon has gone to anyones head, it’s him.
Can’t help but think that Deborah Meaden would be great in pantomime :)…
“She’s b e h i n d you!”