'Dragons' Den' welcomes youngest ever Dragon as Steven Bartlett joins show

Dragons' Den is welcoming its youngest ever Dragon as Steven Bartlett joins the programme for the next series.

The 28-year-old is the founder and former CEO of social media marketing agency The Social Chain, which he set up from his bedroom in Manchester.

Bartlett built The Social Chain and Mediachain, taking his company public aged 27, with a current market valuation of more than £300m before leaving the business after six years to pursue other investment opportunities.

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He will sit alongside Peter Jones, Deborah Meaden, Touker Suleyman and Sara Davies for the 19th series.

He said: “I’ve been watching Dragons’ Den since I was 12 years old – it was my first window into the real world of business and investing.

“It’s a tremendous honour to join the Den, hopefully representing a new generation of entrepreneurs, inspiring young and specifically under-represented entrepreneurs to follow in my footsteps.”

He revealed his new appointment as a Dragon in a video posted to Twitter that saw him, via the help of some special effects, breathe fire.

Text displayed at the end of the video read: "New fire, new Dragon."

Sarah Clay, the BBC’s commissioning editor for entertainment, said: “As well as being our youngest ever Dragon, Steven’s unique approach to business will bring a whole new dynamic to the Den.

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"He brings a wealth of experience from the social media, technological and brand building worlds. I’m so excited to see him in the next series.”

Bartlett is taking over from Tej Lalvani who announced he would be leaving the programme earlier in the year. The 18th series, which is currently airing on BBC One, will be his last.

With additional reporting by PA.

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