Gary Neville among 2 new additions to BBC’s Dragons’ Den

Neville and Grede will join the show as guest Dragons sitting alongside Peter Jones, Deborah Meaden, Touker Suleyman, Sara Davies and Steven Bartlett for series 21. 

Filming for the new series of Dragons’ Den is currently taking place in Manchester and the new series will air on BBC One and BBC iPlayer in 2024.

The two new guests on Dragons’ Den in 2024

Gary Neville

Gary Neville will be one of two guest Dragons on Dragons’ Den in 2024. (Image: PA)

Gary Neville is a household name among Manchester United fans having made 400 appearances for the club.

But off the pitch, he is an extremely successful businessman. 

Neville started out as a property developer whilst playing for Manchester United in his early 20s. 

He’s continued with that entrepreneurial passion and has built a business empire with a portfolio that spans across property, hospitality to education, media and sport.

His Stock Exchange Hotel is one of the top hotels in Manchester, he owns a University – UA92 and his St. Michael’s project is one of the landmark property developments in Manchester City Centre.

Neville said: “I am excited to join the Dragons, and to meet the entrepreneurs brave enough to face us in the Den.

“I hope my personal journey shows that you can take the experiences you’ve had in one part of your career and use them to do something entirely different and make it a success.

“Business is all about managing people and managing yourself and I’m looking forward to sharing my experience to help the entrepreneurs we’ll meet in the Den reach their potential.”

Emma Grede

BBC said Emma Grede brings with her to Dragons’ Den “bounds of valuable business experience and global brand-building acumen”.

She is the pioneering architect of multiple fashion, retail and lifestyle brands, worth billions of dollars. 

Recognised as one of America’s Richest Self-Made Women by Forbes, she is the co-founder and CEO of Good American, which she established in 2016 alongside Khloé Kardashian. 

Grede is also the founding partner of shapewear brand SKIMS.

On top of that, she also co-founded plant-powered cleaning brand Safely and is Chairwoman of The Fifteen Percent Pledge.

Grede said: “I watched Dragons’ Den growing up, and being able to come back to the UK as a Dragon to share my own experience with the budding entrepreneurs entering the Den, is very exciting.

“I am looking for people who are passionate, not afraid to think big and know their product, and their audience.

“I’m no stranger to the boardroom. I’m surrounded by strong women, and I champion those who are independent and have an idea that I can help develop and grow.”

For the first time in Dragons’ Den history there will be 6 Dragons

Executive Producer of the BBC show, Samantha Davies, said this was the first time in the show’s 21 series that there would be six Dragons. 

That’s all from us! We hope you’ve enjoyed our 20th series, if you have a business and feel you could take on the Dragons, applications for the next series are now open! Follow this link to apply. @BBCOne and @BBCiPlayer #dragonsden https://t.co/jFaah3xmod

— BBC Dragons’ Den (@BBCDragonsDen) April 6, 2023

Davies said: “For the first time in the show’s 21 series there will be a sixth chair in the Den as we welcome our first guest Dragons. And what better additions to our established line-up than business juggernauts Emma Grede and Gary Neville.

“Emma brings a wide-range of knowledge and experience in international business, and Gary is a great example of someone who took an alternative route into commerce and used his unique skillset to grow a successful portfolio of companies.

“They’re an exciting addition to the Den for both the programme and the entrepreneurs who’ll get the opportunity to pitch to them.”

Dragons’ Den will be back on BBC One and BBC iPlayer in 2024.