A FORMER contestant on Dragons’ Den has revealed behind-the-scenes secrets and admitted he broke a strict rule during filming.
Ben Gallagher recently appeared on a episode alongside his brother, Co-founder Joe Gallagher and COO Oliver Millar – presenting their business Luxe Collective – which specialises in buying and selling vintage designer items.
They managed to win over the dragons and score a major win for their brand.
Steven Bartlett snagged a 3% in the company, resulting in them taking home an impressive £100,000.
Now, Ben has reflected on his experience being on the BBC show.
It’s no secret that the dragons are shrewd, business-savvy moguls, but what you don’t see on your screens is the intense coaching they receive.
Ben revealed that the dragons, are not as ‘scary’ as they seem on the show.
“They are all absolutely lovely but told to be stern,” Ben told Metro.co.uk
The entrepreneur spilled the beans on a little secret – he shared that they are instructed to make exaggerated facial expressions for the camera to capture their reactions.
He added: “You can see they’ve been told to do a facial expression when someone’s saying something, so the cameras can get that reaction.”
Ben explained that the dragons are ‘super skilled’ at communicating so that the viewers can understand.
He continued: “The stuff they say it’s very thoughtful, very knowledgeable and it’s coming from a good place, but there are some extra bits there that are for the show to make it more dramatic.”
Ben also admitted that during filming he broke a strict rule – he kept moving from the spot where the contestant’s are supposed to stand.
He did it so much that, even the dragons found it hilarious, he explained.
Ben explained: “I was told by producers to return to the X on the floor five or six times. Whenever I would step closer to dragons, they would put their hands over their money as if I was about to steal it and we’d all laugh.”
Meanwhile, Dragons’ Den fans were floored by a bold brother-sister duo recently on the show.
The pair were lauded for “slaying the dragons” as they rejected one £50,000 offer straight off the bat and entered into negotiations with two other dragons.
