The Dragons’ Den line-up for 2026 has been revealed – with three new guest Dragons joining Gary Neville.
Tinie Tempah, Jenna Meek and Susie Ma will enter the Den for the first time alongside heavyweights Peter Jones, Deborah Meaden, Touker Suleyman and Steven Bartlett.
Sara Davies, as previously reported, will not return in 2026.
Tinie Tempah burst onto the music scene in 2010 with the UK number-one single Pass Out, which was closely followed by a string of hugely successful albums and multiple award wins. In 2007 he co-founded record label Disturbing London; and later, he launched Imhotep, a publishing company / creative agency involved in music.
In 2022, Tinie launched RAPS—a virtual soul food brand alongside Chef Hasan Semay (Big Has) and the food incubator Kitchen Ventures. Earlier this year Tinie founded his own record label, Imhotep Records and returned to music -releasing single Eat it Up with Skepsis.
Alongside this, Tinie is now embracing a new chapter in his career, focusing on mentoring emerging talent and supporting creative entrepreneurship, particularly among people from underrepresented backgrounds.
Tinie said: “I have a keen interest in supporting emerging entrepreneurs as well as investing in a wide-ranging portfolio of businesses, so Dragons’ Den was an opportunity I simply couldn’t turn down.
“I am ecstatic to become a Guest Dragon and look forward to seeing where I can help, bring value and of course invest in some of these brilliant businesses and people that step into the Den.”
Susie Ma enters the Den having built one of the UK’s fastest-growing beauty brands, with an annual turnover of £68 million. After reaching the finals of The Apprentice in 2011, Susie secured investment in her company from Lord Sugar, despite not winning the series.
In 2023, Susie bought out Lord Sugar’s stake in the multi-award-winning natural skincare company and is now the sole owner of Tropic Skincare, which has over 38,000 Ambassadors and serves millions of customers.
Named in The Sunday Times 40 Under 40 in 2024 Susie brings over 20 years of business experience, an inspiring entrepreneurial journey, and a heartfelt desire to empower others through her role as a guest Dragon. Susie is a passionate advocate for purpose-led business, dedicated to donating a portion of profits to charities & good causes including funding millions of days of education and planting hundreds of thousands of trees.
She said: “It’s an absolute honour to join the Den as a Guest Dragon. I started Tropic from a market stall at fifteen, and I know the grit, vision and belief it takes to turn a spark of an idea into something extraordinary. I’m here to back the bold – the next generation of changemakers building businesses with purpose, creativity and courage.
“Sitting in that iconic chair is a pinch-me moment, and I’m so excited to help brilliant founders bring their dreams to life.”
Jenna Meek is a respected voice in the beauty and business communities, having launched her first venture, SHRINE – a festival make up and cosmetic glitter brand – at the age of 20. It quickly gained international traction with pop-ups at global festivals.
In November 2020, she co-founded REFY. From its Manchester base, the company has become one of the fastest-growing beauty brands in the UK with an annual turnover of more than £40m.
The brand is now stocked in Selfridges, Brown Thomas and Sephora across the UK, Ireland, US & Canada, and the Middle East. Jenna and REFY have won multiple awards including, The Times Best Place to work Marie Claire: Prix d’Excellence, British Beauty Community Winner and Forbes 30 Under 30.
Jenna said: “I am so excited to be joining Dragons’ Den, this has been a lifelong goal of mine. Dragons’ Den is the reason I became an entrepreneur, from watching it with my dad from such a young age, so it is incredible to be able to meet so many amazing entrepreneurs building businesses and pushing the boundaries.
“It is such an empowering environment and I am thrilled to be a part of it. It’s also incredible to be here alongside the Dragons, especially Deborah. She’s inspired me from such a young age, and I hope I can do the same for someone else.”
Finally, ex-professional footballer turned businessman Gary Neville completes the guest Dragons line up and is no stranger to the Den as he was one of the first Guest Dragons to appear in the show.
Having started out as a property developer whilst playing for Manchester United in his early twenties, he’s continued with that entrepreneurial passion and has built a business empire with a portfolio that spans property, hospitality, education, media and sport.
His Stock Exchange Hotel is one of the top hotels in Manchester, his University UA92 is disrupting a traditional model and his St. Michael’s project is one of the landmark property developments in Manchester City Centre.
Gary said: “It’s an honour to be invited back into the Den and join the Dragons again. I met so many fantastic entrepreneurs last time and I’m excited to see the businesses that step into the Den this time around.”
The most recent full series of Dragons’ Den has driven over 64 million viewer hours to date.