Dragons' Den: Complete BBC Series 1

Average customer rating:

A great show, shame there's no subtitles though!

Great series but no extra features

Enter The Dragons

Dragons' Den: Complete BBC Series 1
Starring: Peter Jones , and Duncan Bannatyne
Manufacturer: Odeon Entertainment
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B000W39WRW
Release Date: 2007-11-19

Amazon.co.uk Review

At first glance, you'd think Dragons' Den isn't the kind of programme to lend itself to rewatch value. But how wrong you'd be: revisiting the first series of the show proves to be a fascinating delight, not least when you realise that few of the pitches put before the five dragons have seen the light of day since.

The format is, of course, firmly established from the off. A variety of entrepreneurs get a chance to pitch their business idea to a panel of five potential investors. The problem, of course, is that these five potential investors take a lot of convincing to part with their cash, and aren't shy of driving a very hard bargain.

For this first season of Dragons' Den, the panel of five dragons featured Duncan Bannatyne, Rachel Elnaugh, Simon Woodroffe, Peter Jones and Doug Richard, and they prove to be a suitably hard group to impress. Pitches include umbrella vending machines, a magazine, a device to stop tables wobbling and a whole host more, and it's a fascinating process to watch in action.

Frequently, even now, causing you to hurl advice at the television yourself, the first season of Dragons's Den is very strong television, even if you end up convincing yourself that you'd be mad to sell your idea to these people. The six episodes in this set provide plenty of reward for your own investment, and are easily the safest way to enjoy the wrath of the dragons... --Simon Brew

Customer Reviews:

A great show, shame there's no subtitles though!.......2008-01-07

"Dragons' Den" is one of the few shows that I actually watch on TV nowadays & is always interesting to see what inventions the budding entrepreneurs have come up with & how bizarre some of them are! The 5 Dragons' are also quite entertaining, especially when they come face-to-face with an arrogant inventor, who doesn't take kindly to criticism of their creation! Anyway, it's a really good show, which I only got into during Series 3, so the DVD release of both Series 1 & 2 are very welcome, as it gives me a chance to finally see them in their 'proper' original hour-long episodes format, rather than the cut-up & messed about half-hour versions that the 'Dave' channel (on Sky & cable) always seem to show!

The only complaints are is the total lack of any extras, as there are er... none! They could've had a commentary by the show's presenter, Evan Davis & maybe some or all of the Dragons, or a documentary about the show for example. Also, the "Where Are They Now?" follow-up episode about the first 2 seasons would've been good to have had as an extra too. However, the booklet included with this DVD is nice though! The biggest shame is that there are sadly no subtitles on this DVD, which is a real shame, as when the series was originally broadcast on BBC2, it did have them! This is a shame for any deaf or hard of hearing viewers, aswell as some of us who just like to watch a show with the subs on, incase we can't understand what is being said at the time etc. Series 2 doesn't have subtitles either, but hopefully if/when they ever release Series 3, they'll have subs on them!

Still, aside from those minor quibbles, this is a worthwhile purchase if you're already a fan of the show! Even if you're not, give it a go, I'm sure you won't be disappointed!...

Great series but no extra features.......2007-11-30

It's fascinating to revisit the early expeditions into the den in light of how it has developed & with the hindsight to see how few of the products & services have hit the big-time.

Stalwarts PJ & Duncan (Peter Jones & Duncan Bannatyne) are the only 2 dragons from the the 1st series to remain in the current lineup & were as ready to rumble then as they are now. It's enjoyable to watch the dragons posture with each other - Rachel Elnaugh & Simon Woodroffe seem particularly at odds with the others, demonstrating that there's no magic formula in business.

Comparing the contestants in series 1 with those in the current series is like comparing the first-round entrants in X-Factor to those who make it to boot-camp. Most of the first to brave the den don't seem to quite know what they're in for or how good an opportunity it is - and come out brutally savaged. But there's still gold to be panned among the silt & whether the ideas are bad or good, with pitches as varied as a personal flying machine, a hammock to replace the household sofa, a gadget to stop tables wobbling & an 'organic' supermarket where not all the products will be organic...

Disappointingly, the 'extras' are restricted to a booklet containing profiles on the dragons. This is surprising since the Dragons' Den website is packed with video profiles & interviews of the dragons & presenter Evan Davis - not to mention behind-the-scenes footage & mickey-taking sketches from Dead Ringers & Comedy Soup. The addition of just some of these would have made this package considerably more engaging. However, it's still an interesting & informative series which will hopefully inspire a whole new generation of entrepreneurs - and better that than a new generation of X-Factor hopefuls!

Enter The Dragons.......2007-11-26

Don't be fooled by the fact that this is a two disc set. The six episodes are spread across two discs and there are absolutely no extras whatsoever. Great show (looks fantastic in Anamorphic Widescreen), but minus one star for the lack of extras.

Customer Reviews:

Not a thriller, not a moody character piece but a real charmer.......2007-04-13

Despite the kind of oppressively moody poster that empties theatres by painting it as a dour arthouse flick, Anna Reeves' Oyster Farmer is a pleasant surprise, an engaging comedy drama that flows along like a pleasant stretch of river. The plot is slight: Alex O'Loughlin robs a fish market with the aid of a pair of frozen lobsters and a fruit wrap and posts the money to himself on the stretch of his river where he's got a job on a failing oyster farm to fill in time while he waits for the postman. Only the money gets lost in the post before being cast adrift when the postman has a heart attack - which might seem a little contrived, but does allow the film to explore the various river dwellers he suspects may have ended up with the cash. It's no surprise that he finds love (with "the bastard child of a s*** collector," no less) and the possibility of a real home and future, but the film is far more interested in its likeable characters than breaking new narrative ground, and, with the exception of Jack Thompson's redundant (in both senses of the word) Vietnam vet who seems to have been drafted in solely to add a bit of star power, they're all richly drawn or appealing enough for you to go along with it with no complaints.

It's an Australian film through and through, so, naturally for tax reasons, it's technically a British co-production, which meant going to the absurd extremes of buying film stock from the UK, shipping it to Australia, shipping it back to England to be processed, doing the post-production in the UK and hiring a UK composer and actor to rack up enough points to qualify for those all important sale-and-leaseback requirements. Naturally, the film was never released in the UK. Luckily the UK actor is Bishop Brennan himself, Jim Norton (who gets throttled in one scene but not kicked in the arse by a priest, although he does get to give mouth to mouth to a dog). He gets all the best lines and all but walks off with the movie, but all the cast are on good form here, turning in likeable and believable performances that draw you into the not just the characters and the film but the place itself: take a bow David Field, Kerry Armstrong, Diana Glenn et al. Quietly delightful. The only downer is that the DVD has been needlessly panned-and-scanned from its original 2.35:1 ratio to 1.78:1.

Average customer rating:

Food escapism at its best

L'air du temps ...

Rick Stein's French Odyssey : Complete BBC Series
Starring: Rick Stein
Manufacturer: 2 Entertain Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

All Television | Television | Categories | DVD | Video
Food & Drink | Documentary | Categories | DVD | Video
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ASIN: B000VIRD4M
Release Date: 2007-10-01

Customer Reviews:

Food escapism at its best.......2007-10-29

I can't praise this series enough. When it was first broadcast on BBC Television in 2005 I thought it was a very good but after getting the DVD I have to say it is fantastic. I find Rick Stein fascinating particularly as he adds stories or anecdotes about the various dishes that he prepares during the course of his journey from Bordeaux to Marseilles onboard the "Rosa" and the "Anjodi" which incidentally are canal barges. What is also great is that in his quest to get to Marseilles, he does not forget Brittany which gave him so much inspiration during the early days of his seafood restaurant. You can expect to see Rick indulging in great food (eels in cider for example) at truck stops to roadside cafes which highlights the different attitude that the French have for food ie in Britain at a truck stop it would be Beans and egg, beans on toast or just....beans!

The food that he prepares during each episode is, as always, wonderful but what stands out is the journey that Rick has through the wonderful South Western French countryside and the people he meets on the way. The whole journey unfolds like a storybook rather than a cookery programme and as indeed the title suggests, it is most certainly an Odyssey and so much better than his previous Seafood Odyssey which took him to various places around the world.

If you want to escape from the hum-drum for a few hours then throw this DVD in the player and relax with a glass of "the red stuff" in one hand and the DVD remote control in the other as you will want to replay all those glorious bits of food and France again and again!

L'air du temps ... .......2007-09-06

I shouted "Oh my God!" when I found this DVD is coming soon on Amazon. So my boss now knows I surf the internet at work. But I don't care. This is exactly what I was waiting for! (Now what I sincerely hope is BBC will also publish 'Mediterranean Escapes' and 'Rick Stein and the Japanese Ambassador' on DVD soon)

I love his books, but there is a small pity - not all recipes have a picture of the finished dish. So it sometimes takes a bit of a guess work to see if you have got the dish quite right unless you have watched the programme on telly. But now we don't have to worry about it any more.

I do know that some poeple were a little puzzled / annoyed, and I did feel the same when, in this programme, he highly praised French cuisine and by contrast slugged off Britain and its food culture a little ... specially this programme was made right after his "Food Heroes in Britain" where he had praised British produce and producers.

However, in real life, we appreciate both French and traditional British cuisine at the same time, don't we? You really cannot tell which is better as they both have its own charm. What could possibly be better than having a wonderful British Pub lunch on a sunny Sunday afternoon that is followed by a strong French coffee in a cafe with Sunday paper? We mix the very best of theses two different cuisines to enjoy life.

I loved this programme when I saw it on TV - this is one of the best he has ever done. Each scene is so beautifully shot, and it is plain to see that he was enjoying filming this programme - as a matter of a fact, the original idea of "French Odyssey" was tabled to BBC by Rich himself.

The tone of this series is so evocative and relaxed - that will remind you of something you have left far behind in the fast pace of the city. Just pop this DVD on when the world seems a mean cold place to you. I promise Rich Stein will transport you to where l'air du temps is much slower than where you are, and I also promise you that by the time you have seen a couple of episodes, you will feel good about most of things in life.

"Purrrrfect"

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