Martyn Smith is an award winning British television producer noted for creating the original UK series of the hit BBC

BBC

The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...

 series Dragons' Den

Dragons' Den

Dragons' Den is a series of reality television programmes featuring entrepreneurs pitching their business ideas in order to secure investment finance from a panel of venture capitalists. The show originated in Japan as "Manē no Tora"...

based on the original Japanese format.

Dragon's den

Smith produced and directed a pilot for the British version of Dragon's Den for the BBC after the corporation took an option on the format which was created by Nippon TV in Japan. In Japan, the show was a cult late-night series where young businessmen and women would ask for money from five rich individuals. However, the 'Dragons' in Japan usually handed over money as a gift and rarely took an equity position in the companies of those asking for money. The Japanese show was created when Nippon TV asked in-house producers to come up with low-budget ideas. The clever twist of asking the 'Dragons' to invest their own money in fledgling businesses kept costs low. The series was filmed in an office at Nippon TV headquarters for the same reason.

The UK pilot and first series were filmed at a warehouse space in North London. The original 'Dragons' were Duncan Bannatyne

Duncan Bannatyne

Duncan Walker Bannatyne, OBE is a Scottish entrepreneur, philanthropist and author. His business interests include hotels, health clubs, spas, media, TV, stage schools, property and transport. He is most famous for his appearance as a business angel on the BBC programme Dragons' Den...

, Doug Richard

Doug Richard

Doug Richard is a United Kingdom based Californian entrepreneur and specialist in technology transfer, commercialisation, and business incubation. He came to prominence as a result of the BBC programme Dragons' Den, where he appeared as a 'dragon', or investor in the first two series...

, Peter Jones

Peter Jones (entrepreneur)

Peter Jones, CBE is a British entrepreneur and businessman with interests in mobile phones, television, media, leisure, and property. He became a television celebrity through his appearances on the BBC Two show Dragons' Den and on his American television show American Inventor...

, Rachel Elnaugh

Rachel Elnaugh

Rachel Elnaugh is a British entrepreneur, who came to prominence as an investor on the first two seasons of BBC Two's TV show Dragons' Den, in which hers was the sole female perspective alongside four male entrepreneurs known as the Dragons.-Early life:Her family lived above her father's...

 and Simon Woodroffe

Simon Woodroffe

Simon Woodroffe OBE is a British motivational speaker and entrepreneur. He started the sushi chain YO! Sushi in 1997, and has appeared as a 'Dragon' on the first UK series of Dragons' Den....

. Initially, a one hour pilot was made which was commissioned by BBC2 as a six part series. Smith was credited as 'Series Editor' on the original series and also directed the series.

Awards

Smith won a Royal Television Society

Royal Television Society

The Royal Television Society is a British-based educational charity for the discussion, and analysis of television in all its forms, past, present and future. It is the oldest television society in the world...

 award as Series Producer on the second series of The Apprentice in 2007 and was nominated for a BAFTA for the same series in 2007. He series produced the second series of Mary, Queen of Shops which was nominated for an RTS Award in 2009.