Dragons' Den contestant leaves judges in tears with incredibly simple pitch

There are rare moments on television which bring both audiences and cast members to tears, but when a genuine moment is captured on screen, it’s difficult not to let emotions get the better of us.

The TV series known to get hearts racing and products on shelves is the renowned Dragon’s Den, featuring business moguls like Evan Davis, Peter Jones, Deborah Meaden, Duncan Bannatyne, it’s a tough room to impress.

However, one contestant let the floodgates open with the most simple of pitches and fans were left teary eyed.

Derry Green walked into the den with a simple dream which came to him after camping with his children in 2020.

The father had created a deck built during lockdown and turned it into a £4 million luxury glamping spot in Skelmersdale, Lancashire.

His pitch was short and sweet, pulling on the heartstrings of judges who were impressed by his awards for the camping location, dubbed Secret Garden Glamping.

Green was also only asking for a small amount from the investors, £100,000 in return for a 5% stake.

It was after he became a success on social media after documenting his journey that Green decided to offer it out to public bookings, and he’s been booked up ever since.

The Dragons were clearly impressed by his dedication, but what moved them to tears was his family-man passion and love for being a dad.

Jones went on to compliment the father: “Derry this is outstanding, I love this, look I’ve actually gone quite clammy."

Meaden was especially impressed and wanted to know more about his financial situation over the year of bookings.

Derry explained: “So I don’t actually do that at the moment.

“The reason being, I set this up for me and my children and it’s always grated on me that people try and capitalise on when children are off school. So my rate is flat across the whole year.”

He went on to explain that his nightly rates were at £245 per night for 2024, which as Sara Davies noted was a lot less than other sites would charge.

However, he was adamant to keep it as low as possible.

Green said: “Absolutely, but that just didn’t sit right with me.”

This is when Meaden said outright, ‘I think you’re great.’

She went on to add: “[Hospitality] feels like an industry that gets dragged kicking and screaming.”

Have been working with Derry for the last 15 months, worked with him on his pitch and have been keeping this a secret all this time. So excited it’s now out the bag! ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️ #dragonsden

— Nikki Hesford (@NikkiHesford) January 11, 2024

Steven Bartlett also took his shot: “I feel really proud of you for some reason because you’re such a decent bloke and for you to have created something so wonderful from such an authentic story of trying to provide something for your children."

Of course, Meaden won the round and he accepted her offer, but most of the room was left crying after the dad broke down in disbelief that he had been accepted by a Dragon.

Fans who watched the show were rightfully emotional too, with one person on X writing: “No because now I’m crying?!? #dragonsden. I’m so happy for him.”

Another wrote: “Anyone else in tears? Well done Derry.”

What a lovely TV moment.