Tej Lalvani will leave 'Dragons' Den' after the upcoming 18th season.
Tej Lalvani
The BBC confirmed on Thursday (28.01.21) that the hugely popular entrepreneurial series will return this spring, and the businessman confirmed he is stepping away after four years on board.
He said: "I’m truly excited for the upcoming series of 'Dragons’ Den', which looks set to be one of the best.
"However after an incredibly enjoyable four years as a Dragon I have decided that this next series will be my last.
"My commitment to the international growth and expansion of my core business and the numerous investments over the years sadly means I will be unable to dedicate the necessary time moving forward.
"I would like to thank the BBC for the great opportunity along with their support and understanding. I wish everyone on the team the very best as it’s been a true pleasure working together.”
Tej will be back this year alongside fellow investors Deborah Meaden, Peter Jones, Sara Davies and Touker Suleyman for the 14-episode run.
The new series was filmed in 2020 after the introduction of fresh guidelines allowing TV production to resume during the pandemic.
Despite the announcement, a firm start date is yet to be officially confirmed for the 18th season.
Sarah Clay - BBC's Commissioning Editor for Entertainment - added: "Despite the additional production challenges Covid-19 posed, this new series is one of the most tense and competitive yet.
"We’ll be very sorry to see Tej go as he’s one of the shrewdest and coolest Dragons ever to grace the Den and I want to thank him for his enormous contributions, both personally and professionally to the series.
"As audiences will see, he certainly leaves the show on a high and we wish him continued success.”