Page 340 - James Caan - The Real Deal

The Real Deal

the Dragons together. You can ask them what it’s really like and
we can see how you interact.’
They arranged for me to do a similar session with Deborah
Meaden, who’s been on the panel since the third series. I’d
sometimes thought she could come across as quite hard on TV, so
I was a little surprised when she was so friendly and chatty, really
warm. And as soon as we started rehearsing, I realised just how
good she was at assessing opportunities and the way she was
asking questions – really getting to the nub of the issue very
quickly – which reminded me that at the end of the process I really
could be parting with a lot of money. My own money. Working
with her certainly helped me focus.
We went for a coffee afterwards and I asked her for advice. The
thing she was keen for me to understand was just what an impact
being on TV would have on my life. I was doubtful it could really
make that much difference.
‘Trust me,’ she said, ‘your life will not be the same.’
The BBC then arranged a second session, this time with Deborah
and Duncan Bannatyne, who again comes across as quite dour on
TV, but with whom I got on straight away. Duncan’s got a great
sense of humour and is a very open and direct person. He’s been
in the Den since the start and told me that being on the show had
been great for his profile. He’d gone from being just another
successful businessman to a household name, and that had helped
his business – a chain of health clubs – to become a brand.
‘Don’t underestimate the public’s interest in a new Dragon,’ he
told me, but I couldn’t really believe it would make that much
difference. As someone who only watched it occasionally, I didn’t
really believe that viewers could be that interested in the Dragons.
At this point, however, I hadn’t actually been asked to join the
show. I wasn’t thinking that I wanted to do it or not do it: that’s
not how I make decisions. Generally, I just go on a journey and
99 per cent of the time the decision is a consequence of that

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