Levi Roots pulled off a feat that sounds as though it could only happen in an implausible Hollywood script – making a debut TV appearance that propelled him to a £30million fortune.
But Roots, still arguably the most dazzling success to emerge from Dragons’ Den, now celebrating its 20th year, fears that its glory days may be behind it – because, he says, it’s lost its bite.
It was back in 2007 that the then unknown Roots appeared before the ‘Dragons’ – multi-millionaire entrepreneurs headed by Peter Jones.
‘The dragons then had a bit more punch to them,’ Roots tells me, recalling his baptism of fire on television when – seeking £50,000 from the Dragons in return for a 20 per cent stake in his Reggae Reggae Sauce business – he appalled his family by walking on to the set with his guitar.
He knew it was a risk – he wasn’t, as his family warned him, appearing on The X Factor – but calculated that his willingness to defy convention and be true to himself would win the Dragons over.
He was proved right, with Jones and fellow Dragon Richard Farleigh coming up with £50,000, albeit for a 40 per cent stake rather than the 20 per cent Roots was offering. He’s less sure that that would happen now. ‘It’s become a little bit more straightforward,’ Roots, 66, tells me at the first night of Nikita Kuzmin’s Midnight Dancer at Sadler’s Wells Theatre in London.
Levi Roots on Dragon’s Den in 2007. He is still arguably the most dazzling success to come out of Dragon’s Den
Roots pulled off a feat that sounds as though it could only happen in an implausible Hollywood script – making a debut TV appearance that propelled him to a £30million fortune
‘You know what’s going to happen. In my day, you could just be you. I don’t think the fun is there like it used to be.
‘The Dragons had a bit more punch to them. They’re a little bit tame now – apart from Peter.’
The show has recently included guest Dragons, such as fitness guru Joe Wicks and beauty entrepreneur Trinny Woodall.
All Creatures Great And Small star Samuel West and his partner Laura Wade have been hit by an online deception over the messaging service Telegram.
‘Someone claiming to be me – and specifically saying he is Laura Wade’s husband – has been contacting her through Telegram to get her to send him money ‘for his sick daughter’,’ the actor, 58, says.
All Creatures Great And Small stars Callum Woodhouse (left) and Samuel West (right). West and his partner Laura Wade have been hit by an online deception over the messaging service Telegram
‘Needless to say, this is a scam – and Laura and I aren’t married.’
Gourmet Joanne’s got the Abbey habit
Downton Abbey will return to cinemas in September and Joanne Froggatt, who plays lady’s maid Anna Bates, is already licking her lips.
Joanne Froggatt attends the World Premiere of ‘Downton Abbey: A New Era’ in April 2022. Downton will return to cinemas in September and Froggatt, who plays lady’s maid Anna Bates, is already licking her lips
The actress, 44, tells the Travel Secrets podcast that although its on-set catering is ‘really great’, that isn’t always the case.
‘The best food I’ve ever had at work is in Australia. Their catering is restaurant quality. Everyone sits together. In the UK, actors go to their trailers – in Australia, lunch is an event.’
Golden girl still dressed by her Mum!
Nadiya Bychkova at the Spring Ball 2025 in Aid of Style For Stroke and the Melissa Bell Foundation. The Strictly Come Dancing professional wore a gold dress designed by her mother, Larisa, as she performed at the charity fundraiser
When it comes to her sparkling stage outfits, Nadiya Bychkova keeps things strictly in the family.
The Strictly Come Dancing professional wore a gold dress designed by her mother, Larisa, as she performed at the Spring Ball charity fundraiser at the London Cabaret Club in Bloomsbury Square.
‘My Mum makes all my dresses for the performances,’ Nadiya tells me.
The dancer, 35, who’s preparing for her forthcoming tour, A Special Evening With Nadiya Bychkova, adds: ‘She always did, since I was a little girl.’
David Mason, brave fighter and writer, RIP
David Mason (pictured) has died at 73. Seconded to the Sultan of Oman’s army in 1973, he once saw continuous action for three hours, saving the lives of a dozen men
He made headlines in 1993 for picking up an advance of nearly £1million for Shadow Over Babylon, his debut thriller.
But David Mason, who has died at 73, was more revered in military circles for his bravery and intimidating strength.
Seconded to the Sultan of Oman’s army in 1973, he once saw continuous action for three hours, saving the lives of a dozen men. Out of ammunition, he wrenched an AK47 from an attacker and turned it on him.
In Berlin with the Welsh Guards, he collected an officer who’d become too merry on the hospitality of another unit. ‘One punch,’ recalls a witness.
‘Knocked him out cold, threw him over his shoulder, said ‘I’m terribly sorry’, slapped down a fistful of cash, and carried him out.’
David and Victoria Beckham’s son Romeo was in the audience at The Top Secret Comedy Club in London’s Covent Garden on Wednesday.
Romeo, 22, had no trouble getting in, but club owner Mark Rothman has banned anyone who’s had Botox – because performers kept being met with deadpan expressions.
Romeo Beckham at Paris Fashion Week earlier this month. He was spotted in the audience at The Top Secret Comedy Club in London’s Covent Garden on Wednesday
A Pinteresque point, Richard
Blackadder writer Richard Curtis took a swipe at the luvvies at the Royal Television Society awards, where he presented a special prize to Gavin & Stacey creators James Corden and Ruth Jones.
Rowan Atkinson in Black Adder II. The show’s writer Richard Curtis took a swipe at the luvvies at the Royal Television Society awards, where he presented a special prize to Gavin & Stacey creators James Corden and Ruth Jones
‘A lot of us sometimes forget to celebrate our basic job, which is to make people exhilarated or just plain happy,’ Curtis, 68, said.
‘TV is such an amazing filler of our time. Even the least-watched programmes probably entertain more people than have ever watched the plays of Harold Pinter.’
Cue a sharp intake of breath… after a suitably Pinteresque pause.
Author Letts looks on the bright side
Lords Lamont and Lilley, Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg and Jonathan Aitken were among those who packed into St Matthew’s, Westminster, for a party to celebrate the publication of my colleague Quentin Letts’s second novel, Nunc!
He explained that Nunc!, which is dedicated to his late siblings Penny and Alexander, had ‘a bit of Asterix The Gaul’ in it ‘and a bit of The Life Of Brian’.
It even had a surprise for the author – the assertion on the dust cover that he lives in Hertfordshire, not Herefordshire, his home for many years.