25 January 2024 , 23:30
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An unorthodox pitch left Dragons' Den viewers baffled on Thursday evening, with one of the programme's businessmen going as far as labelling it "really weird".
Aspiring husband and wife entrepreneurs Dan and Naomi Walmsley stole the show as they entered the BBC's Den dressed as a barefooted caveman and cavewoman. The couple, along with their 'cave children' appealed to the five Dragons for an investment of "40,000 acorns" in order to expand their business.
Dan began the pitch, explaining: "We are the Stone Age company, and we deliver Stone Age education and workshops to primary school children. Natalie added that their family's clothes were made with bare hands and had been designed for living in the wild." She told the Dragons: "We’ve lived out in the wild twice, for around about a month, just surviving off the land."
Husband and wife team Dan and Naomi appealed for '40,000 acorns' to help fund their educational enterprise (BBC)Naomi continued: "We hunted, we fished, we foraged, we slept in caves, and pretty much survived." Intrigued, it prompted Deborah Meaden to admit she had "connected with the Earth" by going barefoot too. The peculiarity of the discussion left her co-star declaring it was all "really weird", however.
Deborah, who has been a mainstay on the show since 2006, was less than impressed by the pair's number crunching though, hitting out at their "Stone Age budgeting system". In a bid to rescue the pitch, Naomi confessed: "Currently we live in a static caravan in my parents’ driveway so we’re not paying rent and we can practice living sustainably. We live pretty frugally."
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Perplexed viewers soon took to X (formerly Twitter) to declare their confusion at the episode, with one commenting: "The first pitch tonight and looks like The Flintstones have entered the den." Another asked: "Are they taking the p***?" A third wrote: "It’s descended into an absolute joke now this programme." A fourth saw the funny side at least though, penning: "I haven’t stopped laughing yet. Oh damn. I honestly can’t believe this is for real."
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Unsurprisingly, all five Dragons went on to declare they were "out", though Stephen Bartlett hailed the "importance" of their idea and Peter offered to help them in the future in some form. Optimist Dan exited the Den, declaring: "They gave us hope in a way," to which his spouse replied: "We can continue being us."
A statement by Dan on the Stone Age Company's web site reads: "The lessons learned from our time in the wild continue to resonate and weave through our teachings, breathing life into the Stone Age for those eager to explore the essence of survival, resourcefulness, and the profound connection between humans and nature."