'Dragons' Den scandal has caused untold damage - pulling episode is not enough'
If a budding entrepreneur waltzed through the doors of Dragons' Den and brazenly pitched a 'DIY' cure to cancer, investors would be rightfully horrified. Yet that's exactly what happened on the show last week, only for a different debilitating, life-altering illness that leaves many of its sufferers bedbound, and in severe cases, threatens their lives.
Giselle Boxer appeared on the show to ask the Dragons for £50,000 for a 10% stake in her business, which sells "DIY needle-free acupuncture for anxiety, migraines, hormonal issues, insomnia, weight loss and more". In the episode aired last week, she claimed a similar product to the £30 gold-plated ear seeds she now sells helped 'cure' her ME, which has no known cure. Since the show aired, the BBC has been hit with a swathe of complaints from experts and charities who insist there's zero evidence to back up these 'snake oil' claims.
Her controversial Acu Seeds product made history on the show when all six investors put in an offer, but experts have since pointed out that none of the Dragons pressed Giselle on whether her business idea was at all backed by medical evidence. As outrage grew, the BBC doubled down with an abysmal response, claiming that "Dragons' Den features products from entrepreneurs and is not an endorsement of them." The Mirror then revealed that Giselle was approached by BBC researchers to take part, embroiling the show in further controversy and leaving charities questioning what due diligence took place to protect vulnerable consumers from misleading medical claims.
All six Dragons offered Giselle investmentMyalgic encephalomyelitis, or ME, is a long-term, multi-system illness that impacts a person's functional ability and quality of life. There is currently no cure, and the path towards finding one has been blocked for years thanks to chronic underfunding and a reluctance to give up bad science that harms patients. This isn't some casual cock-up from the BBC - Giselle's claims have entrenched the very stereotypes that charities, patients and experts have been desperately warning against for years.
Campaigners fought for decades to break free from the long-held misconception that ME is a psychiatric illness rather than a physical disease. Thankfully it is now widely recognised that ME is far from purely psychological, but the consequences of these views are sometimes fatal. Take Sophia Mirza, who died of complications due to severe ME and faced abusive treatment just before her death. She was forced under the Mental Health Act to undergo psychiatric treatment at a mental hospital after doctors dismissed her physical symptoms. Sophia deteriorated significantly and died shortly after being released. An autopsy found that her spine contained a massive infection. Merryn Crofts also tragically died just 10 days after her 21st birthday, after suffering from severe ME for six years and weighing less than six stone. Charities say she was only 'vindicated' in death after doctors dismissed her symptoms for years.
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The battle against psychologization isn't the only fight that the ME community has had to endure. For years doctors clung to the notion that graded exercise would help ease symptoms, and it's caused irrevocable damage. One government-funded 2011 trial reported that all patients needed to do to overcome the disease was "think positively" and exercise. However, an untold number of patients who experienced mild ME symptoms became completely bedridden as a result. One MP, Carol Monaghan, called it "one of the biggest medical scandals of the 21st century". The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) finally changed its guidance in 2021 after years of research and working closely with patients, but even they faced backlash from doctors who still insisted exercise should be prescribed.
The BBC need to do more to reverse the damage (BBC Studios/Simon Pantling)Last night, the BBC finally pulled the episode after an open letter organised by Action for ME to the chairs of two House of Commons select committees said they were "very concerned” by Giselle's pitch. The BBC claims to be taking these complaints seriously, but it took them a whole week - and a nationwide scandal - to act. The Dragons' Den episode may well have been watched by desperate patients looking for anything to ease their pain, exhausted by constant dismissal from doctors and society as a whole. The very least they deserve from their public broadcaster is responsible, medical-backed coverage.
The pain that comes with trying to explain the merciless reality of ME to those unfamiliar with the illness, particularly when faced with so much misconception, is acute. My mum has been battling the condition for over a decade. On her good days, she wades through unsettling brain fog, and chronic muscle pains and can't bear bright light or sharp sounds. The pain robs her of her freedom to walk much further than down the road. Her bad days see her bedbound, comatosed by pain.
I know how much my mum longs for the small, mundane joys that we all take for granted every day. To run and play with my younger siblings, to soak up the fresh air with the sun beaming down on her face, to go out for a meal without suffering for weeks afterwards. To have one day without pain. Yet so many people still believe ME is "just being tired".
Giselle's claims feed into a wider picture of dangerous perceptions about ME and should not be taken lightly. To suggest unfounded, holistic remedies to vulnerable disabled people is not only completely irresponsible, it works to further undermine the seriousness of the condition - and threatens to reverse the progress made in investment and understanding of the disease. The irony that six Dragons offered to invest in a business with no medical backing when ME charities have fought for decades for the appropriate funding to find a cure is maddening. Advocating for yourself at the doctors is hard enough as an able-bodied person, but ME sufferers are grappling with chronic pain and brain fog all while trying to simply convince doctors of the gravity of their plight.
The decision to pull and review the episode is welcome, but it shouldn't stop there. The BBC doubling down when experts challenged Giselle's claims is unacceptable, and shows exactly how far we have to go to unburden the ME community from this cruel culture of misinformation. The broadcaster should use this moment as a springboard for action and invest in responsible, in-depth reporting on the disease. A formal apology and a commitment to educating the public on the serious reality of chronic illness is the very least they could do.
For more information and support on ME, visit Action for ME or The ME Assosciation.
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